At least four people were killed by severe thunderstorms, strong winds and apparent tornadoes in parts of the southeastern United States on Tuesday, toppling power lines and trees and damaging buildings.
The severe weather was part of a weather system that wreaked havoc across much of the eastern third of the country.
Pictures circulated online from Panama City, Florida.Pictures showed homes with roofs torn off, flattened buildings, and impassable roads after a tornado swept through the area early Tuesday. In some areas north of the Alabama state line, it brought storms Baseball size welcome.
One person was killed and two others were seriously injured after a powerful storm moved through a mobile home park in Claremont, N.C., just after noon Tuesday, according to Catawba County officials.
In Houston County, Alabama, an 81-year-old woman was killed when her mobile home was lifted off its foundation, authorities said. In Clayton County, Georgia, south of Atlanta, a person was killed when a tree fell on the windshield of a car.
Local station WVTM, citing the local Fire and Rescue Department, reported that a man was crushed to death by a falling tree in Birmingham, Alabama, on Tuesday morning.
At some point Tuesday afternoon, more than 22 million people were under a hurricane watch from Florida to Virginia. Later Tuesday night, the number of people under a hurricane watch dropped to about 12 million as the threat of severe weather began to ease in some states such as Georgia and South Carolina.
However, the National Weather Service warned of the potential for strong tornadoes in Florida, and that parts of North Carolina and Virginia could see storms with winds of up to 70 mph.
There were at least 10 reports of tornadoes across the South Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center, though those reports remained unconfirmed until emergency officials and the weather service could survey the damage. The Weather Service said it would send crews to assess damage on Wednesday in Walton, Bay and Jackson counties in Florida. Crews are expected to examine damage Thursday in Houston, Alabama, and Calhoun counties in Georgia.
The weather service also planned to examine damage from the storm in Claremont, North Carolina, about 40 miles northwest of Charlotte, to see if a tornado had touched down in the area.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency for 49 counties “to ensure there are no unmet needs in the wake of severe weather” impacting the state. He urged residents to heed the warnings of local officials.
A line of severe storms was expected Moving across the southeast on Tuesday, The weather service said, adding that it could cause more “widespread damaging wind gusts” at 75 mph, and power outages also affected some areas, the Walton County Sheriff's Office said. He said on Tuesday.
By early afternoon, the tornado threat had moved across northern Florida into south-central Georgia, the National Weather Service in Tallahassee said.
“It will take some time to clear the entire southeastern United States,” said Felicia Bowser, chief meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tallahassee.
In Bay County, Florida, the sheriff's office urged residents to stay off roads while emergency personnel rushed to damaged homes to investigate whether people were trapped. Authorities are working to survey areas affected by the storm, including an apartment complex that the Sheriff's Office said “sustained significant damage.” The office said that power lines were hanging low on some roads, while others were blocked by fallen trees, debris and water.
Schools in Bay County, which includes Panama City, were closed Tuesday, the school district said, adding that it was still surveying damage to buildings.
In Georgia, emergency management officials warned residents to prepare for storms, saying residents of southwest Georgia face the highest risk of tornadoes, which may start even before sunrise.
As of early Wednesday morning, more than 39,000 customers, mostly in central and southwestern counties, were without power, according to PowerOutage.us, which collects data from utilities across the United States.
In Georgia, schools were closed in 27 of the state's 159 counties due to inclement weather, according to the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency. She said it was too early to assess any damage.
Johnny Diaz And Mike Ives Contributed to reports.
