Another round of severe weather with damaging winds is expected to sweep across the South on Wednesday, bringing damaging winds in Alabama and Georgia, according to forecasters.

National Weather Service meteorologist John De Block told the Associated Press he expects storms to start around 4 a.m. Wednesday and last into the evening in southern and western Alabama.

The latest storm system is likely to bring tornadoes, and there's a strong chance of baseball-sized hail.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley declared a State of Emergency that will last until severe weather expected to hit the state Wednesday subsides.

Bentley said in a press release that 50 National Guard soldiers will also be deployed in the state. Multiple Alabama schools have also announced that they will be closed Wednesday.

In Georgia, meteorologist Laura Belanger says about 75 percent of the state could experience severe weather around sunrise, and ramp up after 2 p.m. Damaging winds and several tornadoes that could touch down for an extended amount of time from the front.

Belanger says larger cities that could be impacted include Atlanta and Augusta — the location of this week's Masters golf tournament.

Most of Georgia is on spring break this week, but the Griffin-Spalding County School System and public schools in Meriwether, which would normally have school on Wednesday, has decided to cancel classes, FOX 5 Atlanta reported.

Read more from FOX 5 Atlanta.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>The following is from the Office of Governor Robert Bentley:

MONTGOMERY –Governor Robert Bentley on Tuesday declared a statewide State of Emergency in anticipation of severe weather moving through Alabama on Wednesday. The National Weather Service is forecasting a significant threat of severe weather to include destructive and long-track tornadoes, hail up to baseball size and damaging straight line winds for several counties.

The National Weather Service predicts that this long duration weather event could contain two or three waves of scattered storms. This statewide State of Emergency is effective as of Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.

“Alabama is no stranger to the impact severe weather can have on communities and the devastation that can occur when the weather takes a turn for the worse,” Governor Robert Bentley said. “I have issued a State of Emergency as a precautionary measure to ensure state resources are on standby and are ready to assist impacted communities should the need arise. I also want to encourage individuals to stay weather aware and have a method to receive the latest weather alerts.”

Governor Bentley also ordered the State Emergency Operations Center in Clanton activated to level three. This level of activation will allow AEMA staff to monitor the impact of the severe weather as it crosses the state. In addition, 50 National Guard soldiers will be activated for preparation and response operations.

“Based on the forecast and prediction of the National Weather Service Offices for Alabama, individuals should prepare for the potential of multiple rounds of severe weather tomorrow,” Alabama Emergency Management Agency Director, Art Faulkner said. “The Governor’s State of Emergency will enable all state agencies to be ready to carry out the State Emergency Operations Plan, if and when required.

The State of Emergency will be effective at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday evening and will remain in effect until the threat diminishes.</s>MACON, GA. (41NBC/WMGT) – We are continuing to watch a storm system to our west in Alabama this morning. A cold front is firing up showers and storms, some of which may turn severe. There is already a Tornado Watch in effect for southeastern Mississippi and southwestern Alabama. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for central Alabama, south of I-20. These storms will be moving into Middle Georgia today.

The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has placed Middle Georgia in an enhanced and slight risk for severe storms. The enhanced risk stretches just east of I-75 (shaded in orange). This area has the greatest risk for severe storms. Along I-16, there is a slight risk from severe weather, meaning scattered severe storms are possible.

As the storms move into Middle Georgia, damaging winds are the primary threat. Winds 60-80 mph are possible as the squall line moves through. Winds this strong could down trees and power lines. Large hail up to 1.5 inches in diameter is also possible. A few tornadoes can not be ruled out for the day, as well. Rainfall totals will range from about half an inch to an inch. However, where there are stronger storms, locally heavier rainfall is possible.

As far as timing, the latest model updates place the squall line in western Georgia around 1:30 p.m. The squall line should move into Middle Georgia around 2:00 p.m. The system will not be clearing out until close to 8:00 p.m.

If you have a weather radio, turn it on to receive warnings. If you don’t have a weather radio, you can download our 41 First Alert Storm Team App – it’s FREE! Our app will give you access to the radar and you can also program in your location to receive severe weather warnings.

