1 dead, several injured as violent storms and possible tornadoes sweep across US

One person was killed and others injured after a suspected tornado struck the Columbia, Tennessee, area, south of Nashville, on Wednesday, authorities said.

Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder said in a statement that one person died in the storms that hit near the community of about 41,000 residents.

“The city of Columbia appeared to avoid the worst of the storm in the metropolitan area, but things were very different up close,” he wrote on social media.

Maury Regional Health said it admitted five patients, including the person who died. One of the injured was in serious condition and three suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, Columbia Hospital said.

“This is an evolving situation that multiple agencies are responding to,” said Rita Thompson, spokeswoman for Maury Regional Health.

The possible tornado, which touched down around 5:55 p.m., stretched about two miles (3 kilometers), Maury County Fire Department Deputy Chief Richard Schatz told reporters Wednesday night.

“Several houses were completely destroyed,” he said. He said there was one death and several injuries, but did not estimate the number of injured.

Brianne Lovett lost her home in the tornado. She told NBC News affiliate WSMV in Nashville that she was on her porch “and it got really quiet, and I’ve never seen that before.” Then she saw the clouds and a friend called and said a Tornado landed.

“That’s when I yelled at everyone to get in the closet,” Lovett told the station. “The next thing we knew we just saw the sky. My house is gone. It’s gone.”

The storms in Columbia came on a day when 13 tornadoes were reported in seven states, including Tennessee, according to the National Weather Service. Storm surveys will later confirm whether these were tornadoes.

The threat of damaging winds, large hail and possible tornadoes will continue through Thursday for an area from Texas to the Mid-Atlantic.

In Huntsville, Alabama, on Wednesday at 9:36 p.m., meteorologists warned people to “Seek Shelter Now!” in all caps.

“A tornado on the ground north of Governors Drive in Huntsville has been confirmed to be moving east,” the weather service there said on X. “Those downstream also need to be prepared to seek shelter soon!!”

Huntsville police said on social media that damage was reported in downtown Huntsville and in the Five Points and Blossomwood areas, also in the city.

In Little Rock, Arkansas, residents were also warned to be prepared.

“This storm will affect almost the entire state. Remember to have multiple options for receiving alerts as the majority of this event will occur at night,” the National Weather Service said for Little Rock.

The storm follows devastating tornadoes overnight in Michigan.

The city of Portage, about 100 miles west of Ann Arbor, was hit by two tornadoes, Mayor Patricia M. Randall said in a statement. One was torn off the side of a FedEx facility, trapping about 50 workers, Kalamazoo County spokesman Taylor Koopman said.

The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that all workers were safely rescued from the building.

A tornado also destroyed entire homes at Pavilion Estates Mobile Home Park in Kalamazoo County, Koopman said. According to the sheriff’s office, about 20 people were injured.

Portage city officials said there were no reports of deaths or serious injuries, but many people lost their homes. A local state of emergency was declared in the county after the tornado caused significant damage.

Wednesday’s storm is expected to cause flash flooding. Up to 7 million people across the Tennessee Valley and Ohio Valley region are under a flood alert through Thursday morning, with the possibility of 1 to 3 inches of rain. Cities like Nashville, Tennessee; Lexington, Ky.; and localized flash flooding was possible in Charleston, South Carolina.

The National Weather Service station in Nashville warned people of .

“The flooding will only get worse tonight!” said the weather service.

Other cities such as Bowling Green and Paducah, Kentucky, and Clarksville and Knoxville, Tennessee, are at moderate risk of flooding.

On Thursday, very large hail and possibly isolated tornadoes could hit 60 million people from the mid-Atlantic to central and eastern parts of Texas.

The Midwest has been experiencing an extremely active weather pattern since April 1, thanks to an active jet stream pattern that has both fueled and directed storm systems across the country. April and May are generally the peak months for severe weather.