STORM HELL
Power outage across South leaves 200,000 without electricity after tornados & baseball-sized hail sparks fresh warnings
Residents described the hail slamming on top of cars like bombs
AT least 200,000 homes across the South are without power after a series of powerful tornadoes, thunderstorms, and baseball-size hail tore through the region.
The severe weather impacted millions of Americans in five states, including Florida, Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, and Alabama.
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The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning in Tallahassee, Florida, at 6:50 am on Friday.
By 10 am, 66,356 residents were without power, according to the city's outage map.
Several area schools closed, and residents were warned to take cover.
"Dangerous situation unfolding for Tallahassee right now," the National Weather Service Tallahassee wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
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"Seek shelter immediately. Multiple circulations and radar-confirmed tornadoes apparent on radar."
Tallahassee officials have asked people to stay off the roads to help clear the way for first responders.
A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of Florida and Georgia until 12 pm Friday, according to the National Weather Service Atlanta.
Photos from across Tallahassee showed the damage left behind by the powerful winds that tore across the area.
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The possible tornadoes downed trees, tangled powerlines, and ripped the roofs off several homes.
Kathy Bryant awoke Friday morning to a gaping hole in the roof of her home.
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"I can't believe this. What they gonna do about this," Bryant told The Tallahassee Democrat.
Her kitchen and living room were filled with debris, as was the trunk of a large pine tree that was once outside her home.
"Thank God my baby wasn't in there," she said of her granddaughter.
'IT SOUNDED LIKE BOMBS'
Meanwhile, in Texas, the town of Granbury, about 40 miles southwest of Fort Worth, was bombarded with baseball-sized hail.
First responder Lydia Torres told NBC affiliate KXAS-TV that she and her partner were dispatched on a call when the treacherous hail storm caught them.
"It sounded like bombs were hitting the top of the ambulance," she told the outlet.
"Especially when it hit the top of the windshield, you could see the glass start to shatter everywhere."
Torres described how her partner was injured by the hail.
"It looks like a paintball hit him in the back of his shoulder blades," she said.
Dozens of skylights and windows across Granbury were shattered due to the storm.
Photos of the baseball-sized hail were shared on social media.
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Over in Alabama, a 71 mph wind gust was reported in Bay Minette, about 27 miles northeast of Mobile.
Overnight on Friday, a 62 mph gust was reported in Tory as the strong winds swept through the region.
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