Montgomery confirms two overnight tornadoes as deadly wave sweeps South

(This story has been updated to add more photographs.)

The city of Montgomery confirmed Sunday that it experienced two tornadoes in the overnight hours, with damage concentrated in the Spring Valley neighborhood off Woodley Road.

The storms caused fallen trees and utility poles as well as debris in roadways across the area, and knocked out power to about 8,500 homes. Only about 1,500 remained without power locally by noon Sunday, and all roadways were back open across the county, leaders said.

“Early this morning, Montgomery faced the impact of two tornadoes that damaged parts of our community, including the Spring Valley Neighborhood,” Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said. “We are grateful that no lives were lost and no major injuries were sustained.”

Statewide, about 12,000 people remained without power at noon Sunday. No deaths had been linked to the storms in Alabama.

Montgomery County Commission Chairman Doug Singleton said local responders were assisting with a downed tree on a home in Cecil, and firefighters had been working overnight to clear debris.Pike Road Mayor Gordon Stone said the town is aware of “multiple locations” with property damage, but that no serious injuries were reported.

The National Weather Service said it planned to survey damage in Lamar, Shelby, Macon, Lowndes and Montgomery counties.

Before the storms struck Alabama, at least two people were killed and several wounded after tornadoes slammed through parts of Texas and the Southeast as severe weather gripped much of the nation, delaying or canceling thousands of weekend flights and leaving hundreds of thousands without power Sunday.

That weather system was blamed for one death and four injuries Saturday in Brazoria County, Texas, about 45 miles south of Houston, according to the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office. In Katy Texas, 30 miles west of Houston, social media posts appear to show a funnel cloud and numerous damaged homes.

North Katy resident Toby Azemohor told click2kouston.com he heard a racket outside his home and went to check on his car.

“I was sleeping,” Azemohor said. “All of a sudden, I was hearing the rain and … when I came out, it was flipped over.”

Another fatality was reported in Natchez, Mississippi, after a tree fell on a home. The National Weather Service said at least 19 tornadoes were reported in Mississippi alone.

More than three dozen tornadoes and were reported from Texas to Georgia on Friday and Saturday, and the unsettled weather could continue, AccuWeather warned.

Almost 15,000 flights in the U.S. were delayed or canceled Saturday and Sunday, according to the tracking site FlightAware. Most of the flight delays were in and out of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

In a wide swath of the Southeast and East, warm and humid conditions could help fuel more severe weather, AccuWeather said. New York reached 61 degrees Sunday, Philadelphia saw 63 degrees and Washington, D.C., was approaching 65 degrees.

Contributing: Montgomery Advertiser staff; Mississippi Clarion Ledger staff; Reuters

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Montgomery confirms two overnight tornadoes