Tornado causes 'significant damage' in Birmingham, Alabama

Police in Birmingham, Ala., say people are trapped in houses along Jefferson Avenue Southwest, where a tornado touch down earlier Friday evening.

The tornadodamagedhouses, uprootedtrees and injuredat least three people in the state's largest city, law enforcement and weather officials said.

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Lt. Sean Edwards, a Birmingham police spokesman, said trees are down and people were trapped inside damaged houses but there were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths. Earlier reports said three people were injured in the storm.

Weather radar Friday evening showed an intense system along the Interstate 20/59 corridor west of Birmingham, with the storm moving eastward. Flooding was reported in counties throughout the region, as heavy rain continued to fall.

National Weather Service meteorologist Jody Aaron said the twister was confirmed to have touched down in the southwestern portion of town at about 5 p.m. CT, adding, "There does appear to be some significant damage."

1 more dead in Mississippi

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency says it has received reports of another death and another missing person attributed to the severe weather system that is still having an impact onthe state.

In a statement Friday evening, the agency said Coahoma County has now reported one death, and Benton County has reported another missing person.

The agency says this increases the number of deaths in the stateto eight, and the number of missing persons to two. There have been more than 60 injuries attributed to the storms.

So far, the storms have caused widespread damage to more than 100 homes and businesses in Mississippi.

Gov. Phil Bryant declared a State of Emergency on Thursday for affected areas of the state.

Flash flood warning

Aflash flood watch had been issued for parts of Tennessee Friday afternoon following storms that have pounded the Southeast this week.

Meteorologist Krissy Hurley with the National Weather Service in Nashville says a flash flood watch is in effect for parts of southeastern, central and eastern Tennessee until Saturday morning.

In neighbouring Kentucky, the National Weather Service in Louisville says a flash flood watch has been issued for central and eastern parts of the state through mid-afternoon.

The unseasonably warm weather that spawned deadly tornadoes on Wednesday killed at least 14people in Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansason Thursday.