YAZOO CITY, Miss. (NewsNation Now) — Severe weather is once again threatening much of the South Tuesday, after deadly tornadoes struck parts of the region Sunday night and Monday.
Large parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee, as well as corners of Arkansas and Georgia are at enhanced risk for the worst weather, according to the national Storm Prediction Center. That zone is home to more than 11 million people and includes the cities of Nashville, Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Jackson, Mississippi, forecasters said.
“We’ll see all three threats as far as hail, wind and tornadoes on Tuesday,” said Mike Edmonston, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Mississippi.
They could include wind gusts of up to 70 mph and hail to the size of golf balls, forecasters said, noting that “tornadoes are likely Tuesday into Tuesday evening” in parts of Mississippi.
The risk follows heavy weather that moved across the South on Sunday and Monday. Here's how the storms impacted states:
Mississippi
Forecasters confirmed 12 tornadoes Sunday evening and night, including a twister in Yazoo City, which stretched for 30 miles, and another tornado that moved through suburbs of Byram and Terry south of Jackson that produced a damage track 1,000 yards wide.
Late Sunday, meteorologists declared a “tornado emergency” for Tupelo and surrounding areas. The mayor said in a statement that damage had been reported and emergency crews were assessing.
A Tupelo mother told NewsNation affiliate WREG that she and her son were clinging to safety as they hid inside of a closet.
“Our house started to shake, and I was telling him get deeper in the corner and just stay there, just stay right there,” said Marlena Triplett, who was with one of her sons. “I’m lost. I’m numb. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Her house, just a mile from downtown, is one of the worst to see damage in the city. Large uprooted trees had fallen into her home.
“The tree that fell the closest to where we were, it kind of like shifted just a little bit and missed our location where we were at,” Triplett said.
Georgia
A tornado spotted in Atlanta forced thousands to seek shelter, and one man was killed when a falling tree brought power lines onto his vehicle. The motorist was pronounced dead after fire crews cut him from the vehicle in Douglasville, Georgia, west of Atlanta, Douglas County spokesman Rick Martin told reporters. And in middle Georgia, 55-year-old Carla Harris was killed after a tree fell onto her Bonaire home, Houston County emergency officials said.
National Weather Service surveyors confirmed one tornado west of Atlanta near where the motorist died. The twister was determined to have peak winds of 90 mph with a path that ran 1.5 miles. At least 10 homes had trees on them.
The same thunderstorm sent thousands of people to shelter in more central parts of Atlanta and may have produced at least one more tornado southwest of downtown. Possible tornado damage was also reported in the region around Athens.
South Carolina
At least one tornado was reported Monday afternoon in Abbeville County. The tornado appeared to be on the ground for several miles, according to warnings from the National Weather Service. No injuries were immediately reported. In Greenwood, downed trees and power lines were reported, while a vehicle was blown over and a storage unit building was heavily damaged. Multiple locations reported golf ball-sized hail.
Kentucky
In the southern town of Tompkinsville, a Monday morning storm later confirmed as a tornado damaged several homes and knocked down trees and power lines, Fire Chief Kevin Jones said. No injuries were reported, he said.
West Virginia
Jefferson County communications supervisor James Hayden said one person was injured when a possible tornado touched down at a lumber company Monday evening. The injury was minor, and the person was treated at the scene, he said. An exterior lumber shed collapsed, Hayden said.
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Vickie Savell looks at the remains of her new mobile home early Monday, May 3, 2021, in Yazoo County, Miss. Multiple tornadoes were reported across Mississippi on Sunday, causing some damage but no immediate word of injuries. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) -
Vickie Savell gestures whole looking at the remains of her new mobile home early Monday, May 3, 2021, in Yazoo County, Miss. Multiple tornadoes were reported across Mississippi on Sunday, causing some damage but no immediate word of injuries. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) -
Vickie Savell looks at the remains of her new mobile home early Monday, May 3, 2021, in Yazoo County, Miss. Multiple tornadoes were reported across Mississippi on Sunday, causing some damage but no immediate word of injuries. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) -
The wreckage of a truck is shown Monday, May 3, 2021, in Yazoo County, Miss. Multiple tornadoes were reported across Mississippi on Sunday, causing some damage but no immediate word of injuries. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) -
A neighbor hugs Vickie Savell next to the remains of her new mobile home early Monday, May 3, 2021, in Yazoo County, Miss. Multiple tornadoes were reported across Mississippi on Sunday, causing some damage but no immediate word of injuries. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) -
The remains of a mobile home are shown early Monday, May 3, 2021, in Yazoo County, Miss. Multiple tornadoes were reported across Mississippi on Sunday, causing some damage but no immediate word of injuries. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) -
Neighbors Alfred Lee and Grace Bazzy hug in front of another neighbor's damaged home along Elvis Presley Drive in Tupelo, Miss., Monday, May 3, 2021. Multiple tornadoes were reported across Mississippi on Sunday, causing some damage but no immediate word of injuries. (AP Photo/Thomas Graning) -
A Tupelo Water and Light crew works to clear downed trees and power lines along Oakview Drive in Tupelo, Miss., Monday, May 3, 2021. A line of severe storms rolled through the state Sunday afternoon and into the nighttime hours. Late Sunday, a “tornado emergency” was declared for Tupelo and surrounding areas. (AP Photo/Thomas Graning) -
Alfred Lee covers a damaged spot on the roof of his home on Elvis Presley Drive in Tupelo, Miss., Monday, May 3, 2021. Multiple tornadoes were reported across Mississippi on Sunday, causing some damage but no immediate word of injuries.(AP Photo/Thomas Graning) -
A downed tree and damaged homes are seen along Elvis Presley Drive in Tupelo, Miss., Monday, May 3, 2021. Multiple tornadoes were reported across Mississippi on Sunday, causing some damage but no immediate word of injuries. (AP Photo/Thomas Graning) -
Downed trees cover Oakview Drive in Tupelo, Miss., Monday, May 3, 2021. A line of severe storms rolled through the state Sunday afternoon and into the nighttime hours. Late Sunday, a “tornado emergency” was declared for Tupelo and surrounding areas. (AP Photo/Thomas Graning) -
Damaged homes and vehicles are seen along Elvis Presley Drive in Tupelo, Miss., Monday, May 3, 2021. A line of severe storms rolled through the state Sunday afternoon and into the nighttime hours. Late Sunday, a “tornado emergency” was declared for Tupelo and surrounding areas. (AP Photo/Thomas Graning) -
Derrick Pounds Jr. helps his father clean up debris around their house on Elvis Presley Drive in Tupelo, Miss., Monday, May 3, 2021. Multiple tornadoes were reported across the state on Sunday. (AP Photo/Thomas Graning) -
Utility linemen work on repairing power and communication lines in Yazoo County, Miss., Monday, May 3, 2021, following Sunday's tornado that destroyed a number of homes and small businesses. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) -
A Tupelo resident walks by a home on North Green Street on Monday, May 3, 2021 that had a tree fall and it roots tear out the decking and stairway to the home after a tornado passed through the city Sunday night. (Adam Robison/The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal via AP) -
Myesha Gore of Calhoun City, Miss., sits on the trunk of a shattered pine tree Monday, May 3, 2021, as the rest of the tree crushed her car behind her while she was visiting her mother in Vardaman during Sunday's severe weather. (Thomas Wells/The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal via AP)
The Associated Press and WREG contributed to this report.
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