Footage of a monstrous tornado in Savannah, Georgia 0:41
(CNN) —
Heavy rains and tornadoes could hit the southeastern United States on Wednesday, as the South still grapples with damage from storms earlier this week that claimed the lives of at least two people.
More than 42 million people were under some level of threat from severe storms Wednesday across much of the Southeast and parts of southern Appalachia, with high winds, multiple tornadoes and hail possible, the Storm Prediction Center warned.
Strong storms passing through the southern US have left 1 person dead and bring tornadoes and damaging winds
The main threat of storms in the United States
The biggest threat of the day -- a level 3 of 5 -- affects about 13.6 million of that total people, in areas of Alabama, Tennessee and small parts of the Carolinas.
The threat covers the Atlanta area and the Alabama cities of Birmingham and Montgomery, according to the forecast center.
This Wednesday's storms are expected to be concentrated in two areas and time slots:
Severe thunderstorms in early afternoon across Alabama and southern Georgia, possibly in the same affected areas Tuesday.
Thunderstorms along a cold front moving southeast through the afternoon and evening.
tornado chances
The greatest chance for a tornado this Wednesday is in southern Georgia.
While damaging wind gusts are more likely further north, from northern Alabama and Georgia into Tennessee.
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45 million people in the US under tornado and storm warning 1:03
A tornado watch is in effect until 10 pm Miami time for parts of Georgia.
Including the southern Atlanta area and cities like Columbus, Albany and Macon.
A flood watch is also in effect for parts of Georgia through Thursday morning as heavy rains could overwhelm already-high rivers and streams and cause flash flooding, the National Weather Service said.
Two people died Tuesday when storms and tornadoes swept through the southern United States
The bad weather comes after parts of the south were hit by a series of storms on Monday and Tuesday that killed at least two people.
Dozens of tornadoes were reported Monday through Tuesday from Texas to the southeast, including at least 38 on Tuesday in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, according to the Weather Service.
High winds and tornadoes, both possible and confirmed, uprooted trees and power lines in parts of these areas.
They also damaged homes and businesses in several states.
The southern United States is once again under the threat of tornadoes and severe storms
An East Texas man was killed when a tree fell on a mobile home in the Whitehouse community, the Smith County Emergency Management Coordinator said.
Another person was killed in Bryan County, Georgia, when bad weather swept through the area, local authorities said.
The county, which is close to Savannah, declared a state of emergency due to the impacts of a tornado, officials said.
Debris from the tornado has left several people trapped in their homes in Bryan County, emergency officials said.
Trystan McCorkle recorded video of a tornado on Interstate 16 just before exit 143 in Bryan County, Georgia.
Mary Edwards was driving on Interstate 16 in Georgia, not far from Savannah, when she spotted a tornado on Tuesday.
The tornado appeared minutes after Edwards received a tornado warning on his phone.
"Seeing it right in front of you is humbling. It's exciting, it's majestic and you really have that sense of mortality. You give up," he said.
Possible tornadoes were reported in South Carolina's Allendale County, where four homes were destroyed, five others suffered major damage and at least three people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, the state's emergency management division said.
A home was damaged in the Randell Petrie neighborhood of Houston County in central Georgia during a storm Tuesday.
In central Georgia's Houston County, Randell Petrie, his wife and their dog hid in their home for about two minutes as a severe storm tore through their neighborhood: "I heard the sound of a train and told my wife to get into the closet," he said.
When the rain stopped about 30 minutes later, he went out and saw houses damaged by fallen trees, including one that crushed a roof and was inside the building, he said.
Some trees were uprooted.
CNN's Aya Elamroussi, Sharif Paget, Sara Smart, Dave Alsup and Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.
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