“There is a complete destruction of houses in this area,” Colmets told CNN. The condition of the two injured was not immediately available. At least one tornado was reported before sunrise in an eastern part of Washington County, about a 45-minute drive northeast of Panama City, according to the National Weather Service. From nearby Chipley, Jonathan Leonberger videotaped a large funnel cloud in the distance during the storm Thursday morning, he said. Lightning periodically illuminated the funnel cloud in what was otherwise dark in the video posted on Facebook. That was one of at least 30 tornadoes reported from Texas to Florida from Wednesday morning until early Thursday – from a series of storms that also injured seven people in Arkansas. Stronger thunderstorms and strong winds are still possible on Thursday in a part of the eastern third of the country. Wind gusts of 40 mph or higher could hit states from Florida, Georgia and Carolina to areas of Michigan, Ohio and New York, creating the possibility of falling tree trunks and power lines, the National Weather Service said. Also, strong storms are possible from Florida to Vermont and New Hampshire, with varying degrees of danger. The highest risk of the day – boosted, or level 3 out of 5 – exists for northern Virginia, central Maryland and parts of central and eastern Pennsylvania, the Storm Forecast Center said. A tornado monitor for parts of Carolina is valid until 8 p.m. ET. A second tornado observation, released Thursday afternoon, covers parts of eastern Maryland, northeastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia by 8 p.m. EDT, according to the Storm Prediction Center. The clock covers more than 5 million people, including residents of Raleigh, North Carolina. Richmond, Virginia; and Ocean City, Maryland. Some tornadoes, marble-sized hail and catastrophic 70 mph wind gusts are possible, according to the SPC. Ongoing storms have already created reports of funnel clouds and wind damage near Richmond. “Frequent thunderstorms, severe storms, gusts of wind, hail and a few tornadoes” are possible along the east coast, the meteorological service said.
Thunderstorms with suspected tornadoes damaged buildings in the South
The storms caused damage in several areas of the South. Strong winds – possibly a tornado – hit Springsdale, Arkansas, around 4 a.m. Wednesday, Mayor Doug Spruce said in a Facebook post. The southeastern part of the city was hit hard by the storm, according to local officials, who said there were reports of damaged power lines, trees and traffic lights. Seven people were injured in Springdale, including two seriously, Sprouse said. Buildings were leveled, roofs were damaged and yards were covered in debris from the storm, according to a video from CNN affiliate KHBS / KHOG. The gym at George Elementary School was destroyed and the kitchen and cafeteria were severely damaged, the Springdale School District said. “Many residents have been displaced from their homes and many businesses have reported significant damage,” Sprouse said. Reports of tornadoes or catastrophic winds across the South were reported Wednesday afternoon and evening. In Alabama, one person was slightly injured by bad weather at the University of Montevalo, about 35 miles south of Birmingham, the school said. The area was under a tornado warning that night. Details of how the injury occurred were not immediately available. “We are grateful that this week was a spring break and that very few people were on campus during tonight’s storms,” the school said on Twitter, noting that it was still fully assessing the damage. In southwestern Alabama’s Choctaw County, several homes were severely or slightly damaged, emergency officials said. Southern Choctaw High School also suffered damage to its baseball court and gym on Wednesday, and a school bus overturned on its side, said Tyler Davidson of Choctaw County Emergency Management Agency. In eastern Mississippi’s Noxubee County, at least two caravans were damaged Wednesday and residents were rescued from the interior, said Corey Brown of the county emergency management office. They are believed to have suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Brown said. Strong winds before the storm system helped start a fire in Tennessee’s Sevier County. At least one person was injured and the flames have burned at least 1,000 acres, county officials said. At least 35 structures have been damaged.
The United States set a March record for the number of tornadoes for the second year in a row
At least 219 tornadoes were reported in the United States in March – the most since reliable records began in 1950, according to data from the Center for Storm Prediction. About 80 tornadoes are reported in March on average. The previous March record was set just last year, when 191 tornadoes were reported across the country. The third highest total for March was 2017, with 187. Most tornadoes in the United States occur between April and May, although scientists have observed a trend for more tornadoes occurring earlier in the year, most likely as a function of climate change and La Niña influences. “Our future forecasts for how strong the weather may change in the future … show an earlier start to the season of strong weather, so more intense weather in February, more intense weather in March,” said Victor Jensini. a professor at the University of Northern Illinois, he told CNN. CNN’s Aya Elamroussi, Caroll Alvarado, Brandon Miller, Dave Hennen, Chris Boyette, Mike Saenz and Gregory Lemos contributed to this report.