As always, the 41 First Alert Storm Team will bring you the latest updates on TV and online.</s>MONTGOMERY, Ala.-Tuesday Governor Robert Bentley declared a statewide State of Emergency in anticipation of severe weather moving through Alabama Wednesday. The National Weather Service is forecasting a significant threat of severe weather. This statewide State of Emergency is effective as of Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. and will remain in effect until the threat diminishes.

“Alabama is no stranger to the impact severe weather can have on communities and the devastation that can occur when the weather takes a turn for the worse,” Governor Robert Bentley said. “I have issued a State of Emergency as a precautionary measure to ensure state resources are on standby and are ready to assist impacted communities should the need arise. I also want to encourage individuals to stay weather aware and have a method to receive the latest weather alerts.”

WHNT News 19 is closely watching the severe storm threat for Wednesday. Click here to read the latest information.</s>ATLANTA (AP) - The Latest on the severe weather threat in the south. (all times local):

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has declared a State of Emergency that will last until severe weather expected to hit the state Wednesday subsides.

He says the warning goes into effect at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Bentley said in a press release that 50 National Guard soldiers will also be deployed in the state.

Multiple Alabama schools have also announced that they will be closed Wednesday.

Forecasters say damaging winds are expected to take form in Alabama and Georgia as storms continue to sweep across the South.

National Weather Service meteorologist John De Block says he expects storms to start around 4 a.m. Wednesday and last into the evening in southern and western Alabama. He says tornadoes are likely and there's a strong chance of baseball-sized hail.

In Georgia, meteorologist Laura Belanger says about 75 percent of the state could experience severe weather around sunrise, and ramp up after 2 p.m. She expects damaging winds and several tornadoes that could touch down for an extended amount of time.

Belanger says larger cities that could be impacted include Atlanta and Augusta - the location of this week's Masters golf tournament.

The service says 21 locations in Georgia may have had tornadoes on Monday.</s>CALM BEFORE THE STORM: As expected, this has been a beautiful spring day across Alabama. With ample sunshine, temperatures are in the low 80s. Nothing on radar. Clouds will move in tonight, and showers and storms will likely arrive in the 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. time frame tomorrow.

The Storm Prediction Center has a “slight risk” of severe storms up for much of Central and South Alabama early tomorrow morning; the main issue for places like Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Anniston and Gadsden will involve hail and strong, gusty winds. The primary tornado threat before 7 a.m. will be over far Southwest Alabama, where there will be some surface-based instability.

TOMORROW’S SEVERE WEATHER THREAT: The large-scale features certainly will support a severe weather day in Alabama. A surface low will be southeast of St. Louis, supported by a deep upper trough with strong wind fields. Forecast surface-based CAPE values (instability) are expected to soar into the 3,000-4,000 j/kg range, making for a “powder keg” situation by afternoon.

The SPC has much of the state now in a “moderate” or “enhanced” severe weather risk.

Don’t get too caught up in looking at these risk maps and the associated lines, colors and verbiage. This is simply a guideline; storms don’t read these maps and certainly don’t know where the lines are. Just understand all of Alabama will have a significant severe weather risk tomorrow.

TIMING/THREATS: There will be multiple waves of storms from 4 a.m. until 7 p.m. The primary threat with the morning storms, as discussed above, will come from hail and strong, gusty winds. Storms during the midday, afternoon and evening will be capable of producing large hail, damaging straight-line winds and tornadoes. A few strong, violent, long-track tornadoes are possible, especially over the central and eastern counties of Alabama.

For Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, the risk of severe storms should be over by 5 p.m., and the storms should be out of the northern half of the state by 7. Storms could linger across Southeast Alabama through 9 p.m.

RAIN: Amounts around 1 inch are likely; no flooding issues are expected.

CALL TO ACTION: Be sure you have a way of getting warnings; a NOAA Weather Radio is the baseline, and a good smartphone app is the other tier . Identify the safe place in your home, and be sure everyone knows where it is. In that safe place have helmets for everyone, along with hard-sole shoes and preferably a portable airhorn in case you need help.

