By JEFF AMY Associated Press A powerful storm system that moved across the South on Monday killed four people in Alabama and left a trail of damage over several states, officials said. By JEFF AMY Associated Press A powerful storm system that moved across the South on Monday killed four people in Alabama and left a trail of damage over several states, officials said.

Start the conversation, or Read more at CBS Atlanta. </s> A powerful storm system that moved across the South on Monday killed four people in Alabama and left a trail of damage over several states, officials said. The line of severe thunderstorms spawned several possible tornadoes, and the threat continued into early Tuesday for southern Alabama, southwest Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.

Start the conversation, or Read more at New York Daily News. </s> Four killed in Alabama as severe storms hit US South

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Alabama's governor said four people were killed in a building in an area hit by severe weather as a heavy storm system pounded the U.S. South with rain, hail and strong winds on Monday.

Governor Robert Bentley said in a message on Twitter the four fatalities occurred in a building in the area of Rehobeth, in southeast Alabama just outside the city of Dothan.

The federal Storm Prediction Center listed the incident on its website as a possible tornado. Dothan-based television station WTVY said in a report citing local officials the four people were killed inside a home that was struck by a falling tree and power lines.

Emergency officials in the area declined to comment immediately.

Strong winds snapped power lines in several U.S. states along the Gulf of Mexico coast on Monday, with tornadoes reportedly touching down in Mississippi.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued tornado watches stretching from Louisiana to Florida and flash flood watches for several states in that area.

"All severe hazards will be possible including damaging winds and tornadoes, especially across portions of southeast Louisiana and central and southern Mississippi through southern Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle," the NWS said.

There were reports of tornadoes touching down in three places in Mississippi, the service said.

"There has been no widespread damage," said Ray Coleman, a spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, which said there were nearly 20,000 customers without electricity in the state due to the storm system.

High winds also knocked down power lines and trees in Texas, including in the Houston area, as well as in Louisiana, the NWS said. Hail fell in several states, including Alabama and Arkansas, it said.

More than 11,000 customers were without power on Monday evening in Texas and Louisiana because of the storm, utility companies reported.

The storms had limited impact on air travel, with 32 flights canceled at Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport, one of the country's busiest, by 6 p.m. (midnight GMT), according to tracking firm flightaware.com. (Additional reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles Editing by David Gregorio and Paul Tait) </s> Four people were killed in Alabama as a powerful storm system swept through the South on Monday, leaving a trail of damage over several states, officials said.

The line of severe thunderstorms spawned several possible tornadoes, and the threat remained early Tuesday for southern Alabama, southwest Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.

Four were killed Monday when a tree fell on their mobile home in Rehobeth, Alabama, Dothan Houston County Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Kris Ware said.

According to AL.com, Ware added that most of the damage was in Rehobeth as winds damaged carports and other buildings.

The National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for Houston County in the southern part of the state Monday. Local media reported that emergency officials advised residents to stay in the homes and assess damage later in the morning.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley said in a statement on social media that the Houston County sheriff had told him about the deaths and he offered “prayers for those impacted.”

State emergency officials reported no injuries or deaths in Louisiana and Mississippi, but a trip to Wal-Mart was memorable for some shoppers in Marksville, Louisiana, as severe weather blew out skylights in the store, sending water and glass cascading onto shoppers.

Marksville Fire Chief Jerry Bordelon said a fireworks stand in the Wal-Mart parking lot was tossed 30 or 40 yards and mangled. The storm also knocked over 18-wheel truck trailers and punched holes in the Wal-Mart’s roof. The fire department ordered shoppers to leave the store, but some didn’t want to leave even as managers closed it.

“Believe it or not, we had some people in there who were still trying to shop,” Bordelon said.

Storms ripped through central Mississippi near Mendenhall and Mount Olive. Those storms were determined to produce tornadoes by the National Weather Service. The storms damaged farm buildings and homes. Other possible tornadoes will be surveyed later.

Tens of thousands lost power in Louisiana and Mississippi at the height of the storm, according to utilities.

Freddie Zeigler, a meteorologist in the Weather Service’s New Orleans office, said heavy winds were preceding the squall line, possibly contributing to power outages.

It was the second episode of heavy rain within days for some areas. An area stretching from Biloxi, Mississippi, through Alabama and across Macon and Augusta, Georgia received more than 4 inches of rain Monday, according to radar estimates. Parts of southern Mississippi and southwest Alabama have received more than 8 inches of rain since Saturday. Though rivers along the Gulf Coast were rising rapidly Monday, only minor flooding was predicted.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> REHOBETH, Ala. – A powerful storm system that moved across the South on Monday killed four people in Alabama and left a trail of damage over several states, officials said.

The line of severe thunderstorms spawned several possible tornadoes, and the threat continued into early Tuesday for southern Alabama, southwest Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.

Four people were killed Monday evening when a tree fell on their mobile home in Rehobeth, Alabama, said Kris Ware, a spokeswoman for the Dothan Houston County Emergency Management Agency.

