They also toppled trees and power lines, and left homes and businesses destroyed as the huge weather front raced across many states.
The Washington County Sheriff's Office in Florida reported Thursday morning that two people were killed and two others were injured by a tornado that struck the western Florida Panhandle.
According to Cheryl Frankenfield, a spokeswoman for Washington Country Emergency Management, two homes were destroyed and powerlines cut. According to the county's Facebook page, at least one house was destroyed and trees were down on another. Other details weren't immediately available.
Samantha Bequer, spokesperson for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said that there are employees available to assist in the area. She also said that property was damaged in neighboring Jackson County.
She said, "It's a terrible day, but fortunately these storms are moving fast."
Two tornadoes that struck Wednesday have left at least one person injured. They also damaged homes and businesses, and knocked out power lines in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Missouri.
According to poweroutage.us which tracks utility outages, around 185,000 customers were without electricity on Thursday morning.
The storm front was expected to bring heavy rains and strong winds to the East Coast of the United States later in the day. Thursday morning's weather was the worst. According to the National Weather Service, Tallahassee, a lot of Florida's Panhandle was under tornado watch.
As a tornado warning was in force, widespread damage was reported in Jackson, Tennessee. According to Jason Moore, Madison County Emergency Management Director, "Significant Damage" was caused to Jackson-Madison County General Hospital as well as the Madison County Sheriff's Office.
Nashville, Tennessee - Paneling fell five stories to the roof of a Nashville building Wednesday night after it was struck by high winds. As high winds continue, debris could be airborne. Some hotel guests were evacuated to safer areas of the building after the fire department warned them. The collapse did not cause any injuries.
Daylight showed widespread wind damage in Alabama.
Officials said that one person sustained minor injuries after a storm struck the University of Montevallo campus, south of Birmingham. Three buildings were damaged by the storm, while a woman was hurt when a rural Bibb County manufactured home rolled over. A school bus was damaged by a storm at South Alabama's University of Montevallo campus. Also, a part of the roof had been removed from a northwest Alabama church.
Police said that a warehouse roof fell as storms swept through Southaven in Mississippi near Memphis. No injuries were reported after the building was evacuated.
As tornado sirens blared in downtown Jackson, the Mississippi Senate was forced to suspend its work Wednesday. Some workers sought refuge in the Capitol basement.
Rander P. Adams stated that he and Janice Delores Adams were at their Jackson home when severe weather struck during Wednesday's tornado warning. As his wife tried to open their front doors, he said that their lights flashed and that a large window exploded right in front of them.
He said, "The glass broke like a brick was thrown through it." "I advised her that we go to the back of this house."
Adams stated that the storm swept away trees from a nearby park and that a large tree just across the street from Adams' house was ripped in half. He said, "We were blessed." "It fell in the opposite direction to the house.
According to Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse, seven people were injured in a tornado that struck Springdale (Arkansas) and Johnson, which was about 145 miles (235 kilometers) northwest Little Rock.
Sprouse stated in a statement, that one of the critically injured had improved and is now in stable condition. The other five were discharged from hospital.
Sprouse stated that "our first responders have conducted door-to-door searches and we believe that everyone has been found,"
According to the National Weather Service, Tulsa, Thursday's tornado was rated EF-3. This is an increase from the initial assessment of EF-2. The tornado had winds speeds between 136-165 mph (219-265 kph). According to the weather service, the tornado reached a maximum speed of 145 mph (233 km/h) and was on the ground for approximately eight minutes.
On Tuesday night in northwest Missouri, an EF-1 tornado whipped at wind speeds of around 90 mph (145 kph), striking St. Joseph and causing damage to two homes.
According to the National Weather Service, Fort Worth, a small tornado touched down on the eastern side of Dallas. According to the weather service, the tornado hit just after 4:30 AM Wednesday near McClendon–Chisolm. Top winds were about 100 mph (161 km/h). Homes were damaged but no injuries were reported.
These storms occur a week after an tornado in a New Orleans area neighborhood created a path of destruction over the overnight hours and killed a man.
According to forecasters for the weather service, strong winds caused semitrailers to be overturned, ripped the roof off a mobile home, and sent a tree into a house. They also knocked down power lines.
The National Weather Service office in New Orleans announced Thursday that they would send teams to Tangipahoa, St. Tammany Parishes (southeastern Louisiana) and Jackson County (southeastern Mississippi) to survey damage. According to them, the New Orleans Lakefront Airport saw winds reaching speeds of 67 mph (108 km/h), while Baton Rouge experienced winds that reached the 50 mph (80 Kph) mark.
In the meantime, firefighters are trying to control a wildfire that is threatening Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. There have been mandatory evacuations due to winds that have whipped up ahead a storm front.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the fire had spread to 250 acres (more that 100 hectares). One person was hurt, and a plume de smoke rose over a community near where the 2016 wildfires destroyed Gatlinburg's tourism town. It killed 14 people and damaged or destroyed approximately 2,500 buildings.
