Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Tornado damage in Alabama

At least 23 people have been killed as tornadoes struck Lee County in eastern Alabama, authorities say.

County Sheriff Jay Jones said there had been "catastrophic" damage and there were fears more bodies would be found. Dozens are thought to have been hurt.

Rescue efforts have been halted until dawn due to the danger of searching in the dark.

The most devastating tornadoes struck the area around Beauregard, carving a path at least half a mile (0.8km) wide.

The National Weather Service (NWS) made a classification of at least EF-3 - meaning winds of up to 165mph (266km/h).

It warned people to "stay out of damaged areas so first responders could do their job".

Where have the tornadoes struck?

The area around Beauregard, about 60 miles (95km) east of Alabama's state capital, Montgomery, appears to have borne the brunt. The tornadoes there struck at about 14:00 (20:00 GMT) on Sunday.

Footage showed snapped poles, roads littered with debris and houses without roofs.

Sheriff Jones said some homes had been reduced to slabs. Authorities fear the death toll could rise.

Local resident Scott Fillmer said: "Everything just kind of went dark, when it was almost like night outside. And it's that old cliché that it sounds like a freight train coming, well that's what it sounded like."

Residents of Smiths Station told local TV they had seen businesses destroyed there. A large bar called the Buck Wild Saloon had had its roof torn off.

Image copyright Scott Fillmer Image caption Beauregard was one of the worst hit areas

Image copyright AFP/Justin Merritt via Instagram Image caption A tornado as seen in Dothan in Alabama on Sunday

Sheriff Jones said: "The challenge is the sheer volume of the debris where all the homes were located. It's the most I've seen that I can recall."

Tornado warnings were also issued for Georgia, Florida and South Carolina. Footage showed smashed buildings and snapped trees in Talbotton, about 80 miles south of Atlanta.

Tornadoes were also reported in Walton County and Cairo in northern Florida.

What do we know about the casualties?

All of the deaths so far have been in Lee County. Authorities say they are still working to identify the victims and the injured.

One of the dead in Beauregard was an eight year old, family members said.

"We've never had a mass fatality situation, that I can remember, like this in my lifetime," Lee County coroner Bill Harris said.

He said on Sunday evening: "We've still got people being pulled out of rubble. We're going to be here all night."

Alabama meteorologist Eric Snitil tweeted that there were more deaths in Lee County in one day due to a tornado than in the entirety of the US in 2018.

East Alabama Medical Center said it was treating more than 40 people injured by the extreme weather, and was expecting more.

Image copyright @Keith_Irwin via Reuters Image caption Several tornadoes hit the region on Sunday including Georgia, seen here at Warner Robins

Several people were reported hurt in Talbotton in Georgia, though not seriously.

What was the damage?

PowerOutage.US says more than 2,000 customers remain without electricity across affected areas in Alabama, most of them in Lee County, and another 7,000 in western Georgia.

Cold weather is forecast for the region after the tornadoes, with temperatures predicted to drop to near freezing.

The National Weather Service said it would send three survey teams to assess the damage caused by tornadoes across Alabama on Monday.

The extreme weather also tore down trees and destroyed homes in western Georgia.

What's been the reaction?

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey posted on Twitter to warn residents there could be more extreme weather to come.

"Our hearts go out to those who lost their lives in the storms that hit Lee County today," she wrote.

Skip Twitter post by @GovernorKayIvey Our hearts go out to those who lost their lives in the storms that hit Lee County today. Praying for their families & everyone whose homes or businesses were affected. Officials from @AlabamaEma & other agencies are quickly working to provide assistance. — Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) March 3, 2019 Report

President Donald Trump also tweeted, asking people to "Please be careful and safe".

And Apple CEO Tim Cook, who was born in Mobile in the southwest of the state, said he was "devastated" by the news, saying Lee County was "a place close to my heart".

Are tornadoes expected at this time of year?

This series has occurred earlier than the traditional peak season for tornadoes, which runs from April to June, when more than half of the year's tornadoes generally strike.

Weather systems are more conducive in these months. Warm air flows north from the Gulf of Mexico at the same time as storm systems are propelled into the south and mid-west by a southward dip in the jet stream.

These latest tornadoes appear to have carried the deadliest toll since 35 people were killed in Arkansas and Mississippi in April 2014.

A "super outbreak" of tornadoes across a swathe of the US in April 2011 killed more than 300 people.</s>President Trump late Sunday night asked that those in southeast Alabama that have been affected by a deadly tornado be "careful and safe" after a powerful storm killed at least 23 people and destroyed several homes in the area.