The National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for Houston County in the southern part of the state Monday evening. Local media outlets reported that emergency officials advised residents to stay in their homes and assess damage in the morning.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley said in a statement on social media that the Houston County sheriff had told him about the deaths and he offered “prayers for those impacted.”

Tens of thousands lost power in Louisiana and Mississippi at the height of the storm, according to utilities.

It was the second episode of heavy rain within days for some areas. An area stretching from Biloxi, Mississippi, through Alabama and across Macon and Augusta, Georgia, received more than 4 inches of rain Monday, according to radar estimates. Parts of southern Mississippi and southwest Alabama have received more than 8 inches of rain since Saturday. Though rivers along the Gulf Coast were rising rapidly Monday, only minor flooding was predicted.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> Three children and woman killed in storms in southern US

Three children and woman killed in storms in southern US

Several people have been killed in storms in the southern US

At least four people have reportedly been killed, including three children, in powerful storms that hit the southern United States, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall.

A three-year-old and an eight-year-old died after a tree fell onto the back of their family car in Lufkin, Texas, NBC News said. Their parents who were in the front were uninjured,

In West Monroe, Louisiana, a 13-year-old boy drowned in a drainage canal in what officials believe was a weather-related incident, the report said.

Streets had been closed in the city and a flood warning was issued for the area.

A fourth person who died in the storms was a woman killed by weather-related debris near Weches in Houston County, Texas.

In Franklin, Texas, a tornado with winds up to 140mph overturned mobile homes and damaged other properties, injuring about a dozen people.

NBC quoted Robertson County emergency management coordinator Billy Huggins as saying: "A strip of homes on the other side of town over here are completely gone, just gone, everything is gone."

He added: "To this small town of Franklin, it's very devastating. How we're going to get people help to restore their homes that don't have insurance or what have you, it's going to be pretty difficult.

"It's going to be a little difficult putting it back together, but we'll do it."

There was also a suspected tornado in Alto, Texas, which injured several people.

The storms were part of a large system that was moving through the southern US, knocking out power to thousands of homes and causing some flash flooding.

The US weather service said the system was expected to shift to the Ohio Valley and the southeast US on Sunday.

More than 140,000 customers remained without power in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas late on Saturday. </s> Storms that spawned deadly winds have dumped more than 2 inches of rain across much of north Alabama, causing floods after months of drought.

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for much of north Alabama on Wednesday while storms were still dousing the region with heavy rains.

Police in the northwest Alabama city of Florence put out barriers to block roads that flooded with as much as 2 feet of water when fallen leaves clogged blocked drainage during torrential downpours. The weather service says streams were cresting in western Alabama after as much as 4 inches of rain.

The entire state is locked in a severe drought and some areas haven't had measurable rain for more than two months before the storms moved through.

The state climatologist, John Christy, says more than 1 inch of rain is needed weekly to end the drought.

Five people were killed in Alabama and Tennessee as the line of storms moved across the South, spawning suspected tornadoes.

The death toll from severe storms that moved across the South overnight has risen to five.

An official in Tennessee says two people have been killed and at least nine others injured in severe weather that hit the state overnight.

Tennessee Emergency Management Agency spokesman Dean Flener says a husband and wife died and two others were injured in Polk County. He said at least seven injuries were reported in nearby McMinn County. He didn't have further details on what happened.

Flener says suspected tornadic activity was reported in six counties, all in the southeastern corner of Tennessee.

Across the state line, three people were killed in northeastern Alabama when a suspected tornado hit a mobile home in Jackson County.

Authorities say three people have been killed as a line of storms and possible tornadoes moved across northern Alabama overnight.

Jackson County Chief Deputy Rocky Harnen tells The Associated Press the three killed were all in a mobile home in Rosalie in northeast Alabama. Another person in the home was critically injured.

Harnen also said early Wednesday that there have been a number of other injuries and estimated that 16 to 20 structures in Jackson County have been destroyed. </s> Four dead in Alabama building hit by severe storm - governor

Jan 2 (Reuters) - Four people were killed when a severe storm hit a building in Rehobeth, Alabama, state Governor Robert Bentley said in a message on Twitter on Monday.

The federal Storm Prediction Center listed the incident on its website as a possible tornado. Alabama-based television station WTVY said in a report citing local officials the four people were killed inside a home that was struck by a falling tree and power lines. (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Paul Tait) </s> Severe weather has killed least 15 people in the southern United States, and forecasters warn of more deadly storms to come.

The National Weather Service said Sunday that southern Georgia, northern Florida and the corner of southeastern Alabama could face forceful tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail. Long track tornadoes, which plow on for kilometers, also are a real risk.

Eleven people were killed and more than 20 injured as violent storms and tornadoes rolled through parts of Georgia over the weekend. Another four people were killed in Mississippi by a tornado on Saturday.

Governor Nathan Deal of Georgia declared a state of emergency in seven counties that suffered deaths, injuries and severe damage from the storms. Deal said that state agencies are "making all resources available'' to affected counties, and that "our thoughts and prayers are with Georgians suffering from the storm's impact.''
A powerful storm system hits the southern United States, resulting in four deaths in Alabama and severe damage across several states.