One fatality and extensive power outages result from severe storms in the Southeast United States

A severe weather system that brought powerful thunderstorms to the Southeast resulted in the tragic death of a 27-year-old man in Georgia and caused significant damage in South Carolina. The man was found dead after a tree fell on his moving car in Cherokee County, Georgia. Power outages affected hundreds of thousands of customers, with remaining outages concentrated around Ellijay, Georgia.

In Orangeburg, South Carolina, straight-line winds damaged the downtown district, causing roofs to lose metal and awnings of businesses to be blown down. Meanwhile, in suburban Nashville, Tennessee, lightning struck a house, resulting in burns for four firefighters. Three were released from the hospital, while one remained for smoke inhalation monitoring.

The severe weather led to blocked roads in southeastern Tennessee and northern Georgia due to downed trees and power lines. Similar wind damage and fallen trees were reported in Kentucky and North Carolina. In Hall County, northeast of Atlanta, crews worked throughout the night to clear roads and respond to calls of fallen trees, with one house in Gainesville damaged by trees.

Recent heavy rains and thunderstorms have caused flooding and other weather-related incidents in the Southeast. The National Weather Service confirmed a weak tornado in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, with top winds reaching 75 mph (120 kph). The tornado caused minor damage to a football stadium and brought down trees and a semi-truck trailer, but fortunately, no injuries were reported along its 3.4-mile (5.4-kilometer) path.