“To the great people of Alabama and surrounding areas: Please be careful and safe. Tornadoes and storms were truly violent and more could be coming. To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you all!” the president tweeted.

More than 20 people have been confirmed dead and several others were reported injured in Lee County. Sheriff Jay Jones told The Associated Press late Sunday that children -- including an 8-year-old girl -- are among the dead and two people are intensive care. He said it's possible the death toll could continue to rise, but authorities are pausing search efforts until Monday morning because conditions are too dangerous in the dark due to massive amounts of debris.

The deaths and injuries occurred in the community of Beauregard in Lee County, an area in the eastern part of the state near the Georgia line, Rita Smith with the Lee County Emergency Management Agency told The Associated Press.

Jones said the apparent twister traveled straight down a key local artery in Beauregard and that the path of damage and destruction appeared at least a half mile wide. He said single-family homes and mobile homes were destroyed. He had told reporters earlier that several people were taken to hospitals, some with "very serious injuries."

“I cannot recall, at least in the last 50 years, and longer than that, a situation where we have had this type, this loss of life that we experienced today,” Jones told CBS affiliate WRBL-TV.

Alabama Emergency Management Agency spokesman Gregory Robinson said no deaths have been reported in the state beyond Lee County.

‘MAJOR’ WINTER STORM TO BRING HEAVY SNOW FROM MIDWEST INTO NORTHEAST

“We’ve got about 150 first responders out there,” Smith told AP by phone earlier. “They are doing a phenomenal job. Sadly, we know that we have two known confirmed fatalities and many, many injuries.”

She said multiple homes have been destroyed or damaged in Beauregard, a community about 60 miles east of Montgomery, the state capital.

Numerous tornado warnings were posted across parts of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina on Sunday afternoon as the powerful storm system raced across the region.

Weather officials said they confirmed other tornadoes around the region by radar alone and would send teams out early Monday to assess the situation involving those and others.

The threat of severe weather was expected to continue into the late-night hours. A tornado watch was in effect for much of eastern Georgia, including Athens, Augusta and Savannah. The tornado watch also covered a large area of South Carolina, including the cities of Charleston and Columbia.

Meteorologist Meredith Wyatt with the Birmingham, Alabama, office of the National Weather Service said radar and video evidence showed what looked like a large tornado crossing the area near Beauregard shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday.

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The Weather Channel reported that nearly 26,000 customers were without power in Georgia early Sunday evening; another 16,500 had no electricity in Alabama.

