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Home›Washington Cities›Severe weather: Tornado hits Florida Panhandle, severe storms possible along East Coast

Severe weather: Tornado hits Florida Panhandle, severe storms possible along East Coast

By Tomas S. Mercer
March 31, 2022
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A tornado hit Washington County, north of Panama City, county sheriff’s spokeswoman Kristy Kolmetz said.

“There is total destruction of houses in this area,” Kolmetz told CNN. The condition of the two injured was not immediately available.

At least one tornado was reported before sunrise in an eastern part of Washington County, about a 45-minute drive north-northeast of Panama City, according to the National Weather Service.
From the nearby town of Chipley, Jonathan Leonberger recorded video of a large funnel cloud in the distance during Thursday morning’s storm, he said. Lightning periodically illuminated the funnel cloud in what was otherwise darkness in the video posted to Facebook.
It was one of at least 25 tornado reports made from Texas to Florida from Wednesday morning through Thursday morning – from a series of storms that also injured seven people in Arkansas on Wednesday.

More violent storms and high winds are still possible on Thursday over part of the eastern third of the country.

Wind gusts of 40 mph or more could hit states from Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas to parts of Michigan, Ohio and New York on Thursday morning or afternoon, creating the risk of falls from tree branches and power lines, the National Weather Service said.
Possible Arkansas tornado hurt 7
Additionally, severe storms are possible from Florida to Vermont and New Hampshire, with varying degrees of risk. The highest risk for the day — enhanced or Level 3 of 5 — exists for northern Virginia, central Maryland and parts of central and eastern Pennsylvania, the Storm Prediction Center said.

That includes the cities of Baltimore, Washington, DC, and Allentown, Pennsylvania, the prediction center said.

Lesser, “slight” risk extends from the Florida Panhandle to New York, and “marginal” risk exists for areas just outside of this zone, including central Florida and parts of northern New York and New England state, the prediction center said.

Tornado watches are in effect for parts of North Florida and South Georgia until 4 p.m. ET Thursday, and parts of the Carolinas until 8 p.m. ET.
“Frequent lightning, severe thunderstorm wind gusts, hail and a few tornadoes” are possible along the East Coast, the weather service said.

Storms, with suspected tornadoes, damaged buildings in the South on Wednesday

Storms caused damage in several parts of the south from Wednesday morning until overnight.

Severe weather sweeps south
High winds – possibly a tornado – hit Springdale, Arkansas, around 4 a.m. Wednesday, Mayor Doug Sprouse said in a Facebook post. The city’s southeast bore the brunt of the storm, according to local officials, who said power lines, trees and traffic lights were downed.
Seven people were injured in Springdale, two seriously, Sprouse said.
Buildings were flattened, roofs were damaged and yards were covered in storm debris, according to video by CNN affiliate KHBS/KHOG.

The George Elementary School gymnasium was destroyed and the kitchen and cafeteria were badly damaged, the Springdale School District said.

“Many residents were displaced from their homes and many businesses reported significant damage,” Sprouse said.

Workers begin cleaning the gymnasium at George Elementary School in Springdale, Arkansas, on Wednesday after a possible tornado swept through town.
Reports of tornadoes or damaging southerly winds were reported Wednesday afternoon and overnight.

In Alabama, one person was slightly injured by inclement weather Wednesday night at Montevallo University, about 35 miles south of Birmingham, the school said. The area had been under a tornado warning that night. Details on how the injury occurred were not immediately available.

“We are grateful that this week was spring break and that very few people were on campus during tonight’s storms,” the school said. noted on Twitter, noting that he was still doing a full damage assessment.

In Choctaw County in southwest Alabama, several homes suffered major to minor damage, emergency officials said. Southern Choctaw High School also suffered damage Wednesday to its baseball field and gym, and a school bus was overturned on its side, said Tyler Davidson of the Choctaw County Emergency Management Agency.

In Noxubee County in eastern Mississippi, at least two mobile homes were damaged Wednesday and residents were rescued from inside, said Corey Brown of the county emergency management office. They are believed to have sustained non-life-threatening injuries, Brown said.

High winds ahead of the storm system helped fuel a bushfire in Sevier County, Tennessee. At least one person was injured and the flames scorched at least 1,000 acres, county officials said. At least 35 structures were affected.

US sets March tornado record for second year in a row

At least 214 U.S. tornadoes were reported in March — the most since reliable records began in 1950, according to data from the Storm Prediction Center. About 80 tornadoes are reported in March on average.
This month set another record for most tornadoes in March

The previous March record was set last year, when 191 tornadoes were reported across the country. The third highest total for March was in 2017, with 187.

Most tornadoes in the United States occur from April to May, although scientists have observed a trend of more tornadoes occurring earlier in the year, likely due to climate change, as well as influences from La Nina.

“Our future projections of how extreme weather may change in the future…they show an earlier start to the extreme weather season, so more extreme weather in February, more extreme weather in March” said Victor Gensini, a professor at Northern Illinois University. , told CNN.

CNN’s Aya Elamroussi, Caroll Alvarado, Brandon Miller, Chris Boyette, Mike Saenz and Gregory Lemos contributed to this report.

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