Tornadoes, severe storms tear through parts of Southeast
ATLANTA -- Severe storms spawned tornadoes, damaged homes and downed trees as they moved across the Southeast Monday night. The were no early reports of injuries.
Cities in northern Alabama reported power outages, and the National Weather Service in Huntsville reported at least three confirmed tornadoes in the area.
Three NWS survey teams will go out on Tuesday to survey the damage from thunderstorms today. Due to the widespread nature of the damage, it will likely take additional days. Additional information will be sent as surveys are conducted. https://t.co/u5JAwaLUI6
— NWS Huntsville (@NWSHuntsville) March 20, 2018
In Limestone County, Alabama, on the Tennessee border, the sheriff's office posted photos online of houses with roofs ripped off and outbuildings torn from their foundations. Several roads were closed because of power lines or trees, the office tweeted. But it had no reports of injuries from the storms.
Damage in Ardmore, AL pic.twitter.com/7mv3jmQMt3
— Limestone Sheriff (@LimestoneCoSO) March 20, 2018
Just west of the metropolitan Metro Atlanta area, Jacksonville, Alabama was ravaged by severe weather, reports CBS Atlanta affiliate WGCL-TV. Numerous buildings across the city were damaged, including West Point Baptist Church and some areas of Jacksonville State University's campus including the Coliseum at Jacksonville State.
The school's athletic director said late Monday there was significant damage to the campus.
"I can confirm we have major roof damage at Pete Mathews Coliseum, but The Pete is not completely destroyed," Greg Seitz said in a tweet.
Seitz later tweeted that they were still surveying the campus but that there was major roof damage to two halls, adding that his was thankful that JSU was on spring break this week and that most students are out of town.
Here’s a photo of the tornado that hit the Jacksonville State campus this evening. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. pic.twitter.com/HV1eV514h2
— Greg Seitz (@gseitz) March 20, 2018
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a statement saying, "There has been significant damage tonight in parts of Alabama. We are sending state resources to those affected areas, especially to Jacksonville and Calhoun County. We will continue to monitor and respond to needs in other areas as needed. Our first priority is ensuring our people are safe. Please stay out of affected areas and let first responders do their job."
WGCL said several areas around Metro Atlanta were beginning the cleanup effort after a strong line of severe weather ripped through the region.
There was an unconfirmed report of a twister in the Atlanta area that damaged dozens of homes and cars.
There were reports of fires in Gwinnett County, where crews were able to put out two fires. Lightning was believed to be the cause of both. Trees were reported down across areas of Fulton County.
At least 26,000 homes and businesses were left in the dark in Georgia, utilities said.