Severe storms raced through the southern U.S. on Tuesday, destroying homes and displacing residents across the lower half of the country. At least 18 tornadoes touched down, and winds were damaging, leaving three people dead and upward of 30 hospitalized. States of Emergency were declared in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama, according to The Weather Channel.
A recreational vehicle park in Convent, La., saw exceptional amounts of damage, with two deaths and 31 people hospitalized, according to the Associated Press. Additionally, three people are still missing, even after an all-night search through debris and rubble by the police, St. James Parish Sheriff Willy Martin said.
Tornadoes were reported in areas spanning as far west as the Houston area, as north as Birmingham, Ala., and as far east as Valdosta, Ga. The greater New Orleans area saw multiple tornadoes touch down, as well as the areas surrounding Pensacola, Fla.
High winds and rain are expected to continue into Wednesday, with the system pounding the area until it fades later at night. Tornadoes are also still a major threat for Wednesday, stretching from the Miami and Tampa areas up along the coast and through Virginia, according to The Weather Channel's Domenica Davis.
The afternoon on Wednesday will see the threat of severe weather move northward, with cities like Jacksonville, Fla., Savannah, Ga., Raleigh, N.C., as well as Norfolk and Richmond, Va., according to Accuweather. Thunderstorms are expected to continue moving east and north, even up into the mid-Atlantic states.
By Wednesday night, the storms will have moved out of the South and made their way up the coast, with severe weather still expected in the eastern parts of North Carolina and Virginia, as well as parts of southeastern Maryland, reports The Weather Channel. Thunderstorms are predicted to strike most of the mid-Atlantic, working up into the Northeast as far as Boston and Albany.
The storms will cover most of Pennsylvania, westward to Williamsport and Harrisburg, as well as Delaware and New Jersey, and most of Southern New York. Widespread rainfall may accumulate up to 2 inches, with higher amounts possible locally. Wind gusts higher than 50 mph are expected.
