Tornadoes in Southeast cause extensive damage
Deadly storms are continuing to tear across the central and eastern U.S.
Strong wind gusts toppled trees and snapped utility poles Thursday throughout Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama, according to the National Weather Service. A confirmed tornado bore down near the central Georgia city of Alston, moving east at 55 mph as the weather service warned in an alert, “To repeat, a tornado is on the ground. TAKE COVER NOW!”
The Federal Aviation Administration warned travelers to anticipate delays at airports in Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina, and as far north as Boston and Washington “due to weather constraints.”
It all continued the dangerous mess that started Monday as powerful storms walloped large swaths of the central U.S., causing at least four deaths, dozens of injuries, and massive rescue and cleanup efforts.
One person died in the storm Wednesday after a tree fell on a car, according to officials in Gaston County, outside Charlotte. Another person was rescued and taken to the hospital. Hazardous weather caused severe damage to several towns and left nearly 45% of customers without power, prompting the county to declare a state of emergency.
In northeast Tennessee, a 22-year-old man died after a tree fell on his vehicle Wednesday morning, authorities said. In Maury County, about 50 miles southeast of Nashville, a tornado left one person dead and injured four others, including one person who was hospitalized in serious condition.
Tennessee officials conducted rescues through the night as people were trapped in floodwaters. By early Thursday, between 5 and 7 inches of rain had fallen in some part of the state. At least five local streams rose 6 to 8 feet in a matter of hours, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey.
The National Weather Service also confirmed two tornadoes in Alabama on Wednesday night, leaving paths of damage as persistent storms delayed the start of surveys by National Weather Service teams. In Missouri, tennis ballsize hail fell in Pettis County, some 90 miles east of Kansas City.