WINFIELD, Ala. (AP) — Homes and buildings were damaged and trees were blown down as a line of intense thunderstorms rolled across several southern states, authorities said.
The storms Wednesday brought the threat of tornadoes and high winds, though it wasn’t immediately known whether a twister caused the damage in Alabama Wednesday evening.
In the west Alabama town of Winfield, an emergency manager reported damage to structures and police ordered people to stay out of the downtown area as officers worked to assess the damage.
“Downtown Winfield is a dangerous area and multiple agencies are on scene,” the Marion County Sheriff’s Department, whose deputies were helping police, said in a statement on social media. “There are confirmed live power lines down.”
In northeast Alabama, another emergency manager in Etowah County reported that a pole barn was destroyed and at least two homes were damaged during the storms.
There were no immediate reports of injuries from the storms.
Tornado watches had been issued Wednesday for parts of several states, including Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee.
As dawn broke Thursday, several strong storms were still threatening parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina as the system continued to move east.