(Reuters) – The threat of tornadoes and other extreme weather again loomed over the U.S. Southeast on Wednesday, a day after a swarm of twisters destroyed structures, uprooted trees and killed at least one person.
Some 25 million people in Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida are facing the threat of strong thunderstorms, with the potential to bring golf-ball sized hail and wind gusts of 60 miles (96 km) per hour, the National Weather Service said.
Seventy counties in Georgia central were also placed under a tornado watch, according to the weather service. The warning, which officials say means weather conditions are favorable for a twister, is in effect until 10 p.m. local time.
The U.S. South has been the site of a spate of severe weather events, including tornadoes, in recent weeks.
One woman was killed in Pembroke, Georgia on Tuesday when a suspected tornado struck the Bryan County courthouse and damaged other buildings in the area, WXIA-TV reported.
At the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, a second practice day was suspended after a storm swept across the famed Augusta National golf course.
On Tuesday, tornadoes left a trail of damage and injuries in Alabama, South Carolina and Texas, where one person died in Johnson County, according to ABC News.
One person died in late March when a tornado ripped through New Orleans.
(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Chicago and Tyler Clifford in New York; Editing by Ken Ferris)
