A slew of hulking storms unleashed severe weather conditions across the Southeast on Thursday after deadly systems earlier killed three people and caused widespread damage in Tennessee and North Carolina.
Strong wind gusts toppled trees and snapped utility poles throughout Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. Around 1:45 p.m., local time, a confirmed tornado was located near the central Georgia city of Alston, moving east at 55 mph.
Overall, there were two reports of tornadoes in Georgia on Thursday, the Storm Prediction Center said.
A tornado watch remained in effect for much of southern Georgia and northeastern Florida as of late afternoon. This included the entire Jacksonville (Fla.) metro area.