More than 43,000 homes and businesses from eastern Texas to Georgia were without power Tuesday afternoon.
Violent storms killed one person in Texas on Tuesday as hail pelted communities and high winds knocked trees into power poles elsewhere in the South. Authorities issued a flurry of tornado warnings at the start of what could be two days of violent weather in the region. In eastern Texas, W. M. Soloman,71, died when storm winds toppled a tree onto Solomon’s home in Whitehouse, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Dallas, Whitehouse Mayor James Wansley said. Officials said at least four homes in the area had trees fall on them. More than 43,000 homes and businesses were without power Tuesday afternoon from eastern Texas to Georgia. No injuries were reported, but the National Weather Service said it was sending survey teams to examine potential tornado damage in Wetumpka, Alabama. Lightning struck a flea market in the north Alabama community of Lacey’s Spring, causing a fire that gutted the building, news outlets reported, and rising water in Mobile Bay covered part of a ramp on Interstate 10.
