A strong storm system threatens to spawn tornadoes in parts of the southeastern United States, a day after severe weather claimed at least two lives when tornadoes touched down in Texas and Mississippi.
A strong storm system threatened to spawn tornadoes in parts of the southeastern United States on Sunday, a day after severe weather claimed at least two lives when tornadoes touched down in Texas and Mississippi.
Strong storms moving through the Southeast are expected to continue producing “damaging wind gusts,” hail and tornadoes, said National Weather Service meteorologist Frank Pereira. So far, the severe weather line has led to about 40 reports of tornadoes from southeast Texas to Alabama, Pereira said, but those reports remain unconfirmed until damage surveys are completed.
“It's not unheard of, but it's pretty uncommon to have a severe weather outbreak of this magnitude this late in the year,” he said. The storms will continue to slide eastward until they finally move out to sea.
On Saturday, one person died in the Liverpool area, located south of Houston, Texas. Four people suffered injuries that were not considered critical, according to Madison Polston of the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office. Authorities knew of about 10 homes damaged, but were working to determine the extent of the damage, Polston said.
In the Houston area, National Weather Service crews planned to conduct surveys Sunday for at least five tornadoes that struck north and south of the city on Saturday.
In Mississippi, one person died in Adams County and two people were injured in Franklin County, according to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
The National Weather Service said two tornadoes hit Bude and the city of Brandon, ripping roofs off several buildings.
At least six tornadoes reportedly touched down in the Houston area, although more may be discovered as crews go out to assess the damage. There was damage in the area from both tornadoes and straight-line winds, according to Josh Lichter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
North of Houston, mobile homes were damaged or destroyed in Katy and Porter Heights, where the doors of a fire station were blown off, the weather service said.
Storm damage has been reported in the northern Alabama city of Athens, just northwest of Huntsville. A National Weather Service survey team was expected to begin assessing the damage Sunday morning, meteorologist Chelly Amin said.
The National Weather Service issued severe thunderstorm warnings for parts of the Deep South as the line of storms moved east across Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Wind gusts of 60 mph (97 kph) were expected in the Spartanburg, South Carolina, area. Damage to trees and power lines was expected in several counties, while a tornado watch was in effect for some parts of the state.