Tornadoes, severe storms leave 3 dead in Tennessee, North Carolina as damage trail stretches 900 miles
Fatalities were reported in two states as severe storms caused over 900 miles of damage from Kansas to eastern North Carolina, resulting in 13 reports of tornadoes. The storms appeared to impact the country in clusters, with Tennessee, southern Illinois and northern Alabama being the hardest hit by tornadoes. There were also hundreds of hail and damaging wind reports in other nearby states.
3 dead from severe storms, tornadoes in Tennessee, North Carolina
The nation's deadly severe weather outbreak continued Wednesday with severe storms from the Carolinas to the Midwest, with fatalities reported in two states.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Severe weather continued to wreak havoc nationwide this week, with Wednesday marking the second-most-active severe weather day of the year after nearly 400 combined reports of damaging winds, hail and tornadoes.
Fatalities were reported in two states as severe storms caused over 900 miles of damage from Kansas to eastern North Carolina, resulting in 13 reports of tornadoes. The storms appeared to impact the country in clusters, with Tennessee, southern Illinois and northern Alabama being the hardest hit by tornadoes. There were also hundreds of hail and damaging wind reports in other nearby states.
Hear the roar of a powerful Tennessee tornado
A large tornado was spotted south of Nashville on Wednesday and impacted communities around Spring Hill in Middle Tennessee.
Two Tornado Emergencies – the most dire warnings from the National Weather Service – were issued in Maury, Marshall, Rutherford and Williamson counties in Tennessee and Dekalb County in Alabama. This came after two other Tornado Emergencies were issued earlier this week in Oklahoma and Michigan, marking the most Tornado Emergencies in a three-day period since March 31, 2023.
Additionally, 136 Tornado Warnings and 563 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings were issued on Wednesday.
Car flipped on I-65 south of Nashville during a tornado
At least one car was flipped on I-65 south of Nashville during Wednesday's tornadoes in Tennessee.
Power outages peaked Thursday morning around 250,000 across the Southeast, according to PowerOutage.us.
One person was killed in Claiborne County, Tennessee, after a tree fell on their car during a storm on Wednesday. In Gaston County, North Carolina, a similar event happened west of Charlotte during the afternoon when one person was killed and another was injured by a tree that toppled onto a car.
South of Nashville, in Maury County, Tennessee, a tornado removed two homes from their foundations in Columbia, according to officials. Tragically, a woman who lived in one of those homes was found dead in a nearby wooded area. Following the storm, emergency responders in the county rescued at least 12 people who were trapped under debris or stranded in wooded areas.
At this time, the National Weather Service has not provided an estimate regarding the intensity, but a crew from its Nashville office is in the area surveying the damage.
To the east, in Rutherford County, Tennessee, a Tornado Emergency was issued in the Eagleville area for a confirmed tornado.
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Tornado strikes communities around Columbia, Tennessee
A tornado struck communities south of Nashville along Interstate 65 on Wednesday evening. Several injuries and damage was reported.
Meanwhile, in northern Tennessee, a tornado is believed to have struck communities around Clarksville.
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Damage was also reported in East Tennessee at Russellville Intermediate School in Morristown as a tornado-warned storm rolled through Hamblen County on Wednesday morning. District school officials said all students were safe, and there were no injuries.
Late Wednesday night, severe weather moved into Alabama, causing damage in the Huntsville and Henagar areas. The town of Henagar was placed under the Tornado Emergency issued for Dekalb County, where there were reports of substantial damage and people being taken to the hospital.
More than 80 million threatened by severe weather on Thursday
A widespread threat of severe storms capable of producing damaging winds, hail and tornadoes extends from Texas into the lower Mississippi Valley and Southeast.
Meanwhile, areas from North and Central Texas into the Ark-La-Tex region face a more localized threat of supercells that could produce very large hail, potentially up to the size of baseballs, on Thursday afternoon and evening. This includes parts of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
MORE THAN 80 MILLION THREATENED BY SEVERE STORMS FROM TEXAS TO EAST COAST THURSDAY
Additionally, more flooding is likely, especially across eastern portions of Texas, where catastrophic flooding has already occurred. Between 2 and 3 inches of additional rain is expected in that region.