Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Southerners were clearing trees from roads and buildings as weather forecasters planned to survey damage from several possible tornadoes in Georgia and South Carolina, but said that effort could be interrupted by the potential for more storms Wednesday.
Tuesday’s storms killed at least two people — one in Texas and another in Georgia — and left thousands of people without power across the South.
More than 7,000 customers in Texas and more than 5,000 in Georgia remained without power early Wednesday, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages nationwide.
In Bryan County, Georgia, just west of Savannah, a state of emergency was declared and a curfew was in effect through early Wednesday morning to prevent trespassing in tornado-damaged areas near the communities of Pembroke and Ellabell areas.
A woman died Tuesday evening in Bryan County, where a suspected tornado ripped part of the roof from the Bryan County courthouse, destroyed the entrance to a local government building across the street and damaged homes in nearby neighborhoods, said Matthew Kent, a county government spokesperson. Several other people were injured in the county, he said
In east Texas, W. M. Soloman, 71, died when storm winds toppled a tree onto his home in Whitehouse, about 100 miles southeast of Dallas, Whitehouse Mayor James Wansley said.
As the storms moved into South Carolina late Tuesday, debate was delayed for nearly an hour in the South Carolina legislature after the state House chamber was evacuated for a tornado warning for Columbia. The legislation being debated would require athletes to compete with the gender listed on their birth certificates.
In Alabama, the weather service said it was sending survey teams to examine potential tornado damage in the Wetumpka area. Lightning struck a flea market in the northern Alabama community of Lacey’s Spring, causing a fire that gutted the building, news outlets reported.
In Mississippi, fallen trees and limbs closed a stretch of highway for hours in Newton County.
Several tornadoes are expected across a large part of the South on Wednesday, the national Storm Prediction Center said. Parts of Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee will be at greatest risk of severe weather. That area of heightened risk includes several large cities, including Atlanta; Birmingham, Alabama; and Knoxville, Tennessee.
Photo via AP Photo/Lewis M. Levine.
Related Stories
‹

Tornado Watch Issued as Orange, Chatham and Durham Counties Brace for Severe WeatherAs a band of strong storms sweeps across North Carolina on Monday, the Piedmont is bracing for high winds and the chance of tornadoes.

Flooding, Power Outages and School Delays; Here Are Storm Updates from Orange, Chatham CountiesOrange and Chatham counties suffered flooded roads from rainfall and downed power lines from high winds during a powerful storm system on Tuesday. Shortly after the National Weather Service issued its first flash flood warning from the storm, the Town of Chapel Hill reported flooding along Umstead Drive — with water washing over the road […]

Orange County Issued Tornado, Thunderstorm Warnings As Storm Cell Rolls Through PiedmontUPDATE: Hillsborough and Rougemont in Orange County are under a tornado warning through at least 9 p.m., says the National Weather Service. Tornado Warning continues for Hillsborough NC until 9:00 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/G2JMfYgKJF — NWS Raleigh (@NWSRaleigh) July 29, 2026 Below is our original story. Central and southern Orange County is under a tornado warning […]

Voter Confusion and Headaches for Election Officials Follow Hasty GOP Push to Redraw US House SeatsRepublicans’ rush to gerrymander congressional districts across several Southern states is confusing voters and creates logistical headaches.

Orange, Chatham School Districts Announce Early Releases Ahead of Tuesday StormsAhead of high winds and severe storms expected in central North Carolina on Tuesday, Orange and Chatham County school districts are planning for early releases. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Orange County Schools and Chatham County Schools districts each sent out messages to parents on Monday night, saying their operations will only run for part […]

Orange, Chatham Counties Included in Tornado Watch Issued for NCOrange and Chatham counties, as well as much of central and eastern North Carolina, are under a tornado watch on Sunday.

Southern California Prepares for More Floods as Post-Tropical Storm Hilary Brings More RainWritten by CHRISTOPHER WEBER, DAMIAN DOVARGANES and JORDI LEBRIJA Tropical Storm Hilary deluged arid parts of Mexico and then drenched Southern California from the coast to the desert resort city of Palm Springs and inland mountains, forcing rescuers to pull several people from swollen rivers. Even as the storm subsides across the coast, flooding and mudslides […]

Adverse Weather Leads to Flood Warning, Power Outages in Orange and Chatham CountiesThe string of storms moving across the southeast caused some adverse conditions in the Triangle, with Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Durham among the areas issued alerts from the National Weather Service. A flash flood warning was in effect for several hours on Friday in the towns, as rain caused rapid rises in creeks and streams. […]

Orange, Durham Schools End Week Early Due to Severe Weather ForecastThe threat of severe thunderstorms, high winds and potentially hail has the school systems in Orange, Chatham and Durham counties changing plans on Friday. Durham Public Schools announced around 10:30 a.m. they would be ending classes two hours earlier than normal because of the weather forecast, with all after-school activities being canceled as well. Due […]

Residents Clear Trees, Assess Damage From Southern StormsWritten by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Southerners were clearing trees from roads and buildings as weather forecasters planned to survey damage from several possible tornadoes in Georgia and South Carolina, but said that effort could be interrupted by the potential for more storms Wednesday. Tuesday’s storms killed at least two people — one in Texas and […]
›