Large tornado in Alabama leaves 1 dead and 8 injured, local official says
One person was killed and eight others were injured after a tornado touched down in Alabama on Thursday. Hale County Emergency Management director Russell Weeden confirmed three people are in critical condition and five have minor injuries.
Just before 3 p.m. EST, the National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado was on the ground in Hale County. It later reported several other tornadoes in the state.
Earlier Thursday, the NWS had issued several tornado watches and warnings for large portions of the state. It tweeted that the storm moving into the Birmingham area had a "history of producing tornadoes."
As the storm moved across the state Thursday afternoon and evening, the NWS continued to update its warnings, tweeting, "Take shelter NOW!"
The National Weather Service's weather prediction center tweeted that parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky and West Virginia could see flash flooding and severe weather through Thursday night.
Meanwhile, a winter storm is sweeping across portions of the the U.S., bringing ice and snow to several states.
