Severe Outbreak Moves East: Tornadoes Confirmed in Atlanta Area; Storms Push into Carolinas

A large storm system that spawned more than a dozen tornadoes in the Plains pushed into the Deep South on Wednesday, spawning several reported tornadoes – two of which left damage in the Atlanta area.

Tornadoes were reported in the Florida Panhandle Wednesday afternoon, while heavy rain left some Alabama roads flooded. On Thursday, these storms are expected to move into the Carolinas, and some additional flooding and wind damage could be possible.

(MORE: 3 Killed in Northwestern Storms)

These severe storms, on the warm side of Winter Storm Ajax, are capable of producing damaging winds and hail in addition to tornadoes. 

Here's a roundup of damage reports and other storm-related impacts.

Alabama

As many as 7,000 Alabamians lost power as the storms pushed through, according to Alabama Power.

Reports of minor flooding came in Wednesday afternoon across the state as heavy rainfall began to create problems for motorists. In northern Alabama, several reports of downed trees were also relayed to the National Weather Service.

Funnel clouds were spotted near Elba and Kinston in southern Alabama early Wednesday afternoon, according to NWS storm reports.

Arkansas

The Natural State saw widespread non-tornadic wind damage Tuesday afternoon and evening, especially in the town of Hot Springs.

The town's city hall building was damaged by the storms Tuesday afternoon, the Sentinel-Record reported via the Associated Press. Elsewhere in Hot Springs, scattered tree and power line damage was reported.

In the wake of the storms, the Hot Springs School District decided to cancel classes Wednesday, as announced on its Facebook page.

According to a local fire department, a roof on an outdoor stage at the Perry County Fairgrounds was ripped off by strong winds and blown about 40 yards away as the storms moved through. Tree damage was also reported in the area.

At the height of the outages, as many as 25,000 customers were without power statewide. By Wednesday morning, the number had dwindled to about 6,000.

(MORE: Tornado Outbreak Hits Southern Plains on Monday)

Trees were brought down in Hempstead County, and cabins were damaged along Lake Hamilton Drive in Garland County, the AP also reported.

A stretch of U.S. 67-167, a major link between Little Rock and its northeastern suburbs, was closed due to flooding near Jacksonville Tuesday afternoon, the AP said, but was reopened early Tuesday evening.

Flooding was also seen in Lonoke County near Mountain Springs Elementary School and in Pope County near the campus of Arkansas Tech University, according to social media reports.

KATV News has reported significant damage to an auto body shop in Grant County. The same report describes damage to a nearby home.

There have been no injuries reported from this round of storms.

Florida

The National Weather Service said a pair of reported tornadoes hit Walton County Wednesday afternoon.

The first tornado was reportedly in progress at about 12:30 p.m. CST near Deerland, as confirmed by data on dual-polarization radar. Another tornado report came about a half-hour later west of Liberty Hill.

A possible waterspout was captured on video near Destin at about the same time.

Georgia

As Wednesday's afternoon rush hour began in the Atlanta area, so did the severe weather, creating a dangerous scenario when a tornado was spotted on radar just southwest of the city.

The National Weather Service in Peachtree City said four homes were damaged in Coweta County due to a tornado. An NWS survey crew reviewed the damage Thursday morning and determined an EF1 tornado with winds as high as 105 mph was in progress.

“It seemed like it was only about 40 seconds before everything became still again,” she told the Newnan Times-Herald. “My baby was due on Monday, but I was just praying for the baby to stay in."

The NWS confirmed a second EF1 tornado, packing winds as high as 95 mph, hit nearby Fairburn. This twister was on the ground for nearly 2 miles.

There were no reported injuries from the confirmed tornadoes. The Fairburn Police Department in Fulton County reported a structure fire on West Campbellton Street, as well as fallen limbs on power lines.

Nearly 7,000 Georgia Power customers lost power statewide as the storms rolled through. Power was restored to virtually all of those customers by Thursday morning.

Some roads in midtown Atlanta were flooded by a combination of torrential downpours and clogged drains.

