Southeast Continues to Get Hammered by Strong Storms, Tornadoes

Forecasters at the National Weather Service in Mobile, Ala., say a tornado was reported in Molino in northwest Florida on Monday. The line of strong thunderstorms also moved into storm-battered Alabama on Monday, bringing the threat of tornadoes, stiff winds and heavy rain.

Forecast center employee Gene Jacobi said there were no reports of injuries or property damage from the Florida twister. Jacobi says forecasters spotted the dangerous rotation on radar midmorning Monday and issued a series of alerts and warnings.

Forecasters said the line of severe weather was expected to make its way across the Panhandle throughout Monday. Some areas have reported local flooding from heavy rains overnight and throughout the previous week.

On Pensacola Beach, Fla., the National Park Service closed some flood-prone roads in Gulf Islands National Seashore because of potential flooding.

NWS issued a tornado watch for more than 30 Alabama counties, including Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, Montgomery, Mobile and Baldwin from the forecasted severe thunderstorms. There were no immediate reports of any damage from those storms.

More than 20 Alabama counties were reporting washed out roads and bridges, Alabama Emergency Management Agency Director Art Faulkner said.

The severe weather threat comes to a state already besieged by flooding and storms fueled by unusually warm winter weather.

Birmingham city officials say more than 70 structures sustained some type of damage from a tornado that touched down on Christmas night.

A man and a 5-year-old were killed in Coffee County when their vehicle was swept away by flood waters on Christmas Day as they tried to cross a bridge.

The National Weather Service on Monday issued a flood watch for multiple counties as additional rainfall on saturated soil increased the potential for flash flooding.