A powerful storm system spawned at least 45 reported tornadoes across five southern states over the weekend, killing four people and causing widespread damage during the busy holiday travel period.
In Texas, a 48-year-old woman was found dead 100 feet from her home in Liverpool, south of Houston, where officials confirmed five tornadoes. Montgomery County reported 30 homes destroyed and 50 severely damaged. In Mississippi, an 18-year-old died when a tree fell on her home in Natchez, and another death was reported in Lowndes County.
“It’s not unheard of, but it is fairly uncommon to have a severe weather outbreak of this magnitude this late in the year,” said Frank Pereira, a Weather Prediction Center meteorologist.
In North Carolina, a 70-year-old man died when a tree struck his pickup truck near Charlotte. “It was just a freak accident,” Highway Patrol Trooper DJ Maffucci said, noting multiple accidents from downed trees.
The storms disrupted holiday travel, with over 600 flight delays at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Power outages affected about 40,000 customers in Mississippi and 10,000 each in Texas, Alabama, North Carolina, and Georgia.
In Athens, Alabama, the storms toppled a display military helicopter and damaged downtown buildings. “I stepped out on my porch and I could hear it roar,” said city spokeswoman Holly Hollman. “I think we are extremely lucky that it hit late at night.”
The system also brought heavy rain to areas still recovering from Hurricane Helene, forcing road closures in western North Carolina and threatening already unstable ground in the mountain regions.