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Severe thunderstorms, tornadoes expected to continue across South

Damage from a tornado in Eufaula, Ala., was evident Wednesday as severe weather continued to hammer the South with the threat of more tornadoes, 90 mph winds and large hail through Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. Photo courtesy of Eufaula Alabama Police Department
1 of 4 | Damage from a tornado in Eufaula, Ala., was evident Wednesday as severe weather continued to hammer the South with the threat of more tornadoes, 90 mph winds and large hail through Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. Photo courtesy of Eufaula Alabama Police Department

June 14 (UPI) -- Severe weather hammering much of the South is expected to bring more tornadoes, 90 mph winds and large hail through Thursday, forecasters warn.

Two tornadoes touched down Wednesday, one in Georgia and another in Alabama, downing trees and ripping off roofs in Abbeville and Eufaula. Both states reported high winds, hail and heavy rain.

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"Structural, tree and power line damage from today's tornado," Eufaula Alabama Police Department said Wednesday. "As more severe weather is expected overnight and through the end of the week, your methods of receiving tornado notifications should be operable."

While there have been no reports of injuries, the National Weather Service warns about 70 million people could be affected by the extreme weather still to come.

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"Monster tornado extreme close range after Dominator 3 intercept still ongoing," meteorologist Reed Zimmer tweeted Wednesday showing the large tornado barreling across southwestern Georgia.

"An already active severe weather day across the South will only get busier," the National Weather Service warned Wednesday in a tweet. "Tornadoes, very large hail and strong winds -- including the possibility of a derecho -- are all possible."

A derecho is a line of fast-moving windstorms or thunderstorms.

A tornado watch will remain in effect for Alabama and Georgia through the night, with a severe thunderstorm watch for central Mississippi, but forecasters warn severe weather could hit a much wider area from Dallas to as far east as Savannah, Ga.

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According to the National Weather Service, the severe weather threat will remain at a Level 2 out of 5 for most of Georgia, including Atlanta. But the threat goes up to an enhanced Level 3 to the south of the city in Troup, Meriwether and Upson counties, which could see heavy rain. Flooding in central and west-central Georgia is also forecast through Thursday.

Troup County Sheriff's deputies warned drivers about downed trees and power lines in the Hogansville area.

"Our deputies are hard at work assisting with vehicle accidents and reports of trees and power lines down primarily in the North-Eastern portion of Troup County," the sheriff's office said.

In addition to the storms and hail, the South is dealing with extreme heat. Temperatures are forecast to soar to 105 in Houston and 114 in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Wednesday with more heat through the weekend as temperatures hit 108 degrees in Dallas and 111 degrees in Houston on Saturday.

"Heat advisory is in effect for all of Deep South Texas," the National Weather Service warned, forecasting "life-threatening heat" into Thursday.

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