Tornadoes leave trail of destruction in southern US

Unseasonably warm weather helped spawn torrential rain and deadly tornadoes that by Friday had left at least 15 people dead and dozens of families homeless.

Tornadoes touched down in IN and MS, where three were killed. Two neighbors had died in the storm that swept across the southeastern USA earlier this week.

According to the fire department in Columbia, six fatalities were confirmed in Tennessee while another person was killed in Arkansas. The toddler was taken to a hospital after being safely pulled out of the home by rescuers. Drivers who do encounter flooded roads are warned to turn around, as authorities say most flood deaths occur in vehicles.

The tornados knocked down trees and power lines, plunging thousands into darkness. Two of the seven people killed in MS were from the Holly Springs area. Crews were searching house-by-house and to make sure residents were accounted for.

One tornado damaged or destroyed at least 20 homes in the northwest part of Mississippi. Bryant said seven people were killed and one person was missing. Cruz Hernandez said several people were injured although the exact number was known.

“I’m looking at some horrific damage right now”, Luckett said.

Ms Hunt said she started praying when she heard sheet metal hitting trees.

Television images showed the tornado appeared to be on the ground for more than 10 minutes.

Four were killed in Benton County, Mississippi, including a husband and wife, both in their 60s, officials said.

More severe weather was also in store for parts of Georgia and Tennessee that were again being pounded with rain. “That’s the first time we’ve ever hit that record”.

The greatest risk for a few “intense, long-tracked tornadoes” will be through Wednesday night. Search teams have been combing through damaged buildings in the affected states, the situation complicated by the fact many people may be away for Christmas. There’s water standing really bad.

In neighboring Kentucky, the National Weather Service in Louisville says a flash flood watch has been issued for central and eastern parts of the state through midafternoon.

The Red Cross said it was setting up shelters for people whose homes were damaged by the storm. Greater than a dozen tornadoes have been reported on Fri.in six southern states. Among the victims were a 19-year-old girl and two 22-year-old men.

The moment she got inside, he said he shut the door and put down the bar. “They really don’t know how to drive in this kind of stuff”.

Remus died protecting her sister, he said.

“It’s awful that this happened, especially at Christmas”, Pope County Sheriff Shane Jones told the AP.

On the other side of Texas, a snowstorm accompanied by plunging temperatures, was expected to leave up to 16 inches of snow in West Texas and much of New Mexico through Sunday evening, according to NWS meteorologist Brendon Rubin-Oster in College Park, Maryland.