Several tornadoes were reported in Mississippi and Alabama Thursday evening as a multi-day round of severe weather clobbered the South, and the threat persisted Friday morning into Georgia.
One twister touched down in Lowndes County, Mississippi, near New Hope before rising off the ground and touching down again across the state line in Alabama near Ethelsville. Lowndes County Emergency Management Service Director Cindy Lawrence told the Associated Press that at least a dozen homes near New Hope were damaged by the storm, but there were no injuries.
A Mississippi teen was killed earlier in the day Thursday in a wreck on wet roads.
The National Weather Service reported a second tornado later Thursday evening near Priceville, Alabama. According to WAFF.com, the tornado tracked northeast from Priceville toward the Marshall Space Flight Center. Damage was reported in Priceville from this storm, the report added.
Lowndes County Emergency Management Service Director Cindy Lawrence says there are no injuries or fatalities from the confirmed tornado touchdown east of Columbus.
She says only damage to some homes, trees and power lines.
Georgia
Severe storms entered the Peach State Friday morning, and as a radar-indicated tornado moved near Warner Robins, at least one wind gust higher than 80 mph was reported, according to the NWS. Shortly after the storm moved through, reports of downed trees and structural damage were confirmed by images on social media.
As the storm tracked east, a radar-confirmed tornado was observed in progress near the towns of Allentown and Montrose. According to the NWS, there were multiple reports of structural damage and possible injuries along Highway 112 in Allentown. Additional details were not immediately available.
More than 6,000 Flint Energies customers lost power in and around Houston County Friday morning, according to the AP.
Alabama
NWS Mobile reported that a probable tornado caused structural damage and downed trees on top of vehicles in Thomasville Thursday evening. There were also reports that roofs and porches were blown off homes near the area.
The NWS also reported a tornado near the dual cities of Ardmore, Alabama, and Ardmore, Tennessee, Thursday evening.
In Geneva County, a road was washed out and flooding submerged roads in downtown Samson Thursday, WSFA.com reported.
Mississippi
An Iuka teen was killed Thursday morning in a one-vehicle wreck in Tishomingo County when his SUV apparently slid on a slick roadway, the Daily Corinthian reported. According to the paper, William Lucas McMahan, 18, was on his way to school when the accident happened.
“This is surreal,” fellow student Kylie Thigpen told the Daily Corinthian. “Lucas had the biggest heart. He was constantly going out of his way to help anyone he could.”
High winds brought down a tree onto a house late Thursday evening in Millport, ABC 33/40 said.
Severe storms left damage in the town of Purvis Thursday morning, according to WDAM.com. At the Purvis Upper Elementary School, a tree was downed and some minor roof damage occurred, but Lamar County Superintendent Tess Smith said nobody was injured, the report added.
Flash flooding was reported in several western Mississippi towns early Thursday morning, while a round of severe weather brought large hail to the southwestern part of the state Wednesday night. In Carroll County, a woman had to be rescued along County Road 183 when her car was swept off the road by floodwaters.
Golf ball-sized hail was reported in two locations in Wilkinson County, and tree damage was reported west of Woodville from strong winds. Thursday morning, floodwaters were entering homes in Leflore and Sunflower counties, according to NWS storm reports.
Louisiana
The National Weather Service confirmed two tornadoes touched down in the southeastern part of the state Thursday, taking down trees and power lines, the AP reported. One hit east of Greensburg in St. Helena Parish and the other struck near Tangipahoa in Tangipahoa Parish. Both were rated EF1 and no injuries were reported.
The already-saturated state took on more rainfall Wednesday night and Thursday, and additional flooding was reported in some areas, NWS forecaster Cynthia Palmer told the AP.
Kentucky
Strong winds blew off the roof of Breckinridge County Middle School Thursday, WHAS 11 News reports. A school district spokesperson said no injuries were reported and students were released. More damage was seen in Breckinridge County as mobile homes were blown over at Nancy Butler Trailer Park, resulting in two injuries, reports WDRB-TV.
