Severe storms sweep the Southeast: Live updates | CNN (2024)

Some students and staff at four Spalding County middle schools had to remain late Thursday due to roads being impassable after severe weather impacted the area.

School officials and community leaders were “working to provide food and drinks to the students and staff remaining in our four middle schools,” according to a post on the Griffin-Spalding County School System Facebook page.

In a Thursday night update, the district said 24 students remained at two middle schools, and officials and law enforcement officers “are working to assist in transporting the students home who have safe homes to return to.”

School officials had given parents the option to pick up their children if they felt they could safely reach the schools.

Griffin, located in Spalding County, is a southern suburb of the Atlanta metro area.

Debris liter a local business that was destroyed by a tornado that passed through downtown Selma on Thursday.

As of Thursday evening, there have been 34 preliminary tornado reports across Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky over the course of the day, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

At least one multi-county EF-1 tornado has been confirmed across northern Alabama by the National Weather Service in Huntsville, Alabama. The remainder of the tornado reports – including the potentially “long-track/significant” tornadoes near Selma, Alabama, and Griffin, Georgia – are expected to be surveyed by the local weather service offices in Birmingham and Atlanta on Friday.

Due to multiple tornado reports across Alabama and Georgia, both weather service offices expect that it could take several days before there is a final count of how many tornadoes occurred Thursday and the details regarding each tornado.

Three EF-1 tornadoes have been confirmed by the weather service office in Louisville, Kentucky. The tornadoes were located in Henry, Mercer and Boyle counties.

In addition to the tornado reports, there were more than 130 damaging wind reports recorded across Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia.

Furthermore, 18 severe hail reports were recorded across Kentucky, Ohio, Alabama, West Virginia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Georgia. These hail reports ranged from quarter-size to golf ball-size.

Elmore County, Alabama, officials are still surveying the damage that was left behind following a powerful storm that tracked into the area.

Several communities on both sides of Lake Jordan were impacted, according to Barnett.In addition to homes being damaged in the county, there are also numerous trees down and roads blocked, he said.

One minor injury has been reported, he said, and first responders are still working throughout county.

Elmore County borders hard-hit Autauga County in central Alabama.

Officials in hard-hit Autauga County, Alabama, are continuing to assess damage from the trail of destruction that resulted in multiple homes being damaged or destroyed, a county official said.

At least 20 homes were damaged or destroyed in the county, Gary Weaver, Autauga County EMA deputy director, told CNN.

At least five people died in Autauga after severe weather ripped through the South Thursday.

The city council in Selma, Alabama, set aside $2 million in surplus funds for disaster recovery following a tornado that caused major damage to the heart of the city Thursday. Because of mass power outages,the council meton a sidewalk outside City Hall, illuminated with vehicle headlights.

“Thank God, no loss of life has been reported,” said Mayor James Perkins Jr.

The mayor added the power losses could make things uncomfortable for people overnight as temperatures drop.

“We’ve got to layer up and get ready,” he said.

Perkins also asked residents to try to limit their water usage as treatment facilities are affected by the power outage.

“We are not in trouble yet, but all of this is really tied to how fast we can get the power restored,” Perkins said.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said six people died following the severe weather that hit the state on Thursday.

Earlier, officials in Alabama’s Autauga County said at least 5 people were killed there.

Selma, Alabama suffered extensive damage on Thursday after a band of severe weather moved through the area.The storm resulted in more than two dozen tornadoes across the south.The tornado that struck Selmawas on the ground for at least 50 miles and caused damage in seven counties across Alabama, according to the National Weather Service.

A firefighter walks back to the truck after putting out a fire that started after a tornado passed through downtown Selma, Alabama.

An aerial image from drone footage shows extensive damage in downtown Selma.

An upended vehicle sits amongst debris strewn about by the storm.

Workers remove debris from railroad tracks.

Workers prepare to board up windows broken by the storm.

A damaged car is covered by debris.

Homes were left devastated in LaGrange, Georgia, as severe weather swept through through the state Thursday.

Dra Bray posted videos toFacebook showing the damage done to the Baldwin Park neighborhood in Troup County.