Fox News' Bradford Betz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>LEE COUNTY, Ala. -- In a tweet, President Donald Trump says he's told the Federal Emergency Management Agency to give Alabama "the A Plus treatment" as the state responds to a deadly tornado that's killed at least 23 people there.The deaths occurred in Lee County, located about 60 northeast of Montgomery."Unfortunately our toll, as far as fatalities, does stand at 23 at the current time," Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told WRBL-TV of the death toll. He added that two people were in intensive care.Children are among the dead, and ABC News reports that one of them was eight years old.Rescuers searched for victims Monday amid homes smashed to their foundations, shredded metal dangling from trees and dead animals lying in the open. The Sunday tornado was part of a severe storm system that caused catastrophic damage and unleashed other tornadoes around the Southeast.The number of deaths in hard-hit Lee County was so high that coroner Bill Harris told The Associated Press he had to call in help from the state because there were more bodies than his four-person office can handle."I'd categorize it as catastrophic. Homes completely destroyed," Jones toldon Monday.Drones flying overhead equipped with heat-seeking devices had scanned the area for survivors but the dangerous conditions halted the search late Sunday, Jones said.Jones said the twister traveled straight down a county road in the rural community of Beauregard and that the path of damage and destruction appeared at least a half mile wide. He said single-family homes and mobile homes were destroyed, adding some homes were reduced to slabs. He had told reporters earlier that several people were taken to hospitals, some with "very serious injuries."The National Weather Service confirmed late Sunday a tornado with at least an F3 rating and a track at least half a mile wide caused the deadly destruction in Alabama. Although the statement did not give exact wind estimates, F3 storms typically are gauged at wind speeds of between 158-206 mph.Radar and video evidence showed what looked like a large tornado crossing the area near Beauregard shortly after 2 p.m. on Sunday, said meteorologist Meredith Wyatt with the Birmingham office of the National Weather Service."It appears it stayed on the ground for at least a mile and maybe longer," Jones told the AP.After nightfall Sunday, the rain had stopped and pieces of metal debris and tree branches littered roadways in Beauregard. Two sheriff's vehicles blocked reporters and others from reaching the worst-hit area. Power appeared to be out in many places.President Donald Trump tweeted late Sunday, "To the great people of Alabama and surrounding areas: Please be careful and safe. ... To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you all!"Rita Smith, spokeswoman for the Lee County Emergency Management Agency, said about 150 first responders had quickly jumped in to efforts to search the debris after the storm struck in Beauregard. At least one trained canine could be seen with search crews as numerous ambulances and emergency vehicles, lights flashing, converged on the area.No deaths had been reported Sunday evening from storm-damaged Alabama counties outside Lee County, said Gregory Robinson, spokesman for the Alabama Emergency Management Agency. But he said crews were still surveying damage in several counties in the southwestern part of the state.Numerous tornado warnings were posted across parts of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina on Sunday afternoon as the powerful storm system raced across the region. Weather officials said they confirmed other tornadoes around the region by radar alone and would send teams out early Monday to assess those and other storms.In rural Talbotton, Georgia, about 80 miles south of Atlanta, a handful of people were injured by either powerful straight-line winds or a tornado that destroyed several mobile homes and damaged other buildings, said Leigh Ann Erenheim, director of the Talbot County Emergency Management Agency.Televised broadcast news footage showed smashed buildings with rooftops blown away, cars overturned and debris everywhere. Trees all around had been snapped bare of branches."The last check I had was between six and eight injuries," Erenheim said in a phone interview. "From what I understand it was minor injuries, though one fellow did say his leg might be broken."She said searches of damaged homes and structures had turned up no serious injuries or deaths there.Henry Wilson of the Peach County Emergency Management Agency near Macon in central Georgia said a barn had been destroyed and trees and power poles had been snapped, leaving many in the area without power.Authorities in southwest Georgia are searching door-to-door in darkened neighborhoods after a possible tornado touched down in the rural city of Cairo, about 33 miles north of Tallahassee, Florida, on Sunday evening. There were no immediate reports of serious injuries.Authorities said a tornado was confirmed by radar in the Florida Panhandle late Sunday afternoon. A portion of Interstate 10 on the Panhandle was blocked in one direction for a time in Walton County in the aftermath, said Don Harrigan, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Tallahassee."There's a squall line moving through the area," Harrigan told AP. "And when you have a mature line of storms moving into an area where low level winds are very strong, you tend to have tornadoes developing. It's a favorable environment for tornados."The threat of severe weather continued into the late-night hours. A tornado watch was in effect for much of eastern Georgia, including Athens, Augusta and Savannah. The tornado watch also covered a large area of South Carolina, including the cities of Charleston and Columbia.</s>(Reuters) - At least 23 people, some of them children, died after a tornado swept through Lee County, Alabama on Sunday, and the death toll was expected to rise as rescuers searched through the rubble of destroyed homes, authorities said.

Emergency workers faced a grim night of pulling the dead and injured from the wreckage of homes and businesses.

“The challenge is the sheer volume of the debris where all the homes were located,” Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said in an interview with CNN. “It’s the most I’ve seen that I can recall.”

Storms, including at least one apparent tornado, uprooted trees and destroyed homes in neighboring Georgia, initially knocking out power to 21,000 customers, said Georgia Power spokeswoman Meredith Stone.

On Twitter, U.S. President Donald Trump urged residents of Alabama and other areas affected by the storms to be “careful and safe.”

“Tornadoes and storms were truly violent and more could be coming,” Trump wrote. “To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you all!”

In Alabama, Lee County Coroner Bill Harris said the death toll could rise.

“We’ve still got people being pulled out of rubble,” he told the Birmingham News newspaper early on Sunday evening. “We’re going to be here all night.”

The East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika said in a statement that it was treating more than 40 patients as a result of the tornado and expected to receive more. Some patients had been sent to other hospitals, it added.

Severe weather unleashed one of many possible tornadoes that threatened the Southern United States on Sunday afternoon. Tornado warnings and watches were in effect for parts of Georgia and Alabama through Sunday evening.

Video footage from the small community of Beauregard in Lee County showed homes reduced to piles of wreckage, felled trees, and debris from blasted buildings scattered across roads.

Photos posted on social media from a highway near Smiths Station, about 20 miles (32 km) east of Beauregard, showed a large bar called the Buck Wild Saloon with its roof torn off and missing most of a wall after the storm swept through.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey warned residents on Twitter that more severe weather might be on the way.

