Boy, His Mom Killed by Tornadoes That Swept the South

The severe storm system currently lashing the US brought at least 21 tornadoes that ripped through Louisiana over a 24-hour period Tuesday into Wednesday. A total of 49 tornado reports came in across the South during that time period, including twisters in Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, and Florida, and CNN reports that more tornado reports could come in as surveyors check for damage. At least three people were killed in Louisiana, including a 56-year-old woman in the Killona area in St. Charles Parish, which was still working to rebuild nine months after Hurricane Ida, and a boy and his mother whose home in the northwestern Louisiana community of Keithville was destroyed. Their bodies were found far from where the home stood.

Houses and neighborhoods were destroyed, streets were flooded, and the debris included flipped cars, downed trees, and a huge chunk of metal that a tornado carried nearly 2 miles from a firing range, NOLA.com reports. As of Wednesday night, more than 50,000 customers across Louisiana and Mississippi were without power. The storm system is still moving east, and parts of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas could get rough weather Thursday. And more tornadoes could come: More than 1.5 million people in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia are under tornado watches until Thursday morning, with hail and 70mph wind gusts also a possibility. Meanwhile, the blizzard caused by the storm system in the Plains brought two to three feet of snow to some areas, Accuweather reports. (More Louisiana stories.)