The videos show what’s left of several homes as Bray records down the block. Some homes remain in fair shape while others have missing roofs, shattered windows, and collapsed garages.

The Troup County Sheriff’s Office announced a tornado warning for the area and advised people to stay off the roads, according to aFacebook post. Officials also posted photosof trees and debris blocking Interstate 185 at mile marker 47 southbound.

This interstate, along with many other roads, are shut down, according to the agency.

Storm damage in Autauga County, Alabama.

At least five people are dead in Autauga County, Alabama, according to coroner Buster Barber, after severe weather that spawned tornadoes moved across the South on Thursday.

Emergency services respond to the storm in Autauga County, Alabama.

Around 147,000 residents are still without power as of 8:00 p.m. Thursday after severe weather lashed states across the South.

According to PowerOutage.us, 90,252 customers are without power in Georgia, 42,648 people are in the dark in Alabama and 14,823 are without power in Tennessee.

T.J. Imberger speaks during a video statement.

The government of Spalding County, Georgia, is declaring its own state of emergency due to a reported tornado in the community Thursday, the government announcedon its official Facebook page.

At around 6:30 p.m., Griffin-Spalding County School Systemsaid it was still holding middle school students who were not able to safely get on buses before the severe weather arrived.

The district said they have to determine what roads are passable before they can get buses back out on the roads.

A damaged structure and debris are seen in the aftermath of severe weather on Thursday, January 12, in Selma, Alabama.

The tornado that moved through Alabama this afternoon was likely on the ground for at least 50 miles and caused damage in seven counties across the state, National Weather Service Meteorologist Gerald Satterwhite told CNN.

Satterwhite believes that “based on how high the debris was thrown into the air you are looking at an EF-2 or EF-3.”

The National Weather Service damage survey is likely to begin Friday.This will determine the exact length, width and strength of the tornado.

The tornado moved through Selma at 12:18 pm CST (1:18 pm EST), according to Satterwhite.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency Thursday evening due to the severe weather that has impacted the state.

Severe storms are making their way East, according to the National Weather Service, bringing with them the possibility for more tornadoes. The NWS Storm Prediction Center said at least 28 tornadoes have been reported as of Thursday evening, all of them in Alabama.

Now, several severe weather alerts — including some tornado warnings — are in effect in parts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.

If the storm is heading toward you, here’s what you can do to stay safe during a tornado, according to the NWS.

Deborah A. Brown shared video showing damage on Facebook

Deborah A. Brown shared video to Facebook showing damage to a street in Selma, Alabama, after a tornado ripped through the city Thursday.

A woman can be heard off-camera describing her experience. She said she was in a tax office when the tornado hit, and that the people inside ran to take shelter in a closet.

“We could’ve been gone, y’all,” the woman is heard saying in the video. “We had to run for cover. We had to go run and jump in the closet.”

The video shows vehicles with shattered windows and other debris from a building can be seen in the road.

The woman is heard repeatedly thanking God for her survival.

“I ain’t never been so scared in my life, but I was praying,” she said.

Picture of a possible tornado was taken from the top of Dadeville Courthouse looking toward Alexander City, according to the Tallapoosa County Sheriff's Office.

The mayor of Alexander City, Alabama, said the city is still assessing the damage caused by Thursday afternoon’s severe weather outbreak.

“The storm took a 2-mile track in the city,” Mayor Woody Baird told CNN in a phone interview.

A state trooper was trapped in his patrol car after a tree fell on it but he survived, according to Baird. The mayor went on to say there are at least 10 homes destroyed and at least 20 homes were heavily damaged.

“There are no injuries so far and we are very lucky,” the mayor said.

A photo of a possible tornado was taken from the top of Dadeville Courthouse looking toward Alexander City, according to the Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Office.

Alexander City is located in Tallapoosa County, northeast of Montgomery.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency for six counties Thursday due to severe weather, and said officials “will assess the situation to determine if an expanded state of emergency is necessary.”

The counties are Autauga, Chambers, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore and Tallapoosa.

The Selma city council is expected to declare an emergency for the city when it convenes Thursday evening, Mayor James Perkins, Jr. said.

