ATLANTA — Severe weather rolled through Alabama, Georgia and Florida on Wednesday night with a suspected tornado injuring several people in southwest Georgia, authorities said Thursday.
Two people were seriously injured when a trailer home was destroyed in Dickey, in Calhoun County, National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Fournier said. They had to be taken to a hospital but were conscious.
He said several other people received less serious injuries when trailer homes were overturned in Edison, also in Calhoun County.
A number of trees and power lines also were down in the area after the storm swept through.
It's almost certain that the damage was caused by a tornado, Fournier said. The weather service hoped to send a storm team to the area later Thursday to investigate.
Strong thunderstorms that swept through the metro Atlanta area also downed trees.
In Alabama, several trailer homes were damaged overnight in Montgomery County, National Weather Service meteorologist Gerald Satterwhite said. The storm did have some rotation but it was hard to tell if the damage was caused by a tornado or by straight-line wind, he said.
WSFA-TV said that no injuries other than minor scrapes were reported. Crews were on the scene cutting through trees that fell across roads.
Along Florida's Gulf coast, several homes were damaged and sporadic power outages reported as severe weather swept through the Tampa Bay area.
In Pasco County, officials said roads were blocked and power lines were down.
Authorities couldn't immediately confirm if a tornado had touched down. A news release said an aluminum roof was ripped off one home, and a large tree fell on another.
Pasco County spokesman Doug Tobin says the county had reports of 19 homes and businesses with minor damage, five homes and businesses with some structural damage, one tree on a car, a garage door damaged, and carports torn apart.
No injuries were reported.
In Clearwater, officials said three townhouses were damaged.
