In the middle and eastern America, powerful storms on Wednesday took the lives of at least two people in Tennessee, and as night fell, sudden floods and more tornadoes arrived in the state – including one tornado that was involved in the destruction of communities south of Nashville.
The National Weather Service said that late Wednesday night, tornado warnings were also effective in several southern states, where a “big and destructive tornado” was in the Henagar area, which is a city of a few thousand people roughly 55 miles east of Huntsville. A tornado warning was also issued in the Huntsville area on Wednesday night.
The National Weather Service said it had issued a tornado warning until 3 a.m. CT Thursday for parts of Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The weather service said that around 5:50 p.m. CT, there was a “confirmed big and destructive tornado” near the city of Spring Hill.
A spokesperson for Maury Regional Medical Center, Rita Thompson, told CNN that at least one person was killed and four others were injured in Maury County during the tornado. Thompson said three of them have non-life-threatening injuries, and one is in serious condition. County officials told CNN that there was extensive damage in the area, with fallen trees and damaged buildings. Maury County Commissioner Eric Previti said he was not aware of the severity of the damage.
“We are urging everyone to stay off the roads. If you can stay at home, stay home,” the Maury County Office of Emergency Management posted on Facebook.
The weather service declared a flash flood emergency Wednesday evening for Robertson and Sumner Counties in Middle Tennessee, along the state line with Kentucky and about 20 to 30 miles north of Nashville. Weather officials said at 6:56 p.m. CDT, water rescues and dangerous flooding are occurring in the emergency area. Radar estimates show that 4 to 7 inches of rain have fallen across these counties today, and more heavy rainfall is expected to move across the region over the next several hours.
An official with the Robertson County Emergency Management Agency said there were some water rescues, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.
The first death from the storms occurred in Claiborne County, Tennessee, on Wednesday morning. According to the county’s emergency management office, a tree fell on the person’s car amid severe storms. The person has not been identified. Severe storms, damaging winds, large hail, and tornado warnings have been ongoing in several states since Wednesday morning.
The severe weather comes just a day after powerful tornadoes and storms swept through southwestern Michigan, destroying homes and businesses and injuring several residents. The severe weather is expected to move into the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic on Thursday, bringing more hail, damaging winds, and the possibility of a few tornadoes.
Here is the latest information on Wednesday’s storms and damage in Tennessee and Tuesday’s damage in Michigan: • Chaotic severe weather stretch: April to June is the most active time for tornadoes in the US, and May is typically the busiest month. This year has been no exception. At least one tornado has been reported in the US every day since April 25 – a streak of 14 days and counting. • Damage and debris on I-65: The Tennessee Department of Transportation said it was sending crews to an area near Interstate 65 and State Road 99 where there was damage and debris. “One lane is blocked on I-65S at MM 47 in Maury Co. after a reported tornado passed over the interstate. Reports from the scene are that cars and signs in the area were damaged,” transportation department spokesperson Rebekah Hammonds said on X. • Mobile home park struck by tornado: More than a dozen people were injured at a mobile home park in Pavilion Township in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, following a tornado Tuesday, according to a city official. Fifteen to 20 people had minor injuries and were transported to two area hospitals, according to the county’s emergency management spokesperson Andrew Alspach. • One Michigan town may have been hit twice: At least one tornado, possibly two, hit Portage Tuesday evening, as the area faced two tornado warnings in just over an hour, the National Weather Service said. Homes and businesses in the city sustained significant damage, but there were no serious injuries, according to town officials. A tornado ripped a large hole into a FedEx facility. A spokesperson for the Kalamazoo County administrator’s office told MLive.com that around 50 people were trapped in the facility for a few hours. CNN has been unable to verify that report. Portage public safety director Nicholas Armold later said all employees were accounted for when emergency responders arrived. • Damage reported in at least two other Michigan counties: Multiple homes and businesses were destroyed after a possible tornado touched down in Centreville on Tuesday, according to St. Joseph County Undersheriff Jason Bingaman. The storm damage ripped off roofs and flattened homes “completely down,” Bingaman told CNN. At least seven homes were destroyed in nearby Branch County, according to Emergency Management Director Tim Miner. • First-ever tornado emergency in Michigan: Parts of Branch County, including Union City, were placed under Michigan’s first tornado emergency when “a large and destructive tornado” was over the area Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Tornado emergencies are the most extreme tornado warnings and are only issued when a tornado threatens catastrophic damage and loss of life, often in a populated area.