It comes as the city starts to clean up from a series of storms that swept through Alabama. Officials have confirmed a tornado in Selma that caused “significant damage.”

The mayor thanked the governor’s office, and state and county leaders who have assisted.

Perkins reminded residents a curfew will go into effect this evening. It will be in place from dusk to dawn, he said.

“If you don’t need to go out, don’t go out,” the mayor said.

One wall of a warehouse complex in Austell, Georgia, collapsed Thursday during severe weather, according to county officials.

Cobb County said in a Facebook post there were “multiple reports of storm damage” in the area around the warehouse, including trees that fell into homes.

Officials did not say whether anyone was injured inside the damaged warehouse.

The building’s address on Oak Ridge Parkway matched a listing for a business that sells parts for tractor-trailers. There was no answer at the listed phone number of the business Thursday evening.

See the photo of the warehouse:

Downed power lines and damaged homes are seen near Akron, Alabama.

Thesevereweatheroutbreak currently impacting the South has leftmorethan 190,000customerswithout power across at least three states as of Thursday evening at 5:37 p.m. ET.

There are 193,917customersinAlabama, Georgia, and Tennesseewithoutpower, according toPowerOutage.US.

InGeorgia alone,morethan117,263customers arewithoutpower, approximately 52,613 are in the dark in Alabama and 24,041 in Tennessee, according toPowerOutage.US.

As of Thursday evening, here have been no storm-related deaths in Selma city officials said, but there are minor injuries.

The mayor asked people to continue to shelter in place — citing downed power lines and trees across the county. Dallas County Emergency Management Agency said crews are working to get some of the debris cleared.

Dallas County Probate Judge Jimmy Nunn described some of the damage, saying, he saw cars flipped over and buildings completely demolished.

“This is a disaster area.Power lines are down and trees are down — this is really dangerous,” Nunn said.

A curfew will be implemented Thursday night from dawn to dusk, the mayor said.

“We are asking you the public to stay at home this evening,” Perkinssaid.

At least 24 tornadoes have been reported in Alabama as severe weather moves through the Southeast, according to the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center.

High winds and hail have been reported in parts of Tennessee into Kentucky.

Some of the worst damage has been reported in Selma, Alabama. Officials with the city said Thursday evening said no one was killed, but some people were injured.

In northern Alabama’s Morgan County alone, a storm caused 10 to 15 injuries Thursday morning and damaged numerous buildings, said Mike Swafford, spokesperson for the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office.

Several preliminary tornado reports were made Thursday morning in northwestern Alabama’s Winston County and western Alabama’s Sumter County, where building damage was reported, the weather servicesaid.

Here’s a look at where tornadoes have been reported so far:

Fallen trees are seen in the aftermath of severe weather, on Thursday, January 12, in Selma, Alabama.

Tornado damage is “widespread” in Selma, according to Dallas County Coroner and EMT William Alan Dailey.

Dailey, who is currently assisting with search and rescue efforts in the historic Alabama town, said injuries have been reported and that ambulance traffic to Vaughan Regional Hospital is “steady.”

The tornado hit the outskirts of Selma and damageis spread from “one side of Dallas County to the other,” he said.

Dallas County has no reported deaths, according to Dailey.Search and rescue continues.

Selma is the county seat for Dallas County, which has a population of around 37,000 people, according to the census.

Aerial pictures show extensive damage sustained in Selma, Alabama, after a possible tornado ripped through the area Thursday afternoon.

The pictures below were taken in the downtown area, bythe railroad tracks crossing Broad Street — considered one of the city’s main roads — near J.L. Chestnut Jr. Boulevard.

Destruction from a possible tornado in Selma, Alabama, on January 12, 2023.

Damage in Selma, Alabama, along Broad Street on January 12, 2023.

A tornado is believed to have touched down this afternoon near Griffin High School in Griffin, Georgia, the school district told CNN. But Adam Pugh, Griffin Spalding School District spokesperson, said the only reports of damage on the campus are trees down and a leak in the gym.

There have been no immediate reports of injuries.

“We canceled all after-school activities,” said Pugh.

The district said no students were being transported on buses at the time of the tornado. Middle school students — who are the last to be dismissed each day — are being held in their buildings for safety.

