Major Storm: Tornadoes and Snowstorms Hit the United States

An intense storm is expected to bring rain and snow to some parts of the Northeast early Thursday after wreaking havoc in the South and Ohio Valley with severe weather that spawned tornadoes and damaging winds.

According to a database maintained by USA TODAY, over 361,000 households across West Virginia, Wisconsin, New York, and other states were still without power Wednesday night. In Indiana, where severe weather swept through, including two confirmed tornadoes, nearly 7,800 utility customers were left in the dark.

Reports of possible tornadoes came in from Alabama, West Virginia, Tennessee, Illinois, and Kentucky. In Kentucky, a family of five was rescued after being trapped under an overturned mobile home, as reported by local television station 14 News.

The National Weather Service of Louisville, Kentucky, preliminarily confirmed five tornadoes on Wednesday and stated that crews would assess several areas with reported damage.

These severe weather conditions have resulted in at least two deaths. A young man in Campbell County, Kentucky, died in a traffic accident during Tuesday’s storms, as announced by Governor Andy Beshear at a news conference on Wednesday. Additionally, KJRH-TV reported that a 46-year-old woman in Tulsa, Oklahoma, died after seeking shelter in a storm drain.

"It was like a freight train going through," said Shaminda Hubert, who sought refuge in his basement with his wife, Irangi, and their dogs, Luna and Brownie, when a powerful storm passed through Louisville, Kentucky, around 6 p.m. Although their home was not damaged, they lost three trees, including a cherry tree that had stood for generations.

While residents in the Ohio Valley began cleanup efforts, millions of others in the upper Midwest and eastern United States prepared for possible severe weather on Wednesday. A tornado watch was issued for parts of northern Florida and southeastern Georgia. From West Virginia to southern New York, an area was under a flood watch, and New England faced winter storm warnings with forecasts of 1 to 2 feet of snow by late Thursday.

Heavy snowfall was also forecast across parts of the Upper Mississippi Valley and Upper Great Lakes, including northern Michigan, where a blizzard warning was in effect, according to the National Weather Service. Significant snow accumulation of 6 to 12 inches was expected from central to eastern Wisconsin, accompanied by blizzard warnings across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Meteorologists anticipate that the storm will move over the mid-Atlantic Coast by Thursday evening and northeastward to the Gulf of Maine by Friday, according to the weather service.