Nationwide, there were 33 separate tornado reports from the National Weather Service on Thursday.
Authorities said a clearer picture of the extent of the damage would come once the sun rose Friday.
As of Thursday night, tens of thousands of customers were without power across the two states. In Selma, the city council used lights from cellphones as they held a meeting on the sidewalk to declare a state of emergency.Nationwide, there were 33 separate tornado reports from the National Weather Service on Thursday, and Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina and North Carolina all saw tornado warnings for a time.
The tornado that hit Selma cut a wide path through the downtown area, where brick buildings collapsed, oak trees were uprooted, cars were on their side and power lines were left dangling. Plumes of thick, black smoke rose over the city from a fire burning. It wasn’t immediately known whether the storm caused the blaze.
Selma Mayor James Perkins said no fatalities have been reported, but several people were seriously injured. First responders were continuing to assess the damage and officials hoped to get an aerial view of the city Friday morning. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
California storms: Runoff continues deadly flood threat; Storms to return over the weekendWhile the skies were clear Thursday morning, the runoff from 18 days of rain continued to flow into local creeks and rivers, triggering flood warnings for Sonoma County and the Salinas River.
Read more »
California storms: Runoff continues deadly flood threat; Storms to return over the weekendWhile the skies were clear Thursday morning, the runoff from 18 days of rain continued to flow into local creeks and rivers, triggering flood warnings for Sonoma County and the Salinas River.
Read more »
California Storms Produce Massive Jan. Snowpack | Weather.comHere is some perspective on the latest example of flooding in a drought. - Articles from The Weather Channel | weather.com
Read more »
California storms wreak havoc: How an elongated jet stream is driving the deadly weatherStorms in California have claimed 17 lives and left millions under a flood watch. Here's what is causing the historic precipitation:
Read more »
California deadly storms: Here are the lives lost from severe weatherCalifornia has seen more people die from the recent storms than it did in last year's wildfires.
Read more »
Photos Of This Week's Severe Weather In The South | Weather.comSevere weather struck the Southeast Thursday, with an especially large and destructive tornado causing major damage in Selma, Alabama, Thursday afternoon. - Articles from The Weather Channel | weather.com
Read more »