Twoadditionaltornadowatcheshave beenissuedbytheStorm Prediction Center.

Thefirst is for southeast Alabama, southwest Georgia andtheFlorida Panhandle and lasts until 9 p.m.

Thesecond watch is for northeast Georgia, western North Carolina and western and central South Carolina until 10 p.m.This watchincludes Charlotte, North Carolina; Columbia and Greenville, South Carolina; and Augusta, Georgia.

Tornadowatchesnow stretch about 500 miles fromtheGulf Coast near Pensacola, Florida to north of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Storm damage in Selma, Alabama.

Priscilla Lewis was sitting next to Bloch Park on Thursday when a tornado tore through Selma, Alabama. In aFacebookpost, Lewis shared photos and video of the destruction.

Collapsed powerlines, trash and debris litter the streets, photos show. Broken fences and damaged buildings can be seen in the video as cars attempt to leave the area.

Storms continue to roll through parts of the Southeast.

The National Weather Service in Birmingham, Alabama, said the storms are “producing damaging winds up to 70 mph and large hail.” It also said there is a lot of rain and lightning.

Already, Alabama has reportedmore than a dozen tornadoes. Now, parts of Atlanta and Tennessee are under alerts as the system moves east.

A tornado was observed Thursday afternoon over East Point — on the south side of Atlanta, Georgia — near the Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, according to the weather service,

Here’s what the radar looks like:

Flights heading to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport are delayed due to thunderstorms in the area, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s National Airspace System.

However, the severe weather has overall had minimal impact on the facility, an airport spokesperson tells CNN.

A tornado has been observed over East Point, Georgia on the south side of Atlanta, according to the National Weather Service.

This tornado is located near the Hartsfield Jackson International Airport.The storm is moving east at 45 mph.

Video showing a possible tornado north of Prattville, Alabama, was taken on Interstate 65 by exit 186.

Prattville is located about 35 miles east of Selma, where a possible tornado ripped through and damaged the area.

The City of Selma said that kids who were at school are safe — but it warned parents not to come to pick them up.

In a Facebook post, the city said it is not safe to let students leave the school.

The city also said most streets are closed after a series of tornadoes ripped down power lines and trees.

The severe weather outbreak currently impacting the South has led to more than 100,000 customers being in the dark as of Thursday afternoon.

As of 3:20 p.m. ET, 116,935 customers in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee were without power, according to PowerOutage.US.

About half of Alabama’s Dallas County, where the city of Selma is located, is without power, according to PowerOutage.US.

There have been reports of some storm-related injuries, according to an email to CNN from Greg Robinson, external affairs director of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.

“Multiple [counties] has been implicated by tornadoes,” he said. “Local Emergency Management Agencies and municipalities are working with State EMA and supporting agencies to respond and assist.”

“Some injuries reported but no confirmed fatalities,” he added.

A huge tornado that tore through the Alabama city of Selma on Thursday caused “significant damage,” Selma’s mayor said – one ofmore than a dozen twister reportsmade in that state alone as severe storms tear through the Southeast leaving several injured.

Unlike heat waves, floods and hurricanes, scientific research about the connection between the climate crisis and tornadoes has not been as easy to make — though climate researchers say uncertainty doesn’t mean it is unlikely, and experts are already seeing changes in how recent tornado outbreaks are behaving.

The more humans pump greenhouse gases like fossil fuel emissions into the atmosphere and change the system, the chances of extreme weather events occurring, intensifying, and changing the traditional location and patterns will amplify.

Todd Moore, associate professor and chair of the department ofgeosciences at Fort Hays State University,said that over the last few decades tornado frequency has increased in vast swaths of the southern Midwest and Southeast, while decreasing in parts of the central and southern Great Plains, a region traditionally known as Tornado Alley.

Astudyhe authored in 2019 indicated that the changing climate, among other factors, could be contributing to this eastward shift in Tornado Alley, resulting in more tornadoes occurring in the more heavily populated states east of the Mississippi River. Moore points to different ingredients that may have led to this shift such as humidity, instability, and a strong wind shear.

