'Serious damage' amid devastating tornado outbreak in the southern U.S.
Forecasters warned of a high chance of severe thunderstorms, along with an elevated tornado risk, as Wednesday got underway, and when the storms did spark, they delivered.
The late-winter storms roared across several states of the U.S. South, 28 tornadoes in recorded across five states over the course of the event, along with dozens of reports of strong wind damage. Several homes have been reported damaged or destroyed, and thousands were still without power on Thursday. However, only a handful of injuries have been reported, and no deaths.
In all, some 45 million Americans were in a zone deemed at high risk of severe impact by the U.S. Storm Prediction Center prior to Wednesday's outbreak. The risk shifted to the U.S. southeast for Thursday, and though the outlook was also somewhat severe, fewer severe reports have come in compared to Wednesday.
SEVERE STORMS LEAVE A TRAIL OF SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE:
"Significant tornadoes, wind damage and large hail will be possible from morning into afternoon," the U.S. National Weather Service said late on Wednesday in a tweet.
Below is a look at how Wednesday's storms unfolded on social media, even as they were still ongoing.
