Unseasonable Tornadoes Claim 52 Lives Across the South

In all at least 67 tornadoes touched down Tuesday and into the early hours of Wednesday. In addition to the tornadoes, there were 189 reports of high winds, and 109 reports of hail. In 11 of those cases, the hail was more than two inches in diameter, said Accuweather.com Senior Meteorologist John Kocet.

"To have such a large tornado outbreak so far north during midwinter is quite unusual to say the least," said Kocet. The frequency of severe weather does increase during February, but the Deep South is most prone to such storms, he said.

Kocet said the storms were formed by clashing air masses and wind shear, a change of wind direction and speed with altitude which creates a twisting motion in the atmosphere. "This overall rotation bleeds into thunderstorm clouds, which in turn spawn tornadoes."

Tornadoes touched down in Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky claiming 28 lives in Tennessee, 13 in Arkansas, seven in Kentucky and four in Alabama, according to emergency officials.

Tornado damage outside a dormitory at Union University in Jackson City, Tennessee. (Photo by C. Tracy)

The city of Jackson, Tennessee reported as many as 85 injuries. Union University, located in Jackson, reported two women's dormitories and one men's dormitory were destroyed along with multiple injuries. Residents of seven buildings on campus are now being allowed into their rooms to retrieve their belongings.

Today authorities searched the wreckage at the Hickory Ridge Mall in Memphis, where the storm peeled away one side of the Sears store and collapsed the roof. The Hickory Ridge Mall says only minor injuries were reported and it is working to reopen as quickly as possible.

The FedEx airport hangar at the Memphis International Airport was also damaged.

Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton, Shelby County Mayor A.C. Wharton and other officials praised the teamwork of police, fire and emergency agencies at a news conference this afternoon.

More than 16,700 homes are still without power in Shelby County, said Bob Nations, director of the city-county Office of Preparedness.

The Columbia Gulf Natural Gas pumping station, located in Hartsville near Gallatin, Tennessee exploded and caught fire due to a lightning strike. The upstream and downstream valves were secured, allowing the fire burn out, fire officials said.

No one died in the explosion and fire, according to Melissa McDonald with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen made an aerial tour of Macon, Sumner and Trousdale Counties today to view the damage from the lethal storms that caused an estimated 28 fatalities, 150 injuries and widespread damage in seven counties across Tennessee.

"To those who have lost loved ones or suffered injury, the thoughts and prayers of our state are with you," said Bredesen. "Our priority today is to support our first responders and those most impacted by the storms. As we look forward, I pledge the full resources of state government to help people rebuild and get back on their feet as quickly as possible."

The death toll makes the past 24 hours deadlier than the storms of May 3, 1999, when 46 people died in Oklahoma and Kansas, said Greg Carbin, a meteorologist with the U.S. Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

In the next 24 hours, severe thunderstorms are possible and tornado development is possible from the Carolinas to southern New Jersey, forecasters said. The strong cold front that gave rise to Tuesday's tornadoes will cross the Atlantic states early tonight. There is still a risk of severe weather with this front especially from Virginia northward.

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2008. All rights reserved.