Louisiana 

Northwestern Louisiana bore the brunt of the wind damage reports on Tuesday, with many centered around Shreveport. Reported wind gusts reached as high as 58 mph, and those winds were made even more dangerous by saturated ground that made it easier for trees to collapse.

In Bossier Parish, the town of Haughton saw an entire block of homes damaged by falling trees brought down by the strong wind gusts, the AP reported. Inside one of those homes was Glenn Dowden and his son Ben, who was home sick for the day. At about 11 a.m., a large tree crashed through their home, according to KTBS.com.

"In my den, the roof is all completely caved in," Dowden told KTBS.com. "You can't even see my dining room table in there, my living room the roof is all caved in ... The end of my house another tree hit it and took off all the wires to my house. It was pitch black inside so you couldn't see much in there."

Dowden and his son were uninjured in the incident, the report added.

Flooded roadways led to at least 27 accidents in Shreveport, the city's police department told the Shreveport Times.

Entergy Louisiana reported over 9,000 customers without power statewide, but that number is down below 1,000 Wednesday morning. Many schools and events were canceled on Tuesday in anticipation of the storms.

Mississippi

The NWS confirmed Wednesday that at least 11 tornadoes hit the state Tuesday night, and that number could rise as crews survey more damage Thursday.

• EF1: Winston County, near Louisville; 104 mph winds
• EF1: Winston County, near Louisville; 105 mph winds
• EF1: Four corners region of Leake, Neshoba, Winston and Attala counties; 100 mph winds
• EF1: Leake County, near Carthage; 105 mph winds
• EF1: Leake County, near Carthage; 107 mph winds
• EF1: Leake County, near Renfroe; 95 mph winds
• EF1: Near Morton; 109 mph winds
• EF1: Scott County, near Forkville; 90 mph winds
• EF1: Scott County, near Forkville; 100 mph winds
• EF1: Hinds County, near Edwards; 100 mph winds
• EF0: Leake County, near Tuscola; 75 mph winds

Power lines were brought down in Leake County, and a home suffered major damage to its tin roof near Highway 25. Two tornado reports were also relayed to the NWS from Winston County, where major tree damage was observed. NWS crews will be in Winston and Lowndes counties Thursday to survey damage and possibly confirm additional tornadoes.

One person was injured during the severe weather. According to Winston County Emergency Management Director Buddy King, a man driving an 18-wheeler struck a tree on Highway 19. King did not identify the driver, but he told the AP that the man was treated for minor injuries at Winston Medical Center in Louisville.

Missouri 

Reports of flooded roadways were widespread in southern Missouri Tuesday afternoon and evening as the rainfall persisted. In some areas, more than a half-foot of rain was dumped by this storm system.

Many side streets had to be closed, especially those located near creeks that became swollen from all the rainfall.

(FORECAST: Severe Weather Outbreak)

Wind damage was minimal in the Show Me State as these storms passed through, but the National Weather Service did say tree and power line damage was reported near Doniphan, as well as wind damage to a carport in the same area.

North Carolina

Late Wednesday night, several reports of flooding came in from western North Carolina. Heavy rains caused several small creeks and rivers to rise above flood stage in areas like Rosman, Hendersonville and Brevard.

Strong winds brought down trees in the Sugar Grove area Wednesday evening, according to local storm reports.

South Carolina

Rain was falling Thursday morning across parts of the Upstate and Midlands, causing some travel problems. According to WIS-TV, ponding on roadways was leading to some car accidents Thursday morning. There were no reports of damage or major flooding as of 8 a.m. EST.

Tennessee 

As the storm system arrived Tuesday in Tennessee, winds gusted as high as 57 mph in areas near Tracy City, according to local storm reports. More wind damage, mostly to trees, was reported Wednesday morning in southern and central parts of the state.

Memphis Light, Gas and Water reported nearly 5,200 customers affected by the severe weather. By Wednesday morning, that number had dropped under 3,000.

This is a developing story; please check back frequently for updates.