'We've got damage at lots of places:' At least 3 dead as tornadoes sweep across Deep South

Doyle Rice | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Trail of damage left after tornadoes and severe storms hit Deep South A violent evening of severe weather in the Deep South left a trail of damage throughout Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

A string of suspected tornadoes left a trail of destruction across the Deep South on Monday, killing at least three people while destroying buildings and downing trees, authorities said.

Damage was reported in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas as storms triggered multiple tornado watches and warnings throughout the day, the Storm Prediction Center said.

One person was reported dead in Louisiana in a suspected tornado strike near Alexandria, and two others were killed in Alabama after another storm hit a city about 55 miles west of Huntsville.

“We’ve got damage at lots of places. We’ve got a church where the fellowship hall is torn all to pieces. Some homes are hit. Right now, we’re having trouble just getting to places because of trees that are down,” said Calvin Turner, chief deputy of the Vernon Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana.

The tornado was on the ground for 63 miles, according to the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Meteorologist Donald Jones said that “I don’t know what our records for the longest total in this area is, but that’s got to be pretty damn close to it."

In Alabama, Town Creek Mayor Mike Parker confirmed two deaths and "destroyed" houses and mobile homes to the Decatur Daily.

About 38,000 customers were without power in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi due to the storms, according to poweroutage.us.

Radar showed possible twisters as the weather system moved across the region, prompting tornado warnings in east Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi as storms moved eastward, the National Weather Service said.

The Storm Prediction Center has placed portions of Louisiana and Mississippi under a "moderate" risk of severe weather, the fourth level on the center's 1-5 scale of severe weather risk.

"These storms will be capable of producing damaging wind gusts, torrential downpours, hail and even an isolated tornado or two," AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.

More images of storm damage in Webster Parish, where we're told at least two homes were destroyed and on person was sent to the hospital. #lawx pic.twitter.com/1XNTjlzDij — Jamie Ostroff (@TheJOstroff) December 16, 2019

"All of the severe thunderstorm threats will continue for a time into the evening hours, becoming even more dangerous in the dark," Buckingham added.

Several school systems in Alabama and Mississippi dismissed students early and canceled afternoon events and activities as a precaution since storms were forecast to be moving through around the usual dismissal times.

Storms could affect the Southeast on Tuesday, especially portions of the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida, the Storm Prediction Center said.

Contributing: Jordan Culver, USA TODAY; The Associated Press.