Severe weather shifts into Southeast, bringing tornadoes, dangerous storms

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Massive thunderstorms and devastating tornadoes slammed the Deep South and Gulf Coast on Wednesday, with tens of thousands losing power overnight.

NATIONAL WEATHER FORECAST: STORM SYSTEM THAT SPAWNED TORNADOES NOW TARGETING SOUTHEAST, MID-ATLANTIC

Twisters tore through homes in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana with just a handful of people reported injured and no deaths.

In Texas, storms brought strong winds that wrapped a boat around a telephone pole in Dallas and tornadoes shuttered dozens of schools, COVID-19 vaccination sites and downed power lines in Alabama. 

More than 30,000 homes and businesses were without power in Mississippi and Alabama on Wednesday evening, and PowerOutage.us showed Thursday that more than 16,000 Alabamians were still in the dark by the morning.

Trees were felled and hail the size of baseballs was reported near the Alabama-Mississippi line, according to The Associated Press.

A tornado touched down in Moundville in Hale County Ala. 17, March 17, 2021, causing damage to homes and downing trees. A tree lies partially on a house next to Hale County High School. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.] (Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.])

At least nine tornadoes were reported across the South, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center and more than 50 tornado warnings had been issued across Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi and Oklahoma. 

Millions of Americans remain threatened by a northeastward-moving system on Thursday.

Parts of northern Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and southern Virginia will all be in danger of severe tornadoes, according to the agency.

Intense thunderstorms are also possible for parts of the eastern Gulf Coast and Appalachians, with isolated instances of large hail and scattered storms in the region.

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Additional storms may develop in Missouri, Arkansas, Alabama and the Florida panhandle. Cold air behind the storm will turn rain into snow for parts of the Mid-Atlantic on Friday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.