COLUMBIA, Tenn. (AP) — Severe storms were tearing through the central and southeast U.S. late Tuesday and Wednesday, spawning damaging tornadoes , producing massive hail, and killing two people in Tennessee and one person in North Carolina.
A storm that rumbled across northeastern Tennessee brought high winds that knocked down powerlines and trees. Claiborne County Sheriff Bob Brooks said a 22-year-old man was in a car struck by one of the trees.
Wednesday afternoon, a tornado emergency — the weather service’s highest alert level — was issued for an area south of Nashville, including the towns of Spring Hill, Chapel Hill and Eagleville.
The National Weather Service had previously reported a likely tornado on the ground in nearby Columbia, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) south of Nashville. People in Columbia were injured, and homes were damaged, according to Lynn Thompson, assistant director of Maury County 911. Thompson told The Associated Press that he could not provide any further details: “We’re getting overloaded right now.”