2 dead after tornado touches down in Georgia; severe weather threatens Southeast

May 3 (UPI) -- At least two people are dead after severe storms and tornados battered Georgia on Monday.

Officials in Douglas County, west of Atlanta, said firefighters found a man who was killed after a tree fell on his car at 10:36 a.m. as a result of a tornado.

"When firefighters arrived at the scene, they discovered the driver was trapped inside the vehicle with power lines and a tree on the vehicle," Douglas County Communications Director Rick Martin said. "Firefighters had to extricate the driver who we are only identifying as a male at this time until next of kin are notified."

In Houston County, officials said Carla Harris, 55, of Bonaire, which is about 105 miles south of Atlanta, died Monday afternoon when she was struck by a large pine tree that had fallen through her roof and into her living room.

The National Weather Service confirmed an EF-1 tornado with 90 mph winds, with a path 250 yards wide and 1.5 miles long, struck Douglas County. It may have also touched down in Fulton County where damage was observed.

Streets were flooded and trees and powerlines were down throughout Douglas County, while officials closed parks in response to the severe weather.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms shared photos of downed trees in her neighborhood and other damage in a series of tweets on Monday but said no one was injured.

"Not sure if this was a direct hit, but several neighbors have said it sounded like a freight train coming through," she wrote in one tweet, adding later that a neighbor said he saw the funnel cloud come through.

More than 3,000 people in the state were without power Monday night, according to PowerOutage.US.

Power outages and felled trees were also reported throughout Houston County and though damage was sustained in Warner Robins and other areas, Bonaire was hard hit by a severe thunderstorm with winds of between 50-60 mph, officials said.

Severe weather will continue to threaten more than 100 million people from the southern Plains through the Mid-Atlantic on Monday night, CNN reported.

The area from Texas through Kentucky faces the greatest risk, with high chances of experiencing damaging winds, while large hail and tornadoes are also possible in southeastern Oklahoma and northeastern Texas.

"Very large hail, tornadoes (a couple of which may be significant) and intense damaging winds are expected," the Storm Prediction Center said.