Forty million people from Indiana and Illinois down to Texas were at risk for severe thunderstorms and possibly tornadoes on Tuesday alone, AccuWeather said. The National Weather Service warned that severe weather was likely Tuesday across a swath of the Mississippi Valley: Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.
The weather service's Indianapolis office warned on Twitter that "damaging winds will be the primary threat with lightning and isolated weak tornadoes also possible." The Chicago office cited the "threat for isol'd gusts strong enough to down tree limbs."
Major structural damages were reported across the South as twisters hit the region late Tuesday.
Local officials reported that a large metal barn was destroyed and ripped up by the storms in Leighton, Alabama. The tornado moved across the Alabama state line into the western part of Mississippi where a nearby church had a steeple blown over in Lowndes County.
In Caldwell Parish, Louisiana, Sheriff Clay Bennett confirmed two people were injured from a tornado that damaged several homes. Trees were also reported to have fallen on homes in the parish as debris flew through the air.
The Storm Prediction Center issued a tornado watch for portions of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas which will be in effect until early Wednesday.The region can expect several tornadoes, damaging winds, hail, and strong thunderstorms through the night, the center added.
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