3 radar systems inoperable as tornadoes hit Southeast

April 5 (UPI) -- Three weather radars maintained by the U.S. Defense Department were not operable Wednesday in the Southeast where several tornadoes touched down.

Suspected tornadoes were reported in Georgia and South Carolina, and damaging winds, thunderstorms and flooding pummeled the Southeast.

In Sumter County, Ga., a suspected tornado up to a mile and a half wide was spotted in the afternoon, county emergency management director Nigel Poole told CNN. "We are still taking cover and actively watching the storm," he said.

A large tornado touched down around noon in rural Stewart in rural southwest Georgia, toppling trees and power lines, National Weather Service meteorologist Keith Stellman said in a report by WSB-TV in Atlanta.

In Johnston, S.C., several buildings were damaged, and trees and power lines were down in a possible tornado, the police department said.

The National Weather Service had declared a "tornado emergency" throughout the region. Alabama, Georgia and parts of South Carolina were under the threat of tornadoes. CNN forecast that 60 million people were at risk of bad weather Wednesday.

The three radars were offline because of maintenance issues, including one struck by lightning Wednesday morning, The Washington Post reported.

One offline radar was in southwest Georgia and the other two cover southeast Alabama.

The weather service said other surrounding radars can show the most dangerous storms, supercells, which are capable of forming tornadoes. Those other radars won't see debris and wind rotation closer to the ground.

On Monday and Tuesday, five people died in severe storms in Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina.

On Wednesday, the National Weather Service in Atlanta issued a tornado watch for Alabama, Florida, George and South Carolina, which means that conditions are favorable for severe weather.

Jake Reed, a meteorologist for WHNT-TV in Huntsville, Ala., wrote Tuesday on Facebook the "threat of severe weather is far and away the biggest threat Alabama has seen in quite some time. I don't say that to scare you -- scared people drive their cars into floodwater; scared people stay in mobile homes during tornadoes even though they know it is a death trap -- rather, I say it so that hopefully everyone reading this will understand how real this threat of severe weather is tomorrow."

The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily issued a ground stop for flights at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport just after 9 a.m.

Alabama's governor declared a state of emergency because of the threat.

At the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga., the Par 3 Contest was canceled due to the bad weather.