One week after deadly barrage, South braces for another wave of severe thunderstorms, tornadoes

One week after the deadliest tornado outbreak in six years battered the South, residents again braced for another round of severe weather that began Sunday and was expected to stretch into Monday.

At least one tornado touched down on Sunday night in Lamar County, Mississippi, emergency officials said, causing at least minor damage. No fatalities have been reported.

"We have reports of two houses damaged, but there may be more than that," said James Smith, Lamar County Emergency Management Director.

Flash flooding of streets and hail was reported across the state. There were more than 30,000 power outages in Mississippi and over 13,000 in Alabama late Sunday night, according to poweroutages.us.

An outbreak of severe thunderstorms began Sunday, threatening east Texas and extending through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, according to the NOAA National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center.

“Multiple episodes of thunderstorms will result in tornadoes, including the possibility for a few strong tornadoes,” the center warned. “Scattered to widespread damaging wind gusts and large hail are also possible.”

The center has also issued a moderate tornado watch for parts of western Louisiana, east Texas and coastal regions that became effective Sunday morning and will run through the late afternoon. The watch indicates that wind gusts of up to 70 mph are likely.

The watch area includes Houston and Shreveport, Louisiana.

Severe weather: Storms and tornadoes could hit the South again on Sunday, forecasters warn

The Storm Prediction Center, by Sunday afternoon, had already received at least 18 reports of hail in parts of central and southeastern Texas and at least 19 reports of high winds in Texas, central Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.

According to weather.com, the severe-weather threat should end by midday Monday, except for some isolated thunderstorms that may linger. Much of the South can expect 1 to 3 inches of rain through Monday. The central parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia are most likely to get more significant rainfall totals.

The National Weather Service said flash floods are expected in the Lower Mississippi Valley and in parts of the Southeast.

Easter outbreak: Tornadoes sweep across the South, leaving at least 30 dead

Last week during Easter Sunday, a series of tornadoes swept through the South. It was the worst outbreak the U.S. has seen in six years, since April 2014, when 35 people were killed in the central and southern U.S., the Storm Prediction Center said.

In last week’s barrage, more than 100 reported tornadoes left at least 36 dead across Mississippi, South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee and North Carolina.

Coronavirus updates: Get the latest news and information on the COVID-19 pandemic

The timing of the storm threat is only complicated further as the U.S. continues to battle the coronavirus outbreak that has infected more than 735,000 and claimed the lives of almost 40,000 nationally as of Sunday morning, according to the John Hopkins University Data Dashboard.

“Do not let the virus prevent you from seeking refuge from a tornado,” the American Meteorological Society said April 9 in a statement. “If a public tornado shelter is your best available refuge from severe weather, take steps to ensure you follow CDC guidelines for physical distancing and disease prevention.”

Contributing: Jessica Flores, USA TODAY; Giacomo Bologna, Wilton Jackson and Sarah Fowler, The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, Miss.).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Weather forecast storms: South braces for thunderstorms, tornadoes