BREAKING NEWS: Alabama is rocked by ‘extremely dangerous’ TORNADO as locals report huge damage and are told ‘this is serious!! Take shelter NOW’
- The National Weather Service is urging residents in Alabama to take shelter immediately
- Winds at the eye of the storm have reached 140mph while it moves across the state
- A ‘large and destructive’ tornado is making its way toward Prattville and continuing northeast
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An ‘extremely dangerous’ tornado is ripping through Alabama, with residents being told to take shelter immediately as 140pmh winds batter the state.
National Weather Service officials say that they have received dozens of damage reports as the storm continues to move through the state.
They have issued a ‘tornado emergency’ warning for Autauga, Coose, Elmore, and Chilton counties, adding: This is a life-threatening situation and extremely dangerous! Seek shelter immediately if in the path of this storm!!!’
Forecasters said a large and destructive tornado was located near Vida Junction, or 12 miles northwest of Prattville, moving to the northeast at 55 mph and 140mph at the eye of the tornado.
A tornado can be seen sweeping over Alabama as damage is being reported across the state
Forecasters said a large and destructive tornado was located near Vida Junction, or 12 miles northwest of Prattville, moving to the northeast at 55 mph and 140mph at the eye of the tornado
Winds of up to 70mph are currently hitting Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee as the storm moves southeast, with thunderstorms developing.
The worst of the storms hit between 8am and noon, with those in Bibb, Chilton, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Shelby, Sumter, Tuscaloosa and Perry under a tornado warning.
It is currently not tornado season, which stretches from March to May each year, and there is an increased risk of storms in November and December.
Streets of Alabama’s Morgan County have been littered with debris and downed power lines, with 10 to 15 people injured in the killer storms.
Entire buildings have been destroyed by the storm, with the tornado expected to continue along its path of destruction for several hours
An immediate warning has been put in place for those within Autauga county to get out as it is a ‘life-threatening situation
National Weather Service officials say that they have received dozens of damage reports as the storm continues to move through the state.
Golf-ball sized hail was reported across the counties, with downed trees and structural damage littering the state.
Authorities and forecasters are warning of the possibility of hours of destruction, with the area being pummelled by rain and wind.
The National Weather Service office in Louisville, Kentucky, already confirmed a tornado with winds of 100 mph touched down in the central Kentucky town of West Harrodsburg in Mercer County.
Hilary Granbois, of the Morgan County Emergency Management Agency in Alabama, said: ‘So far, we’ve only had one report of an injury, and I don’t know the status of that individual.
‘As of right now, the preliminary report of a lot of downed power lines. We have some overturned 18-wheelers.’
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