CNN
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Residents from east Texas to South Carolina were hit by a storm that brought massive hail Thursday as authorities in the south-central United States surveyed damage from tornadoes and powerful storms that reportedly killed at least three people on Wednesday. Prepare for severe weather threats that can cause damaging winds and flooding. .
More than 9 million people in northern and central Georgia, southeastern Tennessee and western North Carolina were under tornado watches until 1 p.m., the Storm Prediction Center said. Cities targeted for surveillance include Atlanta and Macon in Georgia and Chattanooga in Tennessee.
Tennessee was particularly hard hit Wednesday, with at least four tornadoes reported in the Volunteer State, flash flooding prompting water rescues and road closures north of Nashville.
Tornado warnings were issued Wednesday for several southern states, including northern Alabama, where a tornado warning was issued in the area of Henager, a city of several thousand people about 55 miles east of Huntsville, the National Weather Service said. A large and destructive tornado occurred. This is the fourth tornado emergency issued this week, with others also being issued in Oklahoma, Michigan and Tennessee.
A tornado warning was also issued near Huntsville, Alabama, early Wednesday night.
Two tornadoes were reported in Tennessee on Wednesday. He was from Maury County, about 80 miles southwest of Nashville, and was in the midst of a tornado emergency. The National Weather Service announced that “a large and destructive tornado was confirmed” near the city of Spring Hill around 5:50 p.m.
“We are asking everyone to stay off the roads. If you can, please stay home,” the Maury County Emergency Management Agency posted on Facebook.
Across the affected area, 13 tornadoes were reported, producing wind gusts up to 110 mph and hail the size of grapefruit.
Severe thunderstorms and flash flooding were possible Wednesday night from parts of the Ozarks to the Tennessee Valley, and the threat of severe weather moves south into the Southern Plains and Southeast on Thursday, the National Weather Service said.
“Several supercells are underway in parts of the South Central region (south central Kentucky and middle Tennessee),” the weather service announced Wednesday night. “The storm is expected to continue for the next few hours, bringing large hail, damaging winds and a few tornadoes.”
Here's the latest information on the ongoing storms and destruction in the south-central United States.
The storm turns deadly: One person was killed when a tree fell on a car during severe storms in Claiborne County, Tennessee, the county's emergency management office reported Wednesday morning. Another person was killed when a tornado touched down in Maury County Wednesday night. In North Carolina, one person was killed when a tree fell on a car in Gaston County near Charlotte, officials said.
Several injuries have been reported. Maury Regional Medical Center in Maury County received at least four people injured in the reported tornado, hospital spokeswoman Rita Thompson confirmed to CNN. She said Thompson said three of those patients have non-life-threatening injuries, but one is in critical condition.
Significant damage after a tornado emergency: Widespread damage and downed trees occurred Wednesday night in Maury County after the National Weather Service issued a tornado emergency after a large tornado was confirmed. The Tennessee Department of Transportation said it will send crews and equipment to clear damaged and debris roads when it is safe to do so. Nearby cars and signs were damaged, and one lane of traffic was blocked. Commissioner Eric Previti told CNN there was also damage to buildings in the area, but he was not aware of the extent of the damage.
Fallen trees damage cars and homes in North Carolina. At a news conference Wednesday night, Gaston County received approximately 1,200 weather-related calls, including multiple calls for trees falling on vehicles, homes and power lines, said Lance, deputy chief of the Emergency Management and Fire Department.・Mr. Falk stated. Schools in the county are closed Thursday, officials said.
Flash flood emergency issued: A flash flood emergency was issued Wednesday night for Robertson and Sumner counties in central Tennessee north of Nashville and along the Kentucky border, the National Weather Service said. Radar shows 4 to 7 inches of rain fell across the county on Wednesday, with more heavy rain expected to move across the region in the coming hours. Flooding has occurred in Robertson County, causing “several water rescues” and “numerous road closures,” the county's Office of Emergency Management told CNN. “This is a very dangerous situation! Get off the road and seek higher ground!” the agency wrote on Facebook. Emergency crews also responded to calls for water rescues and began evacuating flooded homes in Sumner County, Sumner County Emergency Management Director Ken Widener said. Sumner County schools will be closed Thursday due to flooding.
Hospitals in El Dorado, Illinois, a small town in the southern part of the state, have stopped accepting new patients after Wednesday's storm caused significant flooding. “Patients currently hospitalized are being transferred to other local facilities,” Ferrell Hospital said in a statement.
Thousands of power outages: Power outages occurred in several states during the severe storm. More than 85,000 people are without power in North Carolina. More than 40,000 people were without power in Tennessee as of Wednesday evening, according to PowerOutage.us.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle/Associated Press
Construction workers cleaning up flood damage in the River Plantation area of Conroe, Texas, move garbage bags filled with flood-damaged items to a pile of rubble on Monday.
Numerous severe thunderstorms are expected across Southeast Texas on Thursday, according to the prediction center. The threat of severe weather will begin in the afternoon and evening for Texas, with the possibility of large hail and gusty winds in parts of the state. Strong winds will remain the main threat in the Southeast overnight. However, scattered storms are likely to affect the entire region during the afternoon and evening.
The risk of severe thunderstorms has increased to 3 out of 5 for areas from eastern Texas to south-central Georgia and far southern South Carolina, the Forecast Center announced Thursday.
Very heavy hail is possible from parts of central Texas into the Ark-La-Tex tri-state area Thursday afternoon and evening. Severe hail and wind damage is also possible across a wide area from eastern Texas to the lower Mississippi Valley and the Southeast, the center said.
“Flash flooding is also possible along this corridor, which stretches between eastern Texas and central Georgia,” the National Weather Service said. “The threat of scattered thunderstorms is expected to linger as the associated cold front continues to move south and east on Friday, but remains confined to the Southeast.”
Tornadoes are most active in the United States from April to June, with May typically being the month with the most tornadoes. This year was no exception. At least one tornado has been reported every day in the U.S. since April 25, the 14th consecutive day and continuing. As of Thursday morning, 323 tornado reports had been filed in that period, two of which were confirmed as EF4, according to the prediction center.