After rounds of tornadoes across the South, storm system threatens North Carolina, Virginia and Florida next
Capt. Chris Hodge
By Aya Elamroussi, CNN
After dozens of tornadoes rolled through the South, another storm system is threatening to deliver powerful winds and possibly more tornadoes Thursday to the coasts of North Carolina and Virginia along with parts of Florida.
About 6.3 million people in eastern North Carolina and southeast Virginia are under a tornado watch until 9 p.m. ET, Thursday as the Storm Prediction Center warns they face a triple-whammy of strong winds, hail and potential tornadoes.
The latest warnings come after the region saw at least 62 tornado reports this week alone, coupled with strong storms that damaged homes and businesses across multiple states.
“Strong to severe thunderstorms are possible on Thursday across eastern North Carolina and southeast Virginia, as well as across portions of the Florida Peninsula,” the prediction center warned. “Damaging wind gusts, hail, and a couple of tornadoes will be possible.”
The worst of the storms could potentially hit Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Norfolk in Virginia along with Tampa and St. Petersburg in Florida.
The severe weather system caused thousands of flight delays, according to Federal Aviation Administration data.
Flights bound for New York’s LaGuardia Airport had to be halted and there were delays at John F. Kennedy International Airport and nearby Newark Liberty International Airport.
Storms also affected air travel in Florida, according to the FAA, with delays reported in Orlando, Miami and Tampa on Thursday afternoon.
South grapples with back-to-back outbreaks
Multiple rounds of severe and deadly weather have gripped the South in recent days, killing at least three people.
On Wednesday, two tornadoes were seen around Valdosta, Georgia, during the evening hours.
On Tuesday, a man was killed in East Texas where a tree fell on an RV in the Whitehouse community, according to the Smith County emergency management coordinator. Later that same day, a man in Georgia died when a tornado rolled through Bryan County.
And in Webster Parish, Louisiana, a man died early Tuesday when his car crashed into a downed tree, state police said.
In South Carolina, the town of Monetta saw an EF-2 tornado that delivered estimated maximum winds of 130 mph, the National Weather Service confirmed.
Four homes were destroyed and five others saw major damage in Allendale County, South Carolina, where suspected tornadoes were reported, the state emergency management division said. At least three people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, the division added.
The relentless severe weather was also responsible for storm-related injuries and rescues due to the fast-moving floodwaters in multiple states.
Late last month, Texas along with Mississippi and Louisiana were slammed with tornadoes that left at least one person dead.
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CNN’s Mallika Kalingal, Dave Alsup, Mike Saenz, Gene Norman and Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.
