East Coast braces for another night of dangerous storms

A massive storm system that swept across a dozen states in the South this week is now making its way north. Residents in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast are bracing for the