36 tornadoes confirmed in deadly Southeast outbreak
The number of tornadoes confirmed to have touched down in a deadly weekend outbreak across the Southeast has risen to at least 36.
Survey teams for the National Weather Service found evidence of the twisters in Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina.
The most powerful was an E4 tornado blamed for killing 23 people Sunday in rural Lee County, Alabama. Its destructive winds reached 170 mph (274 kph) as it carved a path of destruction nearly a mile wide. The tornado trekked nearly 70 miles (113 kilometers) from western Alabama into Georgia after crossing the Chattahoochee River at the state line.
All of the tornado deaths were in Alabama, though several people in Georgia were injured.
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Residents searching for belongings are dwarfed by the devastation in Beauregard, Ala., Wednesday, March 6, 2019. The twister that smashed Beauregard was the deadliest U.S. tornado in nearly six years. The weather service said it remained on the ground for an hour and 16 minutes, crossing the Chattahoochee River into western Georgia along a path stretching roughly 70 miles (Joe Songer/AL.com. via AP) -
Crosses stand as a makeshift memorial for the victims of a tornado in Opelika, Ala., Wednesday, March 6, 2019. (AP Photo/David Goldman) -
Residents searching for belongings are dwarfed by the devastation in Beauregard, Ala., Wednesday, March 6, 2019. The twister that smashed Beauregard was the deadliest U.S. tornado in nearly six years. The weather service said it remained on the ground for an hour and 16 minutes, crossing the Chattahoochee River into western Georgia along a path stretching roughly 70 miles (Joe Songer/AL.com. via AP)
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