Alabama tornado death toll hits 6; storms in South leave severe damage - USA TODAY

At slightest six radical were killed, respective were injured and extended harm was reported Thursday arsenic tornadoes and utmost upwind rolled done the Southeast U.S.

Several states were nether tornado watches done Thursday evening. Nationwide, determination were 33 abstracted tornado reports Thursday from the National Weather Service arsenic of Thursday evening, though the reports were not yet confirmed and immoderate could beryllium classified arsenic upwind harm successful the coming days.

Some of the worst harm from what the National Weather Service described arsenic a "large and highly unsafe tornado" impacted the humanities metropolis of Selma, Alabama, and surrounding areas, wherever homes were ravaged and trees were uprooted. 

The tempest strategy comes arsenic Californians are enduring a bid of atmospheric stream storms that person killed astatine slightest 18 people successful flooding and landslides that has caused implicit $1 cardinal successful harm frankincense far. 

BEFORE AND AFTER: Drastic images seizure the devastation from a bid of storms successful California

6 dormant successful Alabama aft tornado hits Autauga County

Several tornadoes were reported crossed cardinal Alabama Thursday, but a confirmed twister killed astatine slightest six radical successful Autauga County, officials said.

The confirmed tornado traveled done Dallas and Autauga counties, causing damage. 

The six people, who haven't been identified, were killed in Autauga County, astir 40 miles northeast of Selma, according to Autauga County Sheriff David Hill. Hill said 1 of the victims was an big antheral located successful the Old Kingston area. 

Multiple radical were trapped successful their homes and astatine slightest 12 were unaccounted for aft the tornado, officials said. Rescue efforts were underway Thursday. 

MORE FROM ALABAMA: Death toll climbs arsenic tornado rips done Autauga County, Selma

Officials estimation that 40 to 50 homes were damaged oregon destroyed by storms that chopped a portion crossed the county, according to Ernie Baggett, the exigency absorption manager successful Autauga County. He said at slightest 12 radical were injured severely and taken to hospitals by exigency responders. Crews, helium added, were focused connected cutting done downed trees to look for others who whitethorn beryllium injured.

Cleanup, rescues underway aft Selma, Alabama tornado

About 40 miles distant successful the historical metropolis of Selma, the swirling, fast-moving tempest strategy shredded the walls of homes, toppled roofs and uprooted trees.

Across Selma, powerfulness lines and hundreds of trees were felled. Former State Sen. Hank Sanders said it was “raining done the roof” successful his room aft the tempest damaged his house.

Cars were connected their broadside and postulation poles were strewn astir successful the downtown area. Plumes of thick, achromatic fume roseate implicit the metropolis from a occurrence burning. It was not instantly known whether the tempest caused the blaze. A fewer blocks past the city’s famed Edmund Pettus Bridge, an enduring awesome of the voting rights movement, buildings were crumpled by the tempest and trees blocked roadways.

“It happened successful astir 5 seconds,” said Caleb Morris.

Morris lives successful the vicinity down the Selma Country Club, which mislaid its extortion successful the storm. He rode retired the tempest successful his basement and was relieved to find nary harm to his house. 

The Selma Country Club's extortion was ripped disconnected successful the tornado. At slightest 1 idiosyncratic was believed to beryllium trapped successful Selma County, but nary deaths were reported successful Selma County arsenic of Thursday evening. 

Selma Mayor James Perkins enactment a metropolis curfew successful spot arsenic archetypal responders survey the damage.

Gov. Kay Ivey issued a authorities of exigency for six counties aft the terrible upwind struck.

Tornado warnings issued crossed the South

There were aggregate tornado warnings issued Thursday crossed parts of Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee arsenic a tempest strategy moved done the region, the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center said.

Heading into the evening, the upwind work said parts of the Florida panhandle, and the southeast of Alabama and Georgia were nether tornado watches done 9 p.m.

"A mates tornadoes," and upwind gusts of up to 65 mph were imaginable successful those areas, NWS said, on with ample hail events up to 1 inch successful diameter. 

Potential tornado harm reported successful Kentucky, Mississippi

In Kentucky, the National Weather Service successful Louisville confirmed an EF-1 tornado struck Mercer County and said crews were surveying harm successful a fistful of different counties.

In Monroe County, Mississippi Emergency Management Agency officials said they were surveying immoderate terrible harm aft a imaginable tornado.

Another tempest deed Griffin, southbound of Atlanta, Georgia, with winds damaging a buying area, section quality outlets reported. A Hobby Lobby store mislaid portion of its roof, and astatine slightest 1 car flipped implicit successful the parking batch of a adjacent Walmart.

Power outages reported crossed Alabama, Georgia

More than 36,000 customers were without powerfulness successful Alabama and much than 76,000 were successful the acheronian successful Georgia arsenic of 9 p.m. ET Thursday, according to the tracker PowerOutage.us. Another 14,000 were besides without electrical successful some Tennessee and North Carolina. 

Contributing: Brad Harper, Alex Gladden, Marty Roney, Hadley Hitson, Evan Mealins, Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser; The Associated Press