Oklahoma
A pair of tornadoes raked areas near Tulsa Wednesday evening, injuring seven people and causing widespread destruction. Both were rated EF2, and both had winds of 110 mph or greater.
“We did have several injuries that were relatively quickly found, one critical,” said Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett. National Weather Service crews assessed the damage Thursday to determine the strength of the storm, the AP reported.
A family of four was injured in Tulsa after a downed tree landed on top of their vehicle Wednesday evening, reports KOTV. The incident involved one adult and three children, and took place on 56th Street North between Highway 75 and Bird Creek.
A 14-year-old girl who was in the car was admitted to a local hospital with head and back injuries, according to the AP. The adult and two other children were treated for minor injuries and released. As of Thursday, an update on the 14-year-old’s condition has not been released.
The twister affected about one square mile of a residential area, destroying one home and damaging several other homes and businesses, Tulsa Fire Department spokesperson Stan May told AP. After the storm passed, officials dispersed to ensure all residents were accounted for.
The pastor of Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Tulsa told KOTV that no one was injured when a tornado struck the building Wednesday evening. The roof caved in and the structure was severely damaged. Some of the offices on the upper level collapsed into the sanctuary.
“We were just starting to have prayer, the sirens were going off, and some of the people wanted to leave. I encouraged them not to leave … This is probably one of the safest buildings in North Tulsa,” Pastor John Malcolm Phipps Jr. told KOTV.
In the nick of time, thirty people and a dog made it into the shipping container Tulsa resident Gary Campbell buried in his backyard. Even underground, Campbell says he felt his ears pop as the storm hit.
“We could hear the house tearing apart,” Campbell told AP. “But it was all over in five seconds.”
Arkansas
Thursday the Arkansas Department of Correction prison sustained power outages and damages, the AP reports. The Delta Regional Unit in Dermott had its roof damaged by the storm and the McPherson Unit at Newport’s power went out temporarily. Spokesperson Solomon Graves said both prisons used generators and operations continued normally.
A plane making its way from Dallas to Memphis was forced to land in Little Rock due to turbulence, leaving two flight attendants injured, according to THV 11. American Airlines officials announced that the two Envoy flight attendants were transported to a local hospital. None of the passengers were injured during the turbulence.
Reports of powerful lightning strikes splintering trees were reported across the Natural State Wednesday.
Firemen in Franklin County are blaming the destruction of a local barn on a nearby lightning strike, according to 4029 TV. The three tractors inside the burned-out barn on Carbon City Road were damaged, but no injuries were reported.
Flooding was also a problem for the state. The University of Arkansas at Little Rock announced that its main campus would be closing early due to flash flooding, canceling all Wednesday evening classes.
The Little Rock Fire Department was called to a water rescue on the corner of Mississippi Street and Rodney Parham Road, where three people escaped their submerged vehicle, according to KATV.com. The three were holding onto nearby trees until firemen were able to assist them.
Texas
A Tarrant County home caught fire after a lightning strike hit the chimney Wednesday, according to local news. One person inside the home was shocked but wasn’t injured in the ordeal. Fire crews extinguished the blaze shortly after arriving.
Police in Benbrook, Texas, had to divert traffic away from a flooded area around southbound US-377 and Sproles Drive Wednesday, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reported.
The NWS reported hail the size of tennis balls near Breckenridge. These large pieces of hail fell only a week after a hail storm left close to $500 million in damages in north Texas, according to NBC Dallas-Fort Worth.
Kansas
The NWS has reported hail up to 2 inches in diameter, resulting in dangerous driving conditions along the Kansas Turnpike between mile markers 105 and 110.
The falling hail made roads slick and was blamed for a rollover accident that occurred near Cassoday around mile marker 92. The northbound lanes of the highway were halted as a result of the crash, but have been cleared since. No injuries were reported.
Hail has also resulted in broken windows in numerous vehicles in the El Dorado area.
