Hundreds of thousands of individuals found themselves without electricity and millions were still under tornado alerts on Wednesday afternoon, as a fierce storm system persisted in moving eastward. The extreme weather wreaked havoc in the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys earlier in the week, delivering intense rain, hail, and suspected tornadoes to various U.S. states, leaving destruction in its wake.
A tornado warning was issued for four counties in central Florida, with a collective population of nearly 6.5 million, until at least 5 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, as reported by the National Weather Service. The warning zone covers multiple major cities, such as Orlando, Gainesville, Jacksonville, and St. Augustine.
The advisory for those counties noted that powerful wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour and a couple of tornadoes were possible, along with hail as large as marbles. Meteorologists issue a tornado watch when thunderstorms occur in places where the atmospheric conditions could potentially set the stage for a twister, but that kind of advisory does not necessarily mean that one will occur. A tornado warning is issued when the onset of a twister is imminent.
Tornado watches that had been ordered for other southeastern regions, including parts of Georgia and South Carolina, were lifted earlier on Wednesday. But tens of millions of people elsewhere in the U.S. were still told to brace for storm weather and possible flooding, particularly in pockets of the Midwest and Northeast.
Meteorologists also warned that eastern Virginia and the upper part of North Carolina could be hit with strong thunderstorms on Wednesday afternoon, as a band of unstable weather gradually spreads southeastward.
"Storms capable of producing a couple of tornadoes and damaging gusts will be possible this afternoon across eastern Virginia and vicinity, and across north and central Florida," reads the latest outlook released by the Storm Prediction Center.
Severe thunderstorms and several possible twisters wreaked havoc on communities across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys on Tuesday, prompting West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear to declare states of emergency.
In West Virginia, dramatic video footage from Tuesday afternoon captured strong winds lifting debris in Charleston, where a tornado had already passed through earlier in the day according to radar reports. The governor declared a state of emergency in Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln, and Nicholas Counties citing downed trees, power outages, blocked roads, and flooding.
Meanwhile, parts of Kentucky also faced severe weather. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg declared a state of emergency for the city after what he described as "serious damage." Images from Prospect, near Louisville, showed homes covered in tree trunks, branches, and debris strewn across residential streets.
Fire officials in Nelson County shared images of the destruction caused by the storm as well.
The National Weather Service reported receiving numerous reports of storm damage on Tuesday from Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, Ohio, Alabama, and Georgia. Meteorologists confirmed at least one tornado touching down in Sunbright, a small city in northeastern Tennessee, by the afternoon.
Source: CBS affiliate WVLT-TV
Devastation in Morgan County
Video footage captured by WVLT-TV revealed the widespread destruction in Morgan County. The aftermath showed several homes and buildings either completely demolished or partially destroyed. Representatives from the National Weather Service assured the station that they would be conducting assessments of the damages in the area.
