At least nine people are dead in Alabama and Georgia after a powerful tornado system ripped across the southeast leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Storm damage have also been reported in Mississippi and Kentucky.
At least 35 possible tornado touchdowns were reported across several states, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The National Weather Service said suspected tornado damage was reported in at least 14 counties in Alabama and five in Georgia.
On Thursday, The National Weather's Prediction Center predicted that the greatest risk of severe storms, an "enhanced" risk, is predicted for about 9.5 million people in Alabama and Georgia, including the Birmingham, Montgomery and Atlanta areas.
Storm damage in Selma, Alabama on January 12, 2023. (@Tributarybattle / Twitter)
Storm damage in Selma, Alabama on January 12, 2023. (@Tributarybattle / Twitter)
On Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) required the world's busiest airport, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, to ground flights as the area faced severe weather and thunderstorms.
STRIKING IMAGES SHOW DESTRUCTION CAUSED BY SEVERE WEATHER IN THE SOUTH
The National Weather Service issued a tornado emergency for several counties just north of the capital city of Montgomery as the storm system moved eastward.
"This is a life-threatening situation." NWS said. "Take shelter immediately."
Tornado Watches are in effect for the areas indicated in red. (FOX Weather)
Several tornado reports came from across central Alabama as storms ravaged the region. Significant structural damage was first reported south of Greensboro, Alabama, just before 11 a.m. on Thursday.
In Autauga County, Alabama, a rare Tornado Emergency was issued as forecasters said a large and destructive tornado was located outside of Montgomery.
Autauga County Sheriff's Office confirmed to Fox News Digital there were at least six fatalities from the treacherous natural disaster on Thursday during the tornado and an additional death on Friday in the aftermath of the twister. Authorities have not released how the individuals died.
At least 12 people were taken to hospitals, Ernie Baggett, Autauga County’s emergency management director, said as crews cut through downed trees looking for survivors.
About 40 homes were destroyed or seriously damaged, including several mobile homes that were launched into the air, he said.
"They weren’t just blown over," he said. "They were blown a distance."
In Georgia, a 5-year-old child riding in a vehicle was killed by a falling tree in central Georgia’s Butts County, said Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Director James Stallings. He said a parent who was driving suffered critical injuries.
Elsewhere, a state Department of Transportation worker also was killed while responding to storm damage, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said. He gave no further details.
"We know people that were stranded in homes where literally the whole house collapsed, and they were under the crawl space," Kemp told reporters.
The governor said the storm inflicted damage statewide, with some of the worst around Troup County near the Georgia-Alabama line, where dozens of homes were hit and at least 12 people were treated at a hospital.
TORNADO TOUCHES DOWN IN CALIFORNIA TOWN AS DESTRUCTION FROM ONSLAUGHT OF STORM CONTINUES
In Spalding County, south of Atlanta, the storm struck as mourners gathered for a wake at Peterson’s Funeral Home in Griffin. About 20 people scrambled for shelter in a restroom and an office when a loud boom sounded as a large tree fell on the building.
"When we came out, we were in total shock," said Sha-Meeka Peterson-Smith, the funeral home’s chief operational officer. "We heard everything, but didn’t know how bad it actually was."
Selma, located about 40 miles west of Montgomery, was in the path of the extremely dangerous twister around 12:30 p.m. on Thursday.
According to a Facebook post from city officials, emergency response teams were providing assistance and cleaning roadways.
Residents across Selma were told to seek shelter and avoid traveling on area roadways. Downed power lines were also reported throughout the region.
Storm damage in Selma, Alabama on January 12, 2023. (@Tributarybattle / Twitter)
Damage along Hwy 20 in Decatur, Alabama on January 12, 2023. (Morgan County Sheriff's Office / Facebook / FOX Weather)
Possible tornado damage is seen in the city of Decatur, Alabama, on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. (@markspychala / Twitter / FOX Weather)
Lachandra Sturdivant witnessed one of the tornadoes from a coffee shop in Selma, Alabama.
"We could hear the train -- the tornado sounds like a train just roaring through," she told FOX Weather. "It just started ripping trees, roofs off buildings, stuff was just everywhere."
Sturdivant said she was waiting in her car to check on loved ones as roads were blocked in parts of central Alabama.
"It’s horrible through here," she said. "The power’s off, they’re trying to cut trees out of the roads to open a way for people to get around."
Severe weather threat Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. (FOX Weather)
Former state Sen. Hank Sanders said he has been told there is damage "all over Selma."
"A tornado has definitely damaged Selma. In fact, it hit our house, but not head-on. It blew out windows in the bedroom and in the living room. It is raining through the roof in the kitchen," Sanders said.
Knocked-over semi-truck on Hwy 20 in Decatur, Alabama on January 12, 2023. (Morgan County Sheriff's Office / Facebook / FOX Weather)
More than 120,000 customers in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee were without power as of 4:00 p.m., according to PowerOutage.us.
"Citizens, please refrain from traveling the roadways and stay away from downed power lines," Selma's mayor office said in a Facebook post. "City crews will be out as soon as practical to clean up."
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In Kentucky, the National Weather Service in Louisville confirmed that an EF-1 tornado struck Mercer County and said crews were surveying damage in a handful of other counties. There were reports of downed trees, power outages and other scattered damage from storms that moved through the state.
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
She is a native of Massachusetts and is based in Orlando, Florida.
Story tips and ideas can be sent to sarah.rumpf@fox.com and on X: @s_rumpfwhitten.
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