Possible Tornadoes Spotted in Georgia

A lingering cold front brought severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes Sunday across the Southeast, killing one woman, knocking out power to about 6,000 customers in Alabama and causing some property damage.

A 46-year-old Laurel, Miss., woman was struck and killed by a tree that fell on her while she was standing outside her home, said Jones County Coroner Nancy Barnett. Another Jones County resident was injured, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said.

The National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for three counties in west Alabama and later expanded it to include suburban Birmingham. A funnel cloud was reported to the weather service at 1:44 p.m. near Helena in Shelby County and a possible small tornado was spotted about an hour later near Riverside in east Alabama.

There were reports of structural damage and trees and power lines down in counties south and southwest of the Birmingham area and in the greater Birmingham area. No injuries were immediately reported.

In Georgia, a line of storms and possible tornado threatened the northern part of the state, a day after strong winds downed some trees and destroyed cars in parts of Atlanta.

The weather service in Peachtree City had issued a tornado warning for three counties, and a possible tornado and heavy rain moved toward those areas.

The storms dropped heavy rains and prompted flash flood warnings in Mississippi and Louisiana, but there were no reports of major damage. At least five homes in Mantachie, Miss., were damaged by high winds that ripped through Saturday. The weather service said the damage could have been caused by straight-line winds or a tornado.

The storm left nearly 3,500 customers in Jefferson and Shelby counties in Alabama temporarily without electric Sunday afternoon, Alabama Power Co. spokesman Michael Sznajderman said. He said another 2,573 customers in Walker, Bibb and other western Alabama counties also had power outages.

In Atlanta on Saturday, several cars were destroyed and two homes slightly damaged when a huge oak fell during a storm, Fire Capt. Bill May said.

Farther north, flash flood watches had been issued for counties across West Virginia. Forecasters say up to 2 inches of rain could fall by early Monday afternoon, with the areas most vulnerable to flooding being in southern West Virginia and southwestern Virginia.