A strong storm system threatened to whip up tornadoes in parts of the U.S. Southeast on Sunday, just a day after severe weather claimed at least two lives as twisters touched down in Texas and Mississippi. The line of severe weather was expected to continue producing “gusty, damaging winds,” hail, and tornadoes throughout Sunday.
According to National Weather Service meteorologist Frank Pereira, the storms had already produced around 40 tornado reports from southeastern Texas to Alabama, but those reports remained unconfirmed until surveys of damage were completed. The system was expected to continue moving east until it eventually moved offshore, meaning severe weather risks would dwindle by Sunday evening.
On Saturday, one person died in the Liverpool area of Texas, and four people were injured. Officials reported “multiple touchdown points” in the county, with at least 10 damaged homes. In Mississippi, one person died in Adams County, and two people were injured in Franklin County. The National Weather Service reported two tornadoes hit the Bude and Brandon areas, causing damage to several buildings.
Mobile homes were damaged or destroyed in Katy and Porter Heights, north of Houston, with the doors of a fire station blown in. Storm damage was also reported in the northern Alabama town of Athens. The National Weather Service issued severe thunderstorm warnings across parts of the Deep South, with wind gusts of 60 mph expected in the Spartanburg, South Carolina area. A tornado watch was in effect for some parts of the state, and over 65,000 customers were without power in Mississippi, with similar numbers affected in Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas.