Sudden flood warning has been issued until 6:15 p.m. for southern Atlanta, including Clayton, Fayette, Henry, Newton and Rockdale counties. “Be especially careful at night, when it is more difficult to identify flood hazards,” advises the NWS Peachtree City office. Also Thursday, a triple storm of strong winds, hail and possible tornadoes threatens areas of North Carolina, Virginia and Florida, the Storm Forecasting Center warned. More than 12 million people are at low risk (level 2 of 5) for severe storms in these areas, according to the SPC. “Strong to strong thunderstorms are possible Thursday in eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, as well as parts of the Florida peninsula,” the SPC warned. “There will be catastrophic gusts of wind, hail and some tornadoes.” The worst of the storm could hit Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Norfolk in Virginia along with Tampa and St. Petersburg in Florida.
The South is struggling with difficult weather conditions
Many severe and deadly weather conditions have hit the South in recent days – killing at least three people. The area has seen at least 62 tornadoes this week combined with strong storms that have destroyed homes and businesses in many states. On Wednesday, two tornadoes were spotted around Valdosta, Georgia, in the evening. On Tuesday, a man was killed in East Texas where a tree fell on a caravan in the Whitehouse community, according to Smith County Emergency Management Coordinator. Later that day, a man in Georgia also died when a tornado swept across Brian County. And in Louisiana’s Webster Parish, a man died in the early hours of Tuesday morning when he crashed his car into a demolished tree, state police said. In South Carolina, the town of Monetta in Aiken County saw an EF-2 tornado that gave an estimated maximum winds of 130 mph, the National Weather Service confirmed. Four homes were destroyed and five others were badly damaged in Allendale County, South Carolina, where suspected tornadoes were also reported, the state emergency management department said. At least three people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, the department added. The relentless severe weather was also responsible for storm-related injuries and rescues due to the rapidly moving floods in many states. Late last month, Texas, along with Mississippi and Louisiana, was hit by tornadoes that left at least one person dead. CNN’s Dave Alsup, Gene Norman and Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.
