A cold front moving across the South brings another day of severe weather for areas in Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas. Tornadoes, damaging winds, large hail are all possible.
ATLANTA — An ongoing line of storms continued charging across the Southeast on Sunday morning, placing more than 40 million Americans under a renewed threat of tornadoes, damaging winds, hail and heavy rainfall in areas hard-hit by Hurricane Helene.
Sunday’s severe weather threat comes after multiple tornadoes left a path of destruction across Texas, around the Houston area, on Saturday. Damage was also reported from Louisiana and Mississippi over the weekend. At least two people were killed by the storms.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has forecast a Level 2 out of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms from the eastern Gulf Coast to southern Virginia. This region covers more than 20 million people, including Charlotte and Raleigh in North Carolina.
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A larger part of the country, from North Florida to Cleveland, Ohio, is also at a Level 1 risk for severe weather.
On Sunday, a Tornado Watch is in effect for parts of Alabama, Florida and Georgia through Sunday morning.
The Southeast’s tornado threat will continue into Sunday night. Eastern Georgia, southwestern North Carolina and most of South Carolina are under a Tornado Watch through Sunday afternoon.
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Wind or possible tornado damage has already been reported outside the Atlanta metro region near Woosley, Georgia.
The National Weather Service office in Atlanta/Peachtree City will send a damage survey team to assess the possible tornado destruction in southern Coweta and Fayette counties on Sunday.
Snapped trees near Woosley, Georgia on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024 after a line of severe storms moved through the area. (Photo: Billy Heath)
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Cleanup was underway in Athens, Alabama, after a line of strong thunderstorms moved through the area west of Huntsville late Saturday, ripping down trees, signs, and stoplights, video by the city of Athens showed.
Storm debris on Marion Street in Athens, Alabama. (Photo: City of Athens)
Heavy rainfall forecast for Helene recovery area
In addition to the severe threat, this system will bring the most rain to western North Carolina since Hurricane Helene’s deadly flooding in September.
Some locations will potentially experience their highest two-day rainfall totals since Helene. Through Sunday, between 2 and 3 inches of rain is expected across western North Carolina, with localized areas receiving between 3 and 5 inches.
(FOX Weather)