Two people killed after tornado outbreak hits south

The deadly tornado struck Montgomery County just after 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Montgomery County officials said first responders saved the lives of many others.

There have been 30 reported tornadoes across Louisiana Mississippi, and Alabama, according to the National Weather Service. An EF-1 with winds up to 115 mph was confirmed in Montgomery County that created havoc in the Flatwood community, according to the National Weather Service.

Five other tornadoes have been confirmed elsewhere in the region: An EF-2 in Caldwell Parish, Louisiana, two EF-1 tornadoes in Mississippi with winds topping 90 mph each — one in Winston County going into Choctaw County and another in Lawrence County — an EF-2 in Magnolia, Mississippi, and another EF-1 in Eutaw, Alabama, that measured winds of 110 mph, causing severe damage to the Sagewood Apartment Complex, according to the National Weather Service.

Tornadoes were also reported near Bakers and Steens, Mississippi. In Vernon, Mississippi, hail the size of a quarter and Ping-Pong ball was reported. There were also reports of structural damage across several locations in Mississippi.

Texas and Kentucky got hail the size of golf balls.

Images from the affected areas show entire homes reduced to rubble by the tornadoes.

As the storm system moves east, more severe weather is possible for Florida’s Panhandle, southern Alabama and Georgia. The tornado threat will be low on Wednesday; the biggest threat is damaging winds.

High wind alerts have been issued for most of the Northeast from Virginia to Maine, where winds could gust 40 to 60 mph. Behind this storm system, colder air will produce lake-effect snow from just south of Buffalo to Watertown, New York, where locally 7 to 15 inches of snow is possible.

Strong thunderstorms are possible from the Florida Panhandle to the Carolinas. In addition, heavy rain and gusty winds are expected from Washington, D.C., to Boston.