A state of emergency for Alabama, issued on Feb. 23 to deal with flooding, would be extended, she said.

“Our hearts go out to those who lost their lives in the storms that hit Lee County today,” Ivey wrote. “Praying for their families & everyone whose homes or businesses were affected.”

Lee County Schools announced on Twitter that campuses in the county would be closed on Monday.

The National Weather Service office in Birmingham, Alabama, said it was sending three survey teams out on Monday to assess damage in Autauga, Macon, Lee and Barbour counties.

“Please stay out of damaged areas so first responders can do their job,” the NWS office said on Twitter.

The storm initially left 17,000 customers without power in Alabama, but crews were able to reduce that number to 6,000 by about 9 p.m. EST on Sunday, said Michael Sznajderman, spokesman for the utility Alabama Power.

As thousands faced a night without power, temperatures looked set to fall to near freezing following the storm.

“Colder air will sweep into the Southeast behind the severe weather with temperatures dropping into the 30s (1 C) southward to central Georgia and across most of Alabama by Monday morning,” AccuWeather meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said.

“Those without power who rely on electric heat need to find ways to stay warm,” she added.</s>(Reuters) - Rescuers sifted through rubble looking for more dead and wounded after two back-to-back tornadoes touched down in Alabama, killing at least 23 people, authorities said.

The storms inflicted their worst damage on Lee County, Alabama Sunday, an area that includes the state’s largest city of Auburn, destroying numerous homes and businesses.

More than 50 people were reported injured and the death toll is expected to rise.

Meanwhile, about 10 inches of snow was expected to fall in the New York City area by Monday morning with the arrival of another arctic blast, prompting all schools in the city to be closed and New Jersey to declare a state of emergency.

Punishing cold winds will make it feel 15 degrees below zero Fahrenheit in Chicago Monday with the windchill effect, the National Weather Service said. Actual temperatures will hover around 15 degrees Fahrenheit Monday.

Classes in schools across Boston were also canceled or delayed as about 7 inches will fall by morning before turning into icy sleet, said Bob Oravec, a forecaster with the weather service.

“Winter is definitely not over,” Oravec said.

In Alabama, Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said that rescue and recovery operations overnight were difficult.

“The challenge is the sheer volume of the debris where all the homes were located,” Jones said in an interview with CNN on Sunday. “It’s the most I’ve seen that I can recall.”

On Twitter, U.S. President Donald Trump urged residents of Alabama and other areas affected by the storms to be “careful and safe.”

“Tornadoes and storms were truly violent and more could be coming,” Trump wrote. “To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you all!”

As thousands faced a night without power, temperatures in Alabama looked set to fall to near freezing following the storm.

“Colder air will sweep into the Southeast behind the severe weather with temperatures dropping into the 30s (1 C) southward to central Georgia and across most of Alabama by Monday morning,” AccuWeather meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said.

“Those without power who rely on electric heat need to find ways to stay warm,” she added.</s>More than 10 people are dead after at least two tornadoes hit Lee County Sunday afternoon, according to the Lee County sheriff.The sheriff didn't give any details about the locations or circumstances of the deaths.The Lee County coroner said he has requested assistance from the state mortuary response team.Earlier in the afternoon, the Lee County EMA said the worst of the damage was near Beauregard, and there were two confirmed fatalities in that area. According to family members on the scene, an 8-year-old girl in Beauregard is among the dead.EMA officials said they are still assessing the damage and injuries in the Beauregard area and lots of first responders are on the scene. There is also damage reported on Lee Road 430.According to the Alabama Department of Transportation, there is debris on Highway 431 in both directions before Interstate 85 in Smiths Station. The road is closed, and drivers should take an alternate route.Smiths Station Volunteer Fire Department Station #1 at 50 Lee Rd #430, Smiths Station, AL 36877 has been designated as the area for citizens affected by the storms to seek shelter.Lee County Schools will be closed Monday due to the storms. This doesn't include Opelika and Auburn, which have their own school districts.At 4:00 p.m., approximately 10,400 Alabama Power customers are without service in central Alabama as a result of severe weather. Damage reports include broken poles and downed wire as a result of fallen trees and limbs.Where safe to do so, crews are actively involved in the power restoration process. Power has been restored to more than 3,500 customers within the past hour. At present, power outages are concentrated in the following areas:Fewer outages are widely scattered in Autauga, Chilton, Elmore, and Wilcox Counties.WSFA 12 News has reporters going to the area, and we are working to get additional information.We are starting to see images from the area on social media:This is a developing story and will be updated.The Associated Press reports the squall system is still active and moving eastwardThe National Weather Service says it has confirmed a tornado by radar that has toppled trees in a Florida Panhandle county, halting traffic on a stretch of Interstate 10 in one direction because of debris.Meteorologist Don Harrigan with the Tallahassee office of the weather service tells The Associated Press that the tornado hit about 5:45 p.m. Sunday in Walton County in the DeFuniak Springs area. He says radar shows debris was lofted into the air and he was getting reports of trees down in Walton County and eastbound traffic disrupted at Mile Marker 83 on I-10 in the area.He says the Tallahassee office confirmed other tornadoes on radar in Geneva County in southeast Alabama, just across the line from north Florida. And he says another radar-confirmed tornado was detected in Henry County, Alabama, moving into a neighboring county.Harrigan says a squall line moving across the Southeast is entering an area of strong, low-level winds that is conducive to forming tornadoes. He says the threat of more tornadoes will continue for several hours as the storm system races toward the Atlantic seaboard.</s>Fourteen people are dead after at least two tornadoes hit Lee County Sunday afternoon, according to the Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones.

