Jan Wesner Childs and Ron Brackett
Storms marching across the South early Wednesday continued to bring damage.
A possible tornado severely damaged several homes, flipped cars and downed trees and powerlines in Montgomery County overnight. Video showed a piece of lumber piercing the windshield of a car that had been smashed by debris.
Damaging storms were also reported in Georgia and South Carolina later in the morning.
( MORE: Latest severe weather forecast)
The same storm system on Tuesday caused flooding and damage in several states including Kentucky, Mississippi and Alabama. Meanwhile, several communities were assessing damage already left in the storms' wake earlier in the week.
Here are our updates from Wednesday.
(12:10 p.m. ET) Several Dozen Houses Damaged in Montgomery
Several dozen homes were damaged in the possible tornado that struck overnight in east Montgomery, Alabama, according to Chip Hill, chief of staff for Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed.
“Between 30 and 40 structures (were) damaged in an area probably less than a mile between Bell Road and Buddy Watson Park,” Hill told al.com. “Structural damage was substantial, but right now it’s a miraculous that only a couple of minor injuries have been reported.”
Lillie Means told al.com her home on Meriwether Road has extensive damage.
“I heard the loud sound like a freight train,” Means said. “Then I got up, I came to my front door and I could see the debris just flying around. And then after that my house began to shake. And then it touched down and hit my roof.”
She added, “My garage is falling in. The inside of my house is falling in from the damage. A lot of damage inside.”
A possible tornado struck neighborhoods in east Montgomery, Alabama, early Wednesday, January 4, 2023.(12:03 p.m. ET) Building Collapses in Aiken, South Carolina
The National Weather Service says a building collapsed in a storm near the town of Salley in Aiken County, South Carolina. Powerlines were also down. Damage was also reported along Springflower Road near Wagener, about 7 miles northwest of Salley.
A possible tornado also was sighted near the community of Red Bank in Lexington County.
(10:04 a.m. ET) Reports Of Damage In Georgia
The National Weather Service says one person has been injured in a storm near Sandersville, Georgia, about 58 miles southwest of Augusta. The roof was ripped off one house, a tree fell onto another home and a semitractor-trailer flipped.
Across the state, multiple trees were knocked down and a mobile home was destroyed near Roosterville, about 50 miles southwest of Atlanta.
( 8:30 a.m. ET Wednesday) Possible Tornado Leaves Damage in Montgomery
In Alabama, Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency Director Christina Thornton said there were minor injuries after a possible tornado hit east Montgomery shortly after 3 a.m. CST Wednesday.
Thornton told the Alabama News Network powerlines and trees were down and damage was seen in the Taylor Road area, the Halcyon Boulevard area, the Berry Hill Apartments and New Park.
A post shared on Facebook showed several vans and cars smashed or overturned and trees knocked down near a daycare center. The poster said the daycare center's roof also had some damage.
A memory care facility, Haven Memory Care on Halcyon, said it sustained some building damage but all residents and staff are safe and were unharmed.
No fatalities had been reported because of the storm, the mayor of Montgomery, Steven L. Reed, said on Twitter.
(6:44 p.m. ET Tuesday) Storm Reports Spread To 10 States
The National Weather Service has received reports today of tornadoes, hail and high winds from at least 10 states including Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina.
Among the reports that stand out:
-A vehicle hit by a falling tree in Cherokee, North Carolina. No one was hurt.
-A 58 mph wind gust at Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport in Hamilton County, Tennessee.
-A trailer destroyed and front door ripped off a house in Spring Hill, Alabama.
-A wind gust of 69 mph in Shelby, Mississippi.
(3:57 p.m. ET) See Exact Moment Tornado Crossed Football Field At Arkansas High School
Cameras recorded a tornado roaring across what appeared to be the 50-yard line at Jessieville High School in Central Arkansas Monday afternoon. The twister roars across the football field, bending stadium light poles, and moves off through the trees.
Students were in school for the first day after winter break when the tornado hit but there were no reports of major injuries. Seven school buildings were damaged.
“Just out of the blue high winds, awnings begin to blow away, our flagpole blows over, and students and staff begin moving to the saferoom,” Jessieville Schools Superintendent Melissa Spears told KARK.
Spears said more than 900 students and staff members packed a saferoom at the school.
(3:50 p.m. ET) Where Severe Weather Is Headed Next
Severe thunderstorms will continue to be possible in the South through tonight, including in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, the western Florida Panhandle and Georgia.
