Southern US hammered by severe winds, tornadoes, Many killed

Picture courtesy: Mickey Welsh/advertiser/USA today

At least seven people were killed, several were injured and extensive damage was reported Thursday as tornadoes and extreme weather rolled through the Southeast U.S.

A series of tornadoes and storms that ripped through central Alabama killed at least six. In Georgia, a tree fell on a vehicle during a severe storm, killing a passenger inside.

Authorities said a clearer picture of the extent of the damage and a search for additional victims would come Friday, when conditions were expected to clear. After the storm began easing Thursday night, tens of thousands of customers were without power across the two states.

Nationwide, there were 33 separate tornado reports from the National Weather Service on Thursday, and Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina and North Carolina all saw tornado warnings for a time. The tornado reports were not yet confirmed and some of them could later be classified as wind damage after assessments are done in coming days.