Storms, Possible Tornadoes In South Kill 1
There was at least one death as a batch of severe storms rolled through the South. The strong thunderstorms touched off several possible tornadoes as they hit parts of four states.
In Tennessee, a tornado hit Cumberland County, knocking down trees and power lines, and damaging homes and cars.
A 46-year-old woman in Laurel, Miss., was killed Sunday when a tree fell on her while she was standing outside her home, Jones County Coroner Nancy Barnett said. Another person in the county was injured.
Several funnel clouds were reported to the National Weather Service in Alabama, along with structural damage, downed trees and power lines in counties south and southwest of the greater Birmingham area. No injuries were reported.
Police in northwest Georgia said at least four funnel clouds were spotted but caused no significant damage or injuries. The storms also knocked out power to about 10,000 customers around the Atlanta area, and about 6,000 in Alabama.
Near Birmingham, residents were sure they were hit by a twister.
"The guy I was standing with said 'There's the tornado,' then we seen it," said Brad Shirley. "The trees sort of came together on the top and when they came in. We saw a black cloud just come in behind it and it was a loud whistle."
The path of the storm left behind twisted trees and damaged homes.
"It was definitely a tornado, there is no doubt," said Mark Dallas. "Whether they say it is or not, it was."
On Saturday, several cars were destroyed and two homes slightly damaged when a huge oak tree fell during a storm in the city.
The storms dropped heavy rains and prompted flash flood warnings in Mississippi and Louisiana, but there were no reports of major damage.
At least five homes in Mantachie, Miss., were damaged by high winds that ripped through Saturday. The weather service said the damage could have been caused by straight-line winds or a tornado.
A tornado touched down near Crossville, Tenn., about 60 miles west of Knoxville, Cumberland County Emergency Management spokesman Gary Howard said. The storm caused no injuries, he said.
Farther north, flash flood watches had been issued for counties across West Virginia. Forecasters said up to 2 inches of rain could fall by early Monday afternoon, with the areas most vulnerable to flooding being in southern West Virginia and southwestern Virginia.