4 dead, thousands without power after storms hit southern U.S.

Just two days before Christmas powerful storms hit the south, claimed the lives of at least four people and left thousands in the dark.

The Associated Press noted that in addition to the deceased, another 50 people were injured during the extreme weather.

WDAM reported that a tornado touched down in Columbia, Mississippi around 2 p.m. local time. Authorities said that the fatalities occurred in Marion County and Jones County.

Tuesday’s storms also caused damage to several homes and businesses.

In Alabama, the storms left downed power lines and flooded many roadways. And, in Tallahassee, Florida, the weather service said travel was strongly discouraged due to the relentless rain that soaked the city.

Some local media outlets in Louisiana said that another twister was believed to have swept through Amite.

The same storm system began drenching parts of the Northeast Wednesday and is expected to continue through the holiday. Additionally, it has the potential to cause nightmares for those traveling to the Midwest as several inches of snow is forecast to fall there.