Tornado rips through Florida Panhandle, killing 2 in Washington County

At least two people were killed after a line of severe storms ripped through Florida Panhandle on Wednesday night, toppling trees and power lines and damaging several homes and businesses.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday morning that two were killed and two injured when a tornado touched down in the western Florida Panhandle. The sheriff’s office also said several homes were destroyed by the tornado.

“A tornado has touched down in Washington County in the area of Gilbert’s Mill Rd. and surrounding areas. Homes have been destroyed. Multiple power lines down.  Please refrain from traveling this area as crews are still searching for further damage,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement on their Facebook page, along with photos of a damaged home.

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Sheriff’s spokesperson Kristy Kolmetz told The Weather Channel, “There was total destruction to some homes in that area. There are roads closed in that area, there’s downed power lines … Everyone’s still on scene this morning just assessing everything.”

Meanwhile, several people were injured after two confirmed tornadoes ripped through Mississippi and Tennessee on Wednesday, damaging homes and businesses.

Earlier in the day, a storm had caused massive damage in Arkansas, Missouri and Texas.

About 185,000 customers were without electricity Thursday morning in the wake of the storm along a band of states: Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks utilities.

No deaths were reported from the storms late Tuesday and early Wednesday, officials said.

This is a developing story