A series of tornadoes hatched by early spring "super cell" storms tore across Alabama and moved into Georgia early Friday, leaving at least five people dead amid ruins of wrecked homes, splintered trees and crumpled businesses.
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Authorities said one fierce tornado traveled roughly 100 miles (160 kilometers) across Alabama on Thursday, leaving a long path of damage. The National Weather Service for Atlanta said a "dangerous, fast moving" tornado ripped through some of the metro's southern suburbs just after midnight.
With power knocked out to tens of thousands and people now tasked with clearing away the debris and rebuilding, the violent weather that swept parts of Alabama and the region marked the most dreaded part of springtime in the Deep South: tornado season.
While Alabama appeared to bear the brunt of Thursday's tornado outbreak, forecasters warned of dangerous thunderstorms, flash floods and possible twisters from eastern Mississippi into western Georgia, and northward into Tennessee and Kentucky. Also, flash flood warnings and watches extended to the western Carolinas during the night hours.