Tornadoes and damaging thunderstorm winds are threats, along with hail. Strong tornadoes (EF2 or greater intensity) are possible in the area shaded red on the map below.
Heavy rain could contribute to flash flooding in many of the same locations at risk for severe weather.
Tornadoes and damaging winds are also possible in a few areas on Wednesday.
Click here for the latest forecast.
(1:03 p.m. ET) Damage Reported In Mississippi
As storms continue to track east across the south, so does the damage. Reports tracked by the National Weather Service include downed trees and multiple structures damaged in Tishimongo County in northeast Mississippi, where a tornado warning was issued late this morning.
(12:50 p.m. ET) Tornado Confirmed At Arkansas High School
The National Weather Service has confirmed it was a tornado that caused damage Monday afternoon at Jessieville High School in Garland County. The storm tore up the school's football stadium, bending light poles and tossing bleachers around the field. The tornado's rating is not yet determined.
(12:36 p.m. ET) Video Shows First Daylight Shots Of Damage In Montrose, Arkansas
Drone video shows debris scattered across a road and splintered pieces of homes littering the muddy ground. Earlier images showed flipped and damaged cars in the community in Ashley County.
(12:23 p.m. ET) Dozens of Arkansas Roads Closed
Portions of more than two dozen roads, mostly in the southeast portion of the state, are closed due to flooding or downed power lines, according to the state transportation department.
Among them are Highway 82C in Ashley County, which this morning was covered with water as well as debris from a possible tornado.
(11:18 a.m. ET) Deputy's Cruiser Lost In Floodwaters
Floodwaters claimed a deputy’s cruiser Tuesday morning in Kentucky's Harrison County.
The deputy was responding to a call for help from someone trapped in high water east of Cynthiana, about 25 miles northeast of Lexington, according to WKYT.
The cruiser stalled in high water, which rose even higher. The deputy was able to safely get out of the vehicle.
Harrison County firefighters were able to rescue the woman trapped in the high water from the original call.
(8:50 a.m. ET) Flooding Strands Students on Bus
Eight students and a driver had to be helped off a school bus surrounded by floodwaters in Bourbon County, Kentucky, according to WLEX. At least three water rescues were conducted in the county. The station also reported that schools were closed because of the flooding in Scott, Nicholas and Harrison counties.
(7:57 a.m. ET) Damage Seen In Montrose, Arkansas
Images from a stormchaser shows flipped and damaged cars and a mobile home that was destroyed by a possible tornado Tuesday morning in Montrose in the southeast corner of Arkansas.
(7:34 a.m. ET) Flooding In Kentucky
The Greenville Fire Department in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, reports it has conducted numerous rescues of stranded motorists and people trapped in their homes by flooding. residences. Roads are flooded inside the city and throughout the area, the department said in a Facebook post. Many vehicles have been abandoned in roads.
Muhlenberg County schools and Ohio County schools were closed Tuesday because of flooding.
Possible Tornado Hit Jessieville, Arkansas
Bleachers and lights were ripped down at Jessieville High School, in Garland County about 45 miles west of Little Rock. Other property at the school's football stadium was left in a twisted mess.
“My phone rang it was my niece screaming that auntie’s house had been destroyed, and about that time the weather alert went off on our phone. That’s how delayed it was,” Kristen Graves, a mother of two students, told KARK.
Two trees fell on the home of Graves' relative, but no one was injured.
“God knew right where she needed to be in the house to not get hit. She was sitting in her chair, and she heard the wind and saw some lightning, so she got away from the window and walked, and she was between where the two trees fell,” Graves said.
The Garland County Sheriff’s Office said seven school buildings, three businesses, and 14 homes were damaged in the storm that may have included a tornado, according to KARK.
Downed trees and some structural damage were also reported further to the south in Union County, Arkansas.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
More Damage In Northeast Louisiana
Numerous large trees were knocked down around Jonesboro, Louisiana, where the National Weather Service warned of a particularly dangerous situation as storms moved through there around 5 p.m. local time.
The Jackson Parish Sheriff’s Office said fallen trees blocked Highway 4 and Highway 167 and one tree fell on a mobile home near Walker Road, according to KNOE.
There were also reports of storm damage to homes in Union Parish.
Flooding Reported in Arkansas
Capt. Jason Elms of the Paragould Police Department told KAIT that boats were being used to rescue people from flooded areas in the city in northeast Arkansas.
Flooding was also reported about 30 miles to the northeast in Piggott, Arkansas. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office told KAIT several streets were flooded and shelters had been opened.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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