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5 Dead as Storms and Tornadoes Barrel Across the South


Officials said a powerful storm system swept through the South on Friday, causing severe winds, tornadoes and heavy rain that killed five people, including an Arkansas grandfather who was swept into a road flooded when he went to visit his grandson.

Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky warns residents on Twitter on Friday afternoon.

Beshear said two tornadoes have swept through the western part of the state — the first in McCracken County and the second in Christian County.

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said in a statement Friday that one person died after severe weather hit the state Thursday night. He did not share more details about the episode.

Mr. Beshear said on Twitter that there were two hurricane-related deaths in his state: one in Simpson County and one in Edmonson County. He also did not share any more information.

A 70-year-old man was killed by a falling tree branch in Talladega County, Alabama Friday while sitting in his truck, local coroners said. In Scott County, Ark., a man trying to meet his grandson drove into a flooded road and was swept into a nearby river, authorities said.

About 380,000 customers lost power in Kentucky late Friday, according to poweroutage.us. Power lost about 345,000 customers in Tennessee and 100,000 in Alabama.

The storms moved northeast on Friday, increasing the risk of severe weather across parts of the Ohio Valley and Tennessee, as well as parts of the Southeast.

ONE Tornado clock has been issued Friday for a large portion of the country, including northeastern Mississippi, western Tennessee, western Kentucky, Virginia and parts of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The clocks will stay on until Friday night, which means conditions favorable for tornadoes.

National Weather Service in Louisville reports record low pressure for the city was 977.1 millibars at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, an indication of the storm’s strength and extreme winds.

One meteorologist described the expected combination of strong winds, hail and tornadoes in Kentucky and Tennessee as a “gauntlet.”

“In my 21 years as a forecaster here in Nashville, I don’t remember a color-changing wind event like this,” a National Weather Service meteorologist said during a forecast discussion. .

Mr. Beshear signed the state of emergency on Friday morning in preparation for the deployment of the National Guard.

“Given everything we’ve been through, I want to make sure everyone is safe today,” he said. said in a video. He added: “This could be a very dangerous day. We hope not, but we want you to be safe.”

Dozens of school districts in Kentucky and Indiana canceled classes on Friday.

As the storm moved through the Dallas-Fort Worth area on Thursday night, strong gusts were recorded during that time.

Across North Texas, there have been reports of wind damage to roofs and downed power lines, according to the Weather Service. In McKinney, a suburb north of Dallas, said the police four tractor trailers were blown away on the highway. Minor injuries have been reported.

Pictures on social networks shows uprooted trees and blown fences. In Little Elm, a town northwest of Dallas, the wind has toppled supermarket front onto vehicles parked outside the store, a town spokesman said. No one was injured.

“We could hear the wind howling outside,” said Tom Bradshaw, a meteorologist with the Weather Service in Fort Worth. “This is a really impressive event.”

Forecasters at the Hurricane Prediction Center say the area (sometimes referred to as Ark-La-Tex) has a “moderate risk” of severe storms. Moderate risk means forecasters believe hurricanes forming in the area will be of a magnitude that would normally only occur once a year, if at all.

These outlooks are usually only released about a dozen times a year on average. This is only the second one released this year. Last issued this past Sunday as strong winds and tornadoes tore through parts of Oklahoma, At least a dozen people were injured.

Report contributed by Jesus Jimenez, McKenna Oxenden, Derrick Bryson Taylor And Eduardo Medina.

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