At least five people were killed and dozens more were injured after tornadoes tore through Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi overnight and into Wednesday morning, forecasters and local media reported.
Three people were killed in the night in Rosalie, a small community in northeastern Alabama, where at least one tornado was reported by a weather spotter, the National Weather Service said on its website.
“Nighttime tornadoes can be particularly dangerous since they are difficult to see and can be quick-moving, all while many people are asleep,” the National Weather Service said in a statement.
A couple was killed in Tennessee’s Polk County, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported, citing a law enforcement official. Several dozen others were injured in the state, including at least 20 people in McMinn County, ABC affiliate WATE reported.
In Ider, Alabama, four children and several adults were injured when a tornado flattened a daycare center, the National Weather Service said. It said the group was seeking refuge inside the daycare center, which was closed at the time.
The National Weather Service fielded more than two dozen reports of tornados as the storm system, packing hail and heavy downpours, moved through eastern Texas, northern Mississippi and Alabama and into southeast Tennessee late on Tuesday and early on Wednesday morning.
The system also destroyed homes and businesses, downed power lines and snapped trees, according to the weather service and local media.
(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Catherine Evans and Will Dunham)