SATURDAY UPDATES: Read the latest weather news here.
States across the Southeast and Midwest faced strong winds that created dangerous conditions Friday, with winds uprooting trees and causing power outages, killing 10 people.
Some areas were also under a tornado watch, including most of the metro Atlanta area.
At least 10 people were killed Friday by storms in the South: three killed by falling trees in Alabama; A woman was killed in her car by a tree branch in Mississippi; A man drowned in Arkansas after driving his car into floodwaters; High winds claimed two lives in Tennessee due to fallen trees. Three people were killed in Kentucky, officials said.
More than 505,000 customers were without power in Kentucky, more than 290,000 in Tennessee and more than 84,000 in Alabama on Friday evening, according to PowerOutage.us.
More than 15 million people were under a tornado watch as of 4:30 p.m. EDT, according to the National Weather Service. A total of 22 million people live in areas where high wind warnings have been issued.
Meanwhile, a storm is also expected to bring snow to a 1,300-mile swath of the U.S. from the Midwest to New England on Friday and Saturday, potentially disrupting major travel hubs, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
Much of Northern California and the Pacific Northwest were also under winter weather advisories and warnings Friday morning.
Here's what you need to know:
What is thunder and how is it formed? Explain how a thunderstorm can produce snow
What is the snow lake effect?:Here's how it happens and how much snow it could bring with it.
Tornado watches across the South
The NWS issued tornado watches that were in effect Friday for parts of the following six states:
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Virginia
- Alabama
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
Parts of Arkansas and Louisiana experienced tornado watches earlier Friday morning. NWS Shreveport in Louisiana posted video of a tornado that formed in the city on Thursday around 5:40 p.m. Central Time.
The wind is sweeping south. Power outages expected
High wind warnings were in effect Friday for:
Wind speeds are expected to reach 60 mph, and the National Weather Service warned that the winds will uproot trees and power lines, with power outages expected throughout the area.
The weather service advised people to charge their phones and other devices Thursday evening “so they can reliably receive additional warnings.”
Snow and sleet extend from the Midwest to New York and New England
Winter storm conditions extended from the Midwest into New England on Friday, and some areas were expected to see up to a foot of snow.
A winter storm watch is in effect Friday in northern Illinois, with rain “turning to heavy wet snow,” according to the National Weather Service in Chicago.
Wind speeds could reach 35 mph in the area.
A winter storm warning is in effect Friday evening through Saturday afternoon for parts of Vermont and New York. Some areas could see up to 12 inches of snow, and heavy snowfall is expected early Saturday morning.
To the south, a winter weather advisory goes into effect starting at 7 a.m. Friday for parts of western Maryland, northwest Virginia and eastern West Virginia. Area residents can expect a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain, before turning to rain by Friday evening.
Winter storm tracking
US weather monitoring and warnings
National weather radar
Contributing: The Associated Press