The sheriff said that number could rise, and people are still reported missing. He didn’t give any details about the locations or exact circumstances of the deaths.

The Lee County coroner said he has requested assistance from the state mortuary response team.

Earlier in the afternoon, the Lee County EMA said much of the damage was near Beauregard, and there were two confirmed fatalities in that area.

According to family members on the scene, an 8-year-old girl in Beauregard is among the dead.

EMA officials said they are still assessing the damage and injuries in the Beauregard area and lots of first responders are on the scene.

The Lee County EMA is asking residents to avoid damaged areas, especially Lee Road 38 and Lee Road 39. Also, Lee Road 166 at Lee Road 40 and Lee Road 165 at Lee Road 40 are closed and will remain closed until damage assessments are made.

Smiths Station Volunteer Fire Department Station #1 at 50 Lee Road #430, Smiths Station, AL 36877 has been designated as the area for citizens affected by the storms to seek shelter.

Lee County Schools will be closed Monday due to the storms. This doesn’t include Opelika and Auburn, which have their own school districts.

State EMA Director Brian Hastings said state personnel are assisting authorities in Lee County and helping with search and rescue efforts. He also said they are working with Verizon on cell phone issues in the area.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has also extended the state of emergency she issued on Feb. 23 to cover the entire state.

The National Weather Service will be sending out survey teams to assess damage in Autauga, Macon, Lee, Barbour and Butler counties Monday.

Lee County is on Alabama’s eastern border and is home to Opelika and Auburn.</s>BEAUREGARD: Rescuers in Alabama on Monday dug through the remnants of homes and businesses destroyed by a pair of tornadoes that killed at last 23 people, including children, the deadliest such storms to strike the United States in almost six years.

 The tornadoes ripped through the state’s Lee County on Sunday with winds of at least 240 kilometres per hour, at the midpoint of the five-step Enhanced Fujita scale, which meteorologists use to measure tornado strength.

 Mobile homes were tossed on their sides and ripped open, their contents strewn on the ground, live television images showed. Pieces of homes hung from trees that were not flattened by the storm.

 More than 50 people were reported injured and the death toll is expected to rise, authorities said, which could make the storms deadlier than the tornado that tore through Moore, Oklahoma, in 2013, killing 24 people.

 “It looks almost as if someone took a giant knife and just scraped the ground. There are slabs where homes formerly stood, debris everywhere, trees are snapped,” Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told a morning news conference. “I’ve not seen this level of destruction ever in my experience in Lee County.”

 One of the dead was a 6-year-old child, Jones said. Two of the injured have sustained critical injuries and at least 20 people remain unaccounted for, Lee County Coroner Bill Harris told CNN.

 On Twitter on Sunday, US President Donald Trump urged affected residents of Alabama and other areas to be “careful and safe.”

 “To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you all!” he tweeted.

 Temperatures in the state fell to 36 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday, leaving some who lost heat because of the storms to struggle with the cold. — Reuters</s>A sheriff confirmed at least 14 people were killed by a possible tornado in Alabama on Sunday as severe storms destroyed mobile homes, snapped trees and left a trial of destruction and weather warnings extending into Georgia, Florida and South Carolina.

Dozens of emergency responders rushed in to assist in Lee County, Alabama, after what appeared to be a large tornado struck Sunday afternoon as part of a powerful storm system raking the Southeast.

