There were nine reports of tornadoes, some with damage, and other reports of strong winds Wednesday as rare volatile weather in June hit parts of the Southeast and the Gulf Coast, according to forecasters.
No deaths have been reported in the possible tornadoes, which have been reported in Alabama, Georgia and Texas, according to the National Weather Service.
Storm surveys are conducted to confirm the occurrence of tornadoes. The potential tornadoes occurred on a day that saw more than 23 million people in the path of multiple surges of severe thunderstorms, which carried the risk of tornadoes.
Thunderstorm and tornado watches had blanketed much of the South on Wednesday, but by Thursday morning only thunderstorms were reported in central Mississippi and small areas of Arkansas and Louisiana.
Eufaula, Alabama, sustained damage on Wednesday in what is believed to be a tornado, the police department said for the city of about 12,000, and has seen a tornado hit the city in four of the past five years.
“We cannot stress enough to be aware of the weather and be ready,” the police department said.
In Eutaw, a woman was hospitalized after a storm destroyed the home she was staying in, Mayor Latasha Johnson said. In Abbeville, a potential tornado ripped part of the roof off an Alabama Forestry Commission building, a spokesman said.
Strong winds also downed power lines. Most of the outages in the South occurred in Alabama, with about 57,000 customers without power early Thursday according to the tracking website. poweroutage.es.
The threat of severe storms was unusual. On Wednesday morning, the Storm Prediction Center declared a moderate risk of severe storms, a level 4 out of 5 on its scale, for a region that does not typically see such a high level of severe storms during June.
For the Southeast and Gulf Coast regions, severe storms are most likely during the early spring months, such as March or April. In mid-June, the highest concentration of severe storms is typically found on the Great Plains.
An unusually strong subtropical jet stream combined with large amounts of heat and moisture was behind the explosive thunderstorms.
The risk continues Thursday for nearly 4 million people on the Gulf Coast and Florida Panhandle, including the I-10 corridor. Hazards will include damaging hail and wind gusts.
It wasn’t just the winds that posed a threat. Most of Alabama and the southeastern part of Georgia were under a flood watch early Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
«Multiple rounds» of thunderstorms were forecast for parts of Alabama through Thursday night, with up to 2 to 5 inches of rain possible, the weather service in Birmingham said.
Aside from the storms, Texas is struggling with triple-digit temperatures that are forecast to hold through the weekend. Heat watches are in effect for areas from Waco to Brownsville. Highs can range from 110 to 120 degrees. Records could be broken Friday in cities including Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio; they are all set to rise to the century mark.
Minyvonne Burke, steve strouss and Elizabeth Malina contributed.