Possible tornadoes toppling trees and damaging buildings are being reported as powerful storms crossed the South from Texas to Georgia.
The National Weather Service issued numerous tornado warnings, mainly in southeast Alabama and southwest Georgia, and cautioned that gusts of hurricane-force winds exceeding 90 mph were possible in parts of northeast Louisiana and central Mississippi. Some areas also were pelted with large hail.
Witnesses posted video of tornadoes hitting Abbeville and Eufaula in Alabama.
In Georgia, authorities in Troup County told WSB-TV that a person was struck by lightning Wednesday afternoon. There was no immediate word on that person’s condition.
Tens of thousands of people across both Alabama and Georgia were without power Wednesday night amid the storms, according to each of the state’s power providers. At one point, the outages were affecting close to 50,000 people in Alabama alone.
Forecasters said severe storm threats could persist into Thursday, with the greatest risk across southern Alabama and Georgia into the Florida Panhandle as well as Oklahoma and parts of northern Texas and southern Kansas.
In Alabama, the Eufaula Police Department said confirmed tornado damage was reported in the city near the Georgia state line. Eufaula Mayor Jack Tibbs told WSFA-TV that no injuries were immediately reported, but the storm collapsed a wall of a building and downed 30 or 40 trees.
Local news outlets showed viewer-submitted video of a tornado rumbling through nearby Henry County, Alabama, and of roof damage in the area.
