The remnants of Tropical Depression Fred set off a chain reaction of tornadoes and tornado warnings across the Southeast, especially in the Carolinas, on Tuesday, a day after the storm system made landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Throughout the night, the Weather Service issued at least 10 tornado warnings in North and South Carolina, meaning a tornado had been spotted or picked up on a radar.
Parts of those two states and Virginia were under tornado watch until 2 a.m. Wednesday. A few tornadoes were likely, along with hail and wind gusts up to 60 mph, the Weather Service said.
Tornadoes were reported in Edgefield, SC, and in Iredell County, NC, about 50 miles north of Charlotte. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
In Greenville County, SC, public school students and teachers were ordered to shelter on the scene Tuesday afternoon after a tornado warning was issued for the area, local media reported. The warning was later withdrawn.
Fred was expected to trek through northern Georgia and the southern Appalachian Mountains later Tuesday, with four to eight inches of rain — totals that could reach 10 inches in a few areas, according to the National Weather Service.
