Storms hit the south with tornadoes, dumping heavy snow in the Midwest

A massive storm lashed the South with powerful storms and tornadoes that blew roofs off homes, tossed campers and tossed furniture across Florida on Tuesday. Another storm stranded cities across the Midwest with more than half a foot of snow, stranding people on highways as it headed northeast.

At least four deaths were attributed to the storm pounding the South, where 55 mph winds and hail swept across the Florida Panhandle and into parts of Alabama and Georgia by sunrise Tuesday, along with several reports of radar-confirmed tornadoes , the National Weather Service said. . A wind gust of 106 mph was recorded before dawn near the coast in Walton County, Florida.

Near Cottonwood, Alabama, a small town near the Georgia-Florida border, 81-year-old Charlotte Paschal was killed when her mobile home toppled off its foundation, the Houston County Coroner said. A suspected tornado had touched down in the area.

Police in Clayton County, south of Atlanta, say a man died during heavy rain when a tree fell on his car on a state highway in Jonesboro.

In North Carolina, one person is dead and two others are in critical condition after a suspected tornado touched down at a mobile home park in the town of Claremont, north of Charlotte, Catawba County spokeswoman Amy McCauley said. And in Rocky Mount, downed power lines closed both directions of I-95, one of the nation's busiest highways, the North Carolina Department of Transportation said in a statement.

About 84 million people remained under flood watches and warnings along the East Coast Tuesday night. More than 481,000 customers were without power in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey late Tuesday night, according to PowerOutage.us websitealong with another 151,000 customers in Virginia and North Carolina.

A spokesman for Vice President Kamala Harris confirmed to CBS News Tuesday night that “unsettled weather” forced the vice president's flight back to Washington, D.C., from Atlanta, Georgia, on Air Force 2, to be slightly diverted from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

Storm-related injuries were reported in Florida, but no deaths. Florida Gov. Ron DeSandis told reporters in Tallahassee that at least four tornadoes touched down in the Panhandle. DeSantis issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency for 49 counties in North Florida. Multiple counties closed schools for Tuesday ahead of the storm, and some said they would reopen Wednesday.

“This is obviously going to affect the state throughout the day,” DeSantis said.

A section of Panama City Beach, Florida, showed parts of roofs blown off, furniture, fences and debris strewn about and a house that appeared to be leaning on its side, leaning against another house.

Gary Michaels was across the street from the overturned home and said the gusts were extremely strong.

“It was a freight train hitting a brick wall. That's how loud it was,” he told CBS News. “It was extremely scary inside the house.”

Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Department of Emergency Management, told reporters of a house in the Panama City area that was at a 20-25 degree angle, but it was unclear if he was referring to the same house.

“For it to have to lift it off its foundation and move it like that, you might even be in an EF3 situation there,” Guthrie said, referring to the strength of the tornado, which will ultimately be determined by the weather service.

In Panama City, about 10 miles away, police early Tuesday asked residents to stay on and off roads “unless absolutely necessary” as officers checked for storm damage, including downed power lines and trees. .

The city is in Bay County, where there have been several reports of tornadoes on the ground, Sheriff Tommy Ford said in a brief Facebook Live post.

“We rescued people from structures,” he said.

The sheriff's office urged people to stay home, posting photos of a damaged apartment complex and marina. Passage was announced a curfew will be in effect from 9pm to 6am

The Walton County Sheriff's Office in the Florida Panhandle was posted photos of power lines on a road, damage to a gas station and large pieces of construction materials littering the area.

The sheriff's office posted a video of a strong storm that hit the area.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay announced it will close early at 2pm Tuesday due to the weather and reopen Wednesday at 10am.

Heavy rain across Georgia disrupted air traffic at Atlanta's busy airport for a time Tuesday morning and caused flooding, closing some lanes on freeways around Atlanta during the morning commute. More than 80 public school systems across Georgia canceled classes altogether, while others taught students online or delayed the start of in-person classes.

In North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm's approach to lift weight and size restrictions on large and heavy trucks containing emergency supplies or agricultural goods. Some schools were canceled or closed early to avoid threats from strong winds and flooding.

Meanwhile, in the Midwest, where a blizzard began Monday, up to 12 inches of snow could cover a wide area stretching from southeastern Colorado to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, including western Kansas, eastern Nebraska, large parts of Iowa, northern Missouri and northwestern Illinois, said Bob Oravec, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.

The storm dropped about 8 to 12 inches of snow in Kansas, eastern Nebraska and South Dakota, western Iowa and southwestern Minnesota on Monday, with 15 inches in North Sioux City, South Dakota, the National Weather Service said. Lower amounts fell in western Iowa, central Minnesota, Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

Poor road conditions contributed to a fatal crash early Tuesday in southeastern Wisconsin, Jefferson County Sheriff Paul Milbrath said in a news release. An SUV driver was killed after a head-on collision with a semi-trailer on State Highway 18 around 5:40 a.m. The driver of the semi was not injured. Sheriff's Capt. Travis Maze said in a telephone interview that layers of slush and snow covered the median and fog lines on the freeway.

In western Michigan, a 35-year-old woman died Tuesday after she lost control of her minivan on a muddy highway and it collided with an SUV, the Lake County Sheriff's Office said. The ambulance that took her to a Grand Rapids hospital, where she was pronounced dead, was struck by another vehicle heading there and a second ambulance was needed to complete the transport to the hospital.

From the Midwest, the storm was expected to head east, bringing a mix of snow, rain and strong winds to the Northeast Tuesday night, as well as flooding concerns in areas including New England, parts of which received more than a foot of snow on Sunday .

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has already declared a state of emergency in anticipation of heavy rain and winds expected to worsen the effects of severe weather since December.

“I would say that's something that I would strongly, strongly, strongly encourage people not to underestimate,” he said at a press conference on Monday.

Some areas in the Garden State are expected to get 3-4 inches of rain and could see wind gusts up to 55 mph. Residents in Little Falls rushed to fill sandbags earlier Tuesday to prevent possible flooding from the Passaic River.

“We don't have a basement, so I'm worried about my garage,” said one resident as he packed his bags.

In New York, city officials began removing nearly 2,000 immigrants who had been housed in a sprawling white tent compound at a former airport located in a remote corner of Brooklyn. An aide to New York Mayor Eric pointed to forecast wind speeds of more than 70 mph Tuesday night.

In western New York, an empty tractor trailer blew up on the state Thruway Tuesday morning, temporarily blocking all westbound traffic, state police said. The state banned empty trucks and trailers on many major roads.

In Maine, Gov. Janet Mills has delayed the opening of all state offices until noon Wednesday because of the storm.

The weather has already affected the campaign for Iowa caucuses on January 15where snow is expected to be followed by cold temperatures that may drop below zero degrees.

He forced the former President Donald TrumpHis campaign canceled multiple appearances by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders and her father, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who was scheduled to address Iowa voters on Trump's behalf Monday.

Whiteout conditions in central Nebraska closed a large section of Interstate 80, while Kansas closed Interstate 70 from the central town of Russell as far west as the Colorado border due to hazardous travel conditions. Several vehicles slid off I-70 in the northeastern part of the state, authorities said.

Madison, Wisconsin, was under a winter storm warning until early Wednesday, with up to 9 inches of snow and 40 mph winds.

Northwest Illinois was also under a winter storm warning with forecasts calling for 7 to 12 inches of snow by early Wednesday. The Chicago area as well as Gary, Indiana were under winter storm warnings predictions call for up to 6 inches of snow and wind gusts up to 30 mph.