The storm system responsible for bringing a heavy snowfall to portions of the northeast also triggered a severe weather outbreak in the southeast.

The hardest hit states were Alabama and Georgia where first responders are sifting through wreckage to find survivors and victims from the deadly weather. In Alabama, Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said at least 23 people were killed there. The coroner for the county told reporters he needed help brought in because there were more bodies than his office could handle. In Talbot County, Georgia, emergency officials reported at least 8 minor injuries there. While no seriously injured or dead were found overnight, a thorough search had not been completed as of press time.




The 23 deaths reported on Sunday marked what would be deadliest day for tornadoes in the state since the deadly Tuscaloosa-Birmingham tornado that killed more than 200 people in 2011.

Fortunately, the severe weather outbreak is over. Strong thunderstorms associated with the storm system in the eastern U.S. are rapidly clearing the southeast coast now and the atmosphere will quickly stabilize.