Powerful storms spawned a number of reported tornadoes across the South, causing damage in Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama. NBC's Al Roker reports.
By msnbc.com staff and news services
Updated at?9:10 a.m. ET: At least three people were killed as storms swept through Jefferson County near Birmingham, Ala.,?officials reported.
Two people were killed in Center Point and one in Oak Grove, said Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency spokesman Mark Kelly said.
A storm system produced a possible tornado that moved across northern Jefferson County around 3:30 a.m., causing damage in Oak Grove, Graysville, Fultondale, Center Point, Clay and Trussville.
"Center Point was hit pretty badly," Kelly said.
"We have major, major damage," said Bob Ammons, another Jefferson County EMA official, speaking of Center Point, Trussville and some unincorporated areas of the county.
"Some roads are impassable, there are a number of county roads where you have either debris down, trees down, damage from homes," added Yasamie Richardsond, a spokeswoman for the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.
In Clanton, about 50 miles south of Birmingham, rescuers were responding to reports of a trailer turned over with people trapped, City Clerk Debbie Orange said.
Butch Dill / AP
This neighborhood in Trussville, Ala., was among those hit by a suspected tornado overnight.
The Birmingham News reported that in DeKalb County, which suffered casualties and serious damage following the April 27, 2011, tornado, public storm shelters are still not installed, and they will likely not be ready in time for the new tornado season.
Updated at 7:27 a.m. ET:?Firefighters started house-to-house searches in Center Point, Ala., early Monday amid reports that people?were trapped after storms swept through the area.
Butch Dill / AP
Rescue workers help a family out of their neighborhood in Trussville, Ala. on Monday.
Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency Duty Manager Bob Ammons?told The Associated Press that rescuers would do "whatever it takes" to free victims from?damaged?buildings.?
Updated at 6:45 a.m. ET: Alabama Emergency Management Agency says it has received?reports of heavy storm damage in Center Point and other parts of Jefferson County with many houses damage or destroyed.
Updated at 5:21 a.m. ET: A line of "strong to severe storms" that could feature tornadoes pushed through?parts of?Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama early Monday,?Weather.com reported.
Tornadoes were also spotted in Arkansas on Sunday night, but there were no reports of any injuries.
"Some segments within the long line of storms can contain a short-lived, rain-wrapped tornado," Weather.com warned on its website at 5:15 a.m. ET.
Forecasters said?Monday's storms could?feature "damaging winds in excess of 50 mph, heavy downpours and frequent lightning."
Published at 4:47 a.m. ET: Twisters downed trees and power lines in Arkansas leaving thousands without?electricity late Sunday, as forecasters warned that tornadoes and heavy storms could mete out damage to several southeast states into Monday.
The National Weather Service said it received reports of possible tornadoes in Arkansas, Dallas, Lonoke, Prairie and Cleveland counties Sunday night. The storms also brought hail and strong winds as they moved through parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois and Mississippi.
A tornado tore into an area outside of Fordyce, some 70 miles south of state capital Little Rock at around 8:00 p.m. local time, damaging houses and felling trees and power lines as it moved, according to Accuweather.com.
An official at Dallas County sheriff's department told Reuters that emergency responders rescued a woman after she become trapped in her home. No injuries were reported.
Accuweather carried reports of five other twisters touching the ground in Arkansas, which was pelted by softball-sized hailstones and buffeted by winds gusting up to 70 miles per hour.
The storms were part of a system threatening parts of the South and Midwest overnight. A tornado watch was in effect for parts of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee early Monday.
National Weather Service forecaster Marlene Mickelson in Memphis, Tenn., told The Associated Press that the Memphis area had some damage from winds that reached 60 to 70 mph.
Funnel clouds were spotted within 20 miles of Little Rock, according to a national weather service alert, which also issued a flood advisory for the city.
Roughly 13,400 homes were without power across Arkansas as the storms intensified, according to utility provider Entergy Arkansas, Inc.
Msnbc.com, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.??
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