Severe storms batter the south and east USA by Dan Corbett
A series of violent storms are hammering large areas of the south and east USA, bringing a mix of heavy rain, snow and gales, and causing widespread disruption.
Some unseasonably warm air pushed north from the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday night, generating torrential rain and tornadoes across some Gulf States including Mississippi and Louisiana.
On Wednesday, this warm and moist air met up with colder air coming down from the arctic and the rain turned for a time to snow. Forecasters are predicting up to 5cm (2 inches) of rain for central Mississippi by the end of Thursday, which is good news as the region remains in a long-term drought.
The moisture laden air is continuing to track north-eastwards on Thursday, and as it meets the increasingly colder air, it will produce freezing rain and snow across large areas from Virginia to Maine.
Dozens of warnings and advisories are still in force, including flood warnings in Alabama and Georgia, tornado watches in Florida and winter storm warnings in Pennsylvania and New York in the north-east.
