The Latest on severe weather moving across the United States (all times local):

6 p.m.

A utility pole has fall and hit two vehicles as stormy weather moved into the New Orleans area.

WVUE-TV reports that the pole fell just before 2 p.m. Thursday during windy weather in the suburb of Harvey. That knocked out power to about 1,500 customers in the area for much of the afternoon.

Two minor injuries were reported among occupants in the vehicles.

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4:40 p.m.

National Weather Service forecasters say they believe multiple tornadoes have hit the southern half of Mississippi as a storm system moves east.

No injuries have been reported and damage reports remain scattered.

Weather Service meteorologists will survey later seeking to confirm twisters.

People huddled in hallways, stairways and basements across southwest Mississippi and the Jackson metropolitan area for much of Thursday afternoon, as tornado sirens wailed, winds howled and rains poured.

Utilities reported more than 50,000 electrical outages statewide, with trees blocking roads and highways in many places.

Local news outlets report a school bus carrying preschoolers was briefly trapped between downed trees on a road near Utica. Two cars were flipped in a Walmart parking lot in Clinton, near Jackson. Emergency management officials say they received multiple reports of trees falling on houses in rural, southern Hinds County, which includes Jackson.

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2:15 p.m.

Heavy winds and power outages are being reported as a storm system moves across Louisiana and Mississippi.

The National Weather Service reported gusts of 60 mph (97 kph) in Natchez, Mississippi, on Thursday afternoon as the storm system moved across the Mississippi River from Louisiana.

Utilities report about 13,000 customers without power across central Louisiana and another 10,000 without power in southwest Mississippi.

Trees were reported down in multiple locations throughout the region. A spotter confirmed a tornado on the ground southwest of Jackson.

Dozens of schools and colleges dismissed students early as tornado watches were issued.

There was also a band of power outages in east Texas stretching from Tyler south to nearly College Station.

The same system produced tornadoes and hail earlier in North Texas, the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma and southeastern Kansas.

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11:45 a.m.

Forecasters are warning about tornadoes and other violent weather as a storm system moves into the southeastern United States.

The National Weather Service issued a series of tornado warnings about a front pushing eastward from Texas on Thursday. Strong storms covered much of Louisiana.

A tornado watch reached from coastal Louisiana into central Mississippi, and more weather alerts are likely. Flood warnings reached as far north as central Indiana.

The same system produced tornadoes and hail earlier in North Texas, the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma and southeastern Kansas.

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9:55 a.m.

Severe thunderstorms rumbled across North Texas, the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma and southeastern Kansas, producing several tornadoes and unleashing widespread hail.

Seven tornadoes were reported across the Plains from the northeastern Texas Panhandle to southeastern Kansas. Strong winds hit elsewhere Wednesday evening, toppling utility poles and trees and downing power lines in parts of North Texas. No significant structural damage has been reported.

The National Weather Service received numerous reports of hail pelting the storm-struck areas. Egg-size hail was reported about 60 miles (95 kilometers) northwest of Fort Worth.

The storms were expected to move Thursday into the Deep South. Dozens of schools in Mississippi and Alabama dismissed students early as a precaution.

The threat comes days after dozens of tornadoes from East Texas to Georgia left at least nine dead.