At Least 4 Fatalities Reported as Storm System Triggers Tornadoes in Southern US

Authorities evaluated the aftermath on Sunday following a severe storm system that swept through the southern United States over the weekend, resulting in tornadoes and claiming the lives of at least four individuals.

According to Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center, there were at least 45 reports of tornado-related damage spanning Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. Teams will conduct damage assessments to verify tornado occurrences.

The storms disrupted holiday travel, leading to perilous road conditions along with significant delays or cancellations at some of the busiest airports in the U.S. As of Sunday afternoon, over 600 flight delays were noted, impacting Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, as per flight tracking service FlightAware.

“Experiencing a severe weather outbreak of this scale so late in the year is not common, though it isn’t without precedent,” stated Frank Pereira, a meteorologist from the Weather Prediction Center.

In the Houston region, National Weather Service storm assessment teams confirmed that at least five tornadoes struck the areas north and south of the city on Saturday.

Tragically, one fatality was recorded. A 48-year-old woman was discovered approximately 100 feet from her residence in the Liverpool area, south of Houston, as reported by Madison Polston from the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office. The precise cause of her death remains unknown.

Four other individuals in Brazoria County sustained injuries categorized as non-critical, Polston reported, mentioning that approximately 40 homes and other structures endured significant damage.

In Montgomery County, just north of Houston, around 30 homes were completely destroyed, and about 50 others experienced major damage, according to county official Jason Smith.

A 70-year-old man tragically lost his life in Statesville, North Carolina, on Sunday when a tree fell onto the pickup truck he was driving. Highway Patrol Trooper DJ Maffucci characterized the incident as “a freak accident,” noting that Matthew Teeple from Cleveland, North Carolina, likely died instantly.

“It’s very unfortunate, simply terrible timing,” Maffucci remarked, adding that the storms resulted in numerous downed trees and “quite a few accidents.”

Officials reported that two fatalities occurred in Mississippi due to the storms. An 18-year-old girl died when a tree crashed into her home in Natchez, Adams County, on Saturday night, according to Emergency Management spokesperson Neifa Hardy. Two other occupants of the home were injured.

Another fatality was recorded in Lowndes County, with at least eight more injuries scattered throughout the state, officials confirmed.

The National Weather Service reported that two tornadoes struck areas around Bude and Brandon, tearing roofs from multiple buildings.

Storm-related damage was also noted in Athens, a city in northern Alabama, located northwest of Huntsville.

According to Holly Hollman, the city’s spokeswoman, most of the damage from the early Sunday morning storms was concentrated downtown. She mentioned that large HVAC units were hurled off buildings and the roof of a bookstore was torn away. Additionally, a full-sized, decommissioned military helicopter was toppled from its display pole.

“I stepped out onto my porch and could hear the storm roaring,” she recounted. “We are exceptionally fortunate that it struck late at night. Had it occurred during busier hours, we could have seen injuries and even fatalities.”

As of Sunday afternoon, over 40,000 residents remained without electricity in Mississippi, according to tracking website PowerOutage.us. Similar outages affected around 10,000 customers in Texas, Alabama, North Carolina, and Georgia.

The storms led to road closures in western North Carolina, a region still healing from Hurricane Helene’s impact this fall. This includes parts of U.S. 441, known as the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway, which was shut down north of Bryson City due to high winds.

In Bumpus Cove, Tennessee, Justin Fromkin, president of Raising Hope Disaster Relief, spent Sunday salvaging what remained from the organization’s supply tent—filled with clothing and food—after about 6 inches of rain fell.

In recent months, he has been delivering aid to areas in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee still grappling with the devastation from Helene. Fromkin noted that the ground remains unstable in some mountain regions due to Helene, and Sunday’s heavy rain exacerbates the situation.

By Makiya Seminera and Jamie Stengle