By Anjali Nayak
A surge of destructive storms lashed multiple states causing damage across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys on Tuesday, with various tornado watches impacting millions and severe weather warnings spreading over a much wider slice of the country, from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes. Violent wind gusts and heavy rain had already caused serious damage to some areas by mid-afternoon, wrecking buildings and forcing highway closures as crews worked to clear downed power lines, trees and other debris.
Large sections of Ohio and Kentucky were contending with the most serious risks, along with a stretch of far-eastern Indiana. The Storm Prediction Center’s most recent severe weather outlook ranked threats in parts of those states at Level 4, of five levels, just before 12 p.m. CDT. Level 4 corresponds with “moderate” on that scale. Much of Kentucky and southern Ohio received that warning, including major cities like Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Lexington and Louisville.
A confirmed tornado touched down shortly before midnight in Conyers, Georgia, just east of Atlanta, the National Weather Service said.
A separate tornado watch was in effect until 6 p.m. CDT on Tuesday for parts of western Kentucky, southern Illinois, southwestern Indiana and southeastern Missouri. A tornado watch remains in effect until 2 a.m. EDT for parts of middle and east Tennessee.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said Tuesday night it was aware of an “unconfirmed tornado that impacted the Sunbright community in Morgan County.” No injuries were immediately reported.
About 40,000 homes and businesses were without power Tuesday morning after an electric substation was struck by lightning, the AP reported. The singular substation affected two other stations causing the power outage.
A tornado watch was also in effect for parts of central Kentucky and Tennessee, including Nashville and its surrounding areas. They expired at 3 p.m. CDT, although meteorologists on Today warned that powerful “and potentially long-track tornadoes are possible from Indiana and Ohio southward into the Mid South” through the evening.