"I can say that at this time we have 14 confirmed fatalities," Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told WRBL-TV. "And again the search continues. We still have some people that are reported missing."

Authorities warned that the death toll could rise further as search efforts continued in the small community of Beauregard and surrounding areas. Jones said the storm's path of destruction stretched for miles (kilometers) through his rural county, and in places was about a fourth of a mile (0.4 kilometers) wide. He didn't have an immediate account of how many were believed missing.

Several people in Lee County were taken to hospitals, "some of them with very serious injuries," Jones said.

Rita Smith, spokeswoman for the Lee County Emergency Management Agency, said about 150 first responders were assisting in the storm's aftermath.

Multiple homes were destroyed or damaged in Beauregard, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) east of Montgomery, Smith said.

"We've still got people being pulled out of rubble," Lee County Coroner Bill Harris told Al.com on Sunday evening. "We're going to be here all night."

The sheriff and coroner did not immediately return phone messages from The Associated Press.

No deaths had been reported Sunday evening from storm-damaged Alabama counties outside Lee County, said Gregory Robinson, spokesman for the Alabama Emergency Management Agency. But he said crews were still surveying damage in several counties in the southwestern part of the state.

Radar and video evidence showed what looked like a large tornado crossing the area near Beauregard shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday, said meteorologist Meredith Wyatt with the Birmingham, Alabama, office of the National Weather Service.

Numerous tornado warnings were posted across parts of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina on Sunday afternoon as the powerful storm system raced across the region.

In rural Talbotton, Georgia, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of Atlanta, a handful of people were injured by either powerful straight-line winds or a tornado that destroyed several mobile homes and damaged other buildings, said Leigh Ann Erenheim, director of the Talbot County Emergency Management Agency.

Televised broadcast news footage showed smashed buildings with rooftops blown away, cars overturned and debris everywhere. Trees all around had been snapped bare of branches.

"The last check I had was between six and eight injuries," Ereheim said in a phone interview. "From what I understand it was minor injuries, though one fellow did say his leg might be broken."

She said searches of damaged homes and structures had turned up no serious injuries or deaths.

Henry Wilson of the Peach County Emergency Management Agency near Macon in central Georgia said a barn had been destroyed and trees and power poles had been snapped, leaving many in the area without power.

Authorities said a tornado was confirmed by radar in the Florida Panhandle late Sunday afternoon.

A portion of Interstate 10 on the Florida Panhandle was blocked in one direction for a time in Walton County in the aftermath, said Don Harrigan, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Tallahassee.

"There's a squall line moving through the area," Harrigan told AP. "And when you have a mature line of storms moving into an area where low level winds are very strong, you tend to have tornadoes developing. It's a favorable environment for tornados."

The threat of severe weather was expected to continue into Sunday evening. A tornado watch was in effect for much of eastern Georgia, including Athens, Augusta and Savannah. The tornado watch also covered a large area of South Carolina, including the cities of Charleston and Columbia.</s>At least 14 people are dead in Alabama after severe weather, including tornadoes, ripped through parts of the Southeast on Sunday afternoon, according to Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones.

“The damage is significant,” Jones told reporters on Sunday. “I would put it in the category of catastrophic based on the destruction of the homes we’ve seen.”

Jones said people are still missing and several have been transported to hospitals, some with “very serious injuries.” Located about 100 miles southwest of Atlanta, Lee County, Ala., which includes the city of Auburn, has a population of more than 161,000 and covers roughly 600 square miles. On Facebook, the East Alabama Medical Center announced it had received “more than 40 patients as a result of the tornado this afternoon and expect more.”

According to the National Weather Service, the first tornado to hit Lee County was at least an EF-3, meaning wind speeds were anywhere between 136 to 165 mph and damage is considered to be “severe.” The first tornado warnings for the area were issued at 1:58 p.m.

One of the tornadoes appeared to travel for at least several miles on the ground and was at least a quarter-mile wide, Jones said.

Sunday marks the deadliest day for tornadoes in the U.S. since Jan. 22, 2017, when 16 people were killed in South Georgia, according to the Weather Channel.

On Twitter, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) warned residents to “stay vigilant” as more severe weather was expected to hit the region later Sunday evening.

“Our hearts go out to those who lost their lives in the storms that hit Lee County today,” Ivey wrote in another tweet. “Praying for their families & everyone whose homes or businesses were affected.”
At least 23 people are confirmed dead, many are injured, and 10,000 customers are without electricity after several tornadoes strike Lee County in southeast Alabama.