At a Glance
- Two deaths were confirmed after a tornado struck Washington County, Florida.
- More than 150,000 customers were without power Thursday morning.
- A tornado hit Montevallo University, damaged at least one dorm and injured at least one person.
A multi-day severe weather outbreak left at least two people dead, ripped homes apart and damaged businesses and schools across the South Wednesday and Thursday.
Here our live updates from Thursday.
(6:18 p.m. EDT) Power Outages Drop Significantly
More than 12,000 homes and businesses are without power in Virginia and about 10,000 in North Carolina after the storms moved into those areas, according to PowerOutage.us.
Meanwhile, outages were dropping in several other states including:
-Mississippi, with about 10,000 remaining.
-Tennessee with 8,300.
-Alabama with 6,200.
-Florida with 5,700.
-Louisiana with 2,600.
(2:21 p.m. EDT) Outdoor Activities Canceled in Baltimore
Baltimore County Parks and Recreation announced all outdoor recreation activities were canceled for today, at all locations, due to the threat of bad weather.
(1:44 p.m. EDT) Two Tornadoes, Almost Exact Same Track, One Week Apart
The National Weather Service in New Orleans says an EF0 tornado north of Lake Pontchartrain Wednesday followed a very familiar path.
"In a most unbelievable coincidence, the track of this tornado from Lake Pontchartrain to (Highway) 190 is nearly identical to one last week," the NWS tweeted just a few minutes ago. "In fact, we found different tree damage in the same yard!"
Neither tornado caused major structural damage.
(12:04 p.m. EDT) Damage Surveys Ongoing in Multiple States
There have been more than 200 reports of severe weather since Tuesday evening from Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas through parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.
At least 18 tornadoes have been confirmed so far. But that number will increase as surveys continue by National Weather Service teams.
“Several weather service offices have their hands full with numerous surveys over the next few days,” weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman said.
(10:44 a.m. EDT) 'Total Destruction' In Part of Washington County, Florida
Sheriff's spokesperson Kristy Kolmetz said there is heavy damage where two people were killed by a tornado early this morning.
“There's total destruction of some homes in that area," Kolmetz told weather.com in a phone interview.
Power lines are down and debris is blocking roads.
“We’ve got deputies out there just manning the roads, because, it’s not a very high traffic area out there but with the downed power lines and the downed trees the sheriff is asking that people please refrain from that area until our lineworkers have time get those lines back up and get that debris out of the road," Kolmetz said.
(10:24 a.m. EDT) Schools Closed in Several Florida Counties
Classes were canceled today for schools Calhoun, Liberty Franklin, Jackson, Gadsden and Wakulla counties, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. Schools in Washington County also closed.
Tallahassee Community College shut down some of its satellite facilities in counties outside of its main campus, including the TCC Gadsden Center, TCC Wakulla Center and Wakulla Environmental Institute.
(9:45 a.m. EDT) 2 Dead, 2 Injured After Tornado Hits Florida Panhandle
The Washington County Sheriff's Office confirmed to weather.com that two people died and two others were injured Thursday morning when a tornado struck near the town of Alford in the Florida Panhandle. A post on the sheriff's office Facebook page showed the aftermath of the deadly twister, which destroyed two homes. Alford is located about 70 miles west of Tallahassee.
(8:40 a.m. EDT) Power Outages Top 150,000 From Louisiana to Michigan
The storm system bringing severe weather and strong winds to much of the East was responsible for knocking out power to more than 150,000 homes and businesses from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes, according to PowerOutage.us. The outages mostly followed the line of storms as it pushed east, and crews were out in force working to restore power Thursday morning.
(8 a.m. EDT) One Injured After Tornado Hits Alabama University
A tornado hit Montevallo University, about 25 miles south of Birmingham, Alabama, late Wednesday night.
At least one person suffered a minor injury, the university said. Thankfully, fewer people were on campus because it was spring break.
The full extent of the damage to the campus is unknown at this time, but at least one dormitory was damaged, according to WVTM13.
(7:40 a.m. EDT) Louisiana Town Hit By Tornado Last Week Hit Again
An EF1 tornado raked through Big Branch in Lacombe, Louisiana, nine days ago. Now, those same areas are dealing with more damage from reported tornadoes.
Two suspected twisters, including one that was radar-confirmed, hit the area and downed trees and power lines. There were no initial reports of structural damage.
Government officials had roads cleared overnight.
(6:50 a.m. EDT) Springdale, Arkansas, Tornado an EF3
The tornado that hit Springdale, Arkansas, Wednesday morning and injured seven people was rated an EF3 with 145 mph winds, the National Weather Service in Tulsa said.
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.
