5 deaths like storms and tornadoes sweep through the south

A powerful storm system swept across the South on Friday, unleashing violent winds, tornadoes and heavy rain and killing five people, including a grandfather in Arkansas who swept down a flooded road while traveling to visit his grandson, officials said.

“The thunderstorms will generate winds of 80 miles per hour — treat them like tornadoes,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear warned residents Twitter On Friday afternoon.

Mr Beshear said two tornadoes swept through the western portion of the state – the first in McCracken County and the second in Christian County.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said in a statement Friday that one person died after severe weather hit the state Thursday night. He did not share any further details about the episode.

said Mr Beshear on Twitter that there were two storm-related deaths in his state: one in Simpson County and the other in Edmonson County. He also did not share any other information.

A 70-year-old man was killed by a falling tree limb while sitting in his truck in Talladega County, Alabama, on Friday, the local coroner said. In Scott County, Ark., a man trying to hit his grandson drove onto a flooded road and was washed into a nearby river, authorities said.

Around 380,000 customers were without power in Kentucky late Friday. according to poweroutage.us. About 345,000 customers in Tennessee and 100,000 in Alabama lost power.

The storms shifted northeast on Friday, bringing with them an increased risk of severe weather in parts of the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys and parts of the Southeast.

A Tornado watch issued on Friday for much of the country, including northeastern Mississippi, western Tennessee, western Kentucky, Virginia and parts of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The guard, which will remain in place through Friday night, means conditions are favorable for tornadoes.

This was reported by the National Weather Service in Louisville a record low for the city of 977.1 millibars at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, an indication of the strength of the storm and its extreme winds.

One meteorologist described the expected combination of damaging winds, hail and tornadoes in Kentucky and Tennessee as a “glove.”

“In my 21 years as a forecaster here in Nashville, I can’t recall a gradient wind event like this,” a National Weather Service meteorologist said in a forecast discussion.

Mr Beshear signed a state of emergency on Friday morning to prepare for the deployment of the National Guard.

“With everything we’ve been through, I want to make sure everyone is safe today,” he said said in a video. He added: “This could be a very dangerous day. We hope that’s not the case, but we want you to be sure.”

Dozens of school districts in Kentucky and Indiana canceled classes on Friday.

Strong gusts of wind were recorded everywhere as storms swept through the Dallas-Fort Worth area on Thursday evening.

There were reports of wind damage to roofs and downed power lines across North Texas, according to the Weather Service. In McKinney, a suburb north of Dallas, said the police Four semi-trucks were blown over on a highway. Minor injuries were reported.

Images on social media showed uprooted trees and blown down fences. Winds toppled in Little Elm, a town northwest of Dallas Facade of a supermarket on vehicles parked in front of the store, said a spokeswoman for the city. Nobody was injured.

“We could hear the wind roaring outside,” said Tom Bradshaw, meteorologist for the Fort Worth Weather Service. “It was a really impressive event.”

That region (sometimes called Ark-La-Tex) was at “moderate risk” of severe storms, forecasters at the Storm Prediction Center said Thursday. A moderate risk means forecasters believe the storms forming in the region will be of a magnitude that typically occurs only once a year, if at all.

These forecasts are typically only released about a dozen times a year on average. This is only the second edition this year. The latest was issued last Sunday as destructive winds and tornadoes swept through parts of Oklahoma, injuring at least a dozen people.

Reporting was contributed by Jesus Jimenez, McKenna Oxenden, Derrick Bryson Taylor And Edward Medina.