His study also found that tornadoes are “clustering on fewer days in the year” and that days with little tornado activity are becoming less common, with outbreaks becoming more frequent during the fall and winter seasons.

How tornadoes work: Tornadoes take shape under particularly specific atmospheric conditions but are primarily fueled by warm, moist air from strong winds that shift direction with altitude.

Scientists have warned that the rise in greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere is drastically changing the climate system, causing the jet stream — fast-flowing air currents in the upper atmosphere that influence day-to-day weather — to behave oddly.

Learn more here.

Storm damage is seen in Selma, Alabama, on January 12.

The city of Selma said that emergency crews are on the ground after a tornado caused damage on Thursday.

“Emergency response teams are on the ground providing assistance and cleaning right of ways. We are asking everyone to stay calm and stay in place until further notice,”the city said in Facebook post.

CNN has reached out to the Dallas County Emergency Management Agency for more information.

While there are no storm-related fatalities reported, there are reports of damage, especially in the Selma area, according to Ricky Adams, director of field operations for Alabama Emergency Management.

The damage reports include structural damage, fallen trees,downed power lines, he said, adding that the areais very difficult to access dueto debris.

“The information is going tobe a little slow coming out, butthey are working house to houseand area to area looking forpeople who may be entrapped andthose who are injured,” he said. “We’re in life-safety mode, andthat’s the purpose to try tofind as many people as we can.”

He warned that the threat is not over.

“The threat is not over for the state of Alabama.In fact, that same weathersystem is still moving throughthe central part of the state,and still moving east.So it is still a verysignificant weather day for us,” he said.

A tornado emergency has been declared in Tallapoosa County, according to atweetfrom the National Weather Service in Birmingham.

The area is also under asevere thunderstorm warning, with wind speeds of 70 miles per hour and hail reported.

The city of Selma, Alabama, “has received significant damage Thursday from a tornado,” Mayor James Perkins Jr. said in a Facebook post.

The mayor asked residents to “please refrain from traveling the roadways and stay away from down power lines.”

“City crews will be out as soon as practical to clean up. In the meantime, stay safe and continue to report your damages through 911,” the post reads.

Severe storms are sweeping across the Southeast Thursday, already injuring several people in Alabama and leaving damage in several states with the potential for hours of more destruction ahead, authorities and forecasters say.

According to a Selma School District Facebook post, “At this time all schools are on weather lockdown. We encourage you to please refrain from attempting to check out students.”

“The Selma city school district is aware of the weather conditions. Schools have taken the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of all of our scholars,” the district said.

Storm damage is seen in Winston County on January 12.

As storms progressed on Thursday, several preliminary tornado reports were made in the morning in Alabama, including in northwestern Alabama’s Winston County and western Alabama’s Sumter County, where building damage was reported, the weather servicesaid.

Downed trees and power lines werereportedalong several roads in Winston County, whose communities are dozens of miles northwest of Birmingham.

Damage is seen outside a hotel in Decatur, Alabama, on Thursday morning.

In northeastern Mississippi’s Monroe County, several rural buildings lay flattened or severely damaged after a storm passed through Thursday morning, according to video tweeted by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

No injuries were reported there, according to the agency, which said a tornado could have caused the damage. The weather service preliminarilysaidstrong winds caused damage in the county.

Wind damage to trees and buildings also were reported in other locations across parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Kentucky before noon, the weather servicesaid.

More than 35 million people in the Southeast and the Ohio Valley – from Louisiana eastward to the Carolinas and from Kentucky south to the Gulf Coast – are under some level of threat for severe storms Thursday that could include damaging wind gusts and tornadoes, theStorm Prediction Centersaid.

By early afternoon,tornado watchescovered parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, the western Florida Panhandle and far western North Carolina with various expirations.

Thursday’s greatest risk of severe storms – an “enhanced” risk, or level 3 of 5 – is predicted for about 9.5 million people over parts of Alabama and Georgia, including the Birmingham, Montgomery and Atlanta areas, the prediction centersaid.

Regarding timing: Severe storms are especially possible in the Birmingham and Montgomery areas by early afternoon, and the Atlanta area in the late afternoon.