Be sure you have the ABC 33/40 app on your phone so you can watch our live severe weather coverage, if needed:

WILL THIS BE LIKE APRIL 27, 2011? I don’t like the question. April 27, 2011 was a generational event; they tend to happen once every 40 years or so. Just understand if there is only one tornado in the entire state, and if comes down your street, then it’s your April 27.

TAKE A DEEP BREATH: This is the core of the spring tornado season in Alabama, and these kind of threats are fairly common. We have had a very quiet five-year period, and we all knew it couldn’t stay quiet forever. Just have a way of hearing warnings, have an action plan and have a good readiness kit in that safe place, and we will be just fine. And there is always the chance this could be a “bust” — a situation with storms not as severe as expected. It takes many things coming together at a single place and time for severe storms to form.

COLDER AIR: Thursday will be breezy and much cooler with gradual clearing; some lingering light rain or drizzle is possible Thursday morning over the northeast corner of the state. Temperatures Thursday will hold in the cool 50s much of the day. We drop into the 37- to 40-degree range by daybreak Friday. Then, Friday will be sunny and cool with a high in the low 60s.

The coldest morning will come early Saturday, when mid 30s are likely with lots of frost. Colder spots have a good chance of going below freezing.

THE WEEKEND: Expect a bright, sunny sky Saturday and Sunday with a warming trend; the high Saturday will be in the upper 60s, followed by mid 70s Sunday.

NEXT WEEK: Medium-range model data suggests we might see some rain back in here Tuesday or Wednesday of next week, but for now it doesn’t look like a setup for severe thunderstorms as the “wave train” takes a break for a while.

SPOTTER TRAINING IS TONIGHT IN TUSCALOOSA: It begins at 6:30 at Shelton State Community College. We need more trained spotters; please come help us make the warning process better. No need to register; just show up!

Click here to see the Beach Forecast Center page .

WEATHER BRAINS: You can listen to our weekly 90-minute netcast anytime on the web, or on iTunes . This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including meteorologists at ABC 33/40.

CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks:

For more weather news and information, visit AlabamaWX.</s>Storms will erupt in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and several Southern states. The worst weather could stretch from Alabama to South Carolina.

A system of storms will affect Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina before moving into the Ohio and Tennessee valleys, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center.

Strong winds and baseball-size hail are expected in parts of Alabama.

In most of Georgia, forecasters say damaging winds will begin in the morning and extend into the afternoon. There's also a chance for isolated tornadoes and hail, National Weather Service meteorologist Matthew Sena told CNN.

The severe weather could last for a longer period of time than Monday's storms and mainly impact cities such as Atlanta and Augusta, Georgia, before it moves north by the end of the day, Sena said. At least five people died as a severe storm system swept through several Southern states over the weekend and on Monday.</s>ATLANTA - Forecasters say damaging winds are expected to take form in Alabama and Georgia as storms continue to sweep across the South.

 

 National Weather Service meteorologist John De Block says he expects storms to start around 4 a.m. Wednesday and last into the evening in southern and western Alabama. He says tornadoes are likely and there's a strong chance of baseball-sized hail.

 

 In Georgia, meteorologist Laura Belanger says about 75 percent of the state could experience severe weather around sunrise, and ramp up after 2 p.m. She expects damaging winds and several tornadoes that could touch down for an extended amount of time.

 

 Belanger says larger cities that could be impacted include Atlanta and Augusta - the location of this week's Masters golf tournament.

 

 The service says 21 locations in Georgia may have had tornadoes on Monday.

Follow the Channel 3 Weather Team on Twitter @wkycweather and on Facebook</s>ATLANTA - Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has declared a State of Emergency that will last until severe weather expected to hit the state Wednesday subsides.

 

He says the warning goes into effect at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

 

Bentley said in a press release that 50 National Guard soldiers will also be deployed in the state.

 

Multiple Alabama schools have also announced that they will be closed Wednesday.</s>Severe storms raking the Southeast unleashed one large tornado and more than a half dozen apparent twisters Wednesday, toppling trees, roughing up South Carolina's 'peach capital' and raining out golfers warming up for the Masters.

A powerful tornado toppled trees and downed power lines in rural Georgia and similar scenes played out in spots around Alabama and South Carolina amid drenching rain, high winds and scattered hail — some as big as baseballs.

Forecasters said a wide area across much of the three states was under threat of powerful, long-lived tornadoes.

The severe weather outbreak was the second to hit the South in less than a week, but no deaths or significant injuries were reported by Wednesday evening. Storms on Sunday and Monday killed five people, including a Mississippi woman who desperately called 911 from a car that plunged into a rain-swollen creek.

Authorities in Johnston, South Carolina, a town of 2,300 that calls itself The Peach Capital of The World, reported a possible tornado there damaged about a dozen buildings. Crews couldn't immediately check nearby peach orchards but authorities said those were already severely damaged by a late March hard freeze.

Johnston Mayor Terrence Cullbreath said he opened a local armory as a shelter and that lights were out and many streets were blocked by fallen trees. Thousands had lost power across the three states Wednesday, with utilities struggling to keep up.

"We need power back," Cullbreath said by phone. "But there likely are more storms coming and they can't get the power back in bad weather."

In southwest Georgia, a powerful tornado that touched down at midday traveled some distance on the ground in rural Stewart County, National Weather Service Meteorologist Keith Stellman said. It left downed power lines and trees on roads, said Sandra James, a sheriff's office dispatcher.

Elsewhere, a suspected tornado touched down in southeastern Alabama, before crossing into Georgia, forecasters said. All told at least nine possible tornados had been reported across Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina as the day wore on with more reports likely as the storms continued into the evening.

In Alabama, the storm hit an area dotted with vacation and full-time homes around Lake Eufaula, damaging some homes and knocking down power lines and trees, said official John Taylor, with the Henry County Emergency Management Agency. He also reported no deaths or injuries there.

Tornadoes weren't the only threat Wednesday. The nation's Storm Prediction Center said winds were blowing at near 70 mph (110 kph) in some areas, downing trees in several states.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley declared a state of emergency and deployed 50 National Guard soldiers. There also were multiple school closings in Alabama and many early dismissals in South Carolina.

The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily halted flights to Atlanta's airport but those later resumed with arrival and departure delays.

And as storms bore down on Augusta National, the venerable east Georgia club shut down for the second time this week as golfers tried to get in some practice before the start of the Masters tournament later this week. Officials cut short the final afternoon practice and ordered rain-bedraggled fans to leave the course. Augusta National also closed Monday because of heavy rains.

In the east Alabama city of Oxford, convenience store manager Don Copeland was working up courage to go outside and look at his truck after a storm dumped so much grape-sized hail the ground turned white.

"It's a 2015. I just made a $550 payment this morning," Copeland said.

The weather service said it had gotten reports of baseball-sized hail in the west Alabama town of Camden, but only small ice pellets fell at the McGraw-Webb Chevrolet Inc.

"Thank goodness we did not get that. We just had pea-sized hail, and two or three cars were damaged," said Evan Bohannon, who handles online sales for the dealership.

In central Kentucky, Mike Callahan of the National Weather Service in Louisville said, some areas received large amounts of hail Wednesday evening — some of it several inches deep. The hydrologist also reported winds up to 72 mph (115 kph) in some areas.

Kentucky State Police Trooper Joshua Lawson also said in an email that a mobile home in Kentucky's Henry County overturned with a family inside, but no one was injured amid the high winds.

In Goodman, in southwest Missouri, an EF-2 tornado with wind speeds of up to 120 mph (193 kph) hit Tuesday night, damaging a fire station, elementary school and several other buildings, the National Weather Service said Wednesday. One person was taken to a hospital with a possible broken ankle, but no deaths or serious injuries were reported. The small town is about 30 miles south of Joplin, Missouri, where an EF-5 tornado killed 161 people in May 2011.

Reeves contributed from Birmingham, Alabama. Associated Press Writer Jeffrey S. Collins contributed to this report from Columbia, South Carolina.
Robert Bentley, the Governor of Alabama, declares a state of emergency due to forecasts of storms with the threat of tornadoes during the day. The neighboring state of Georgia also faces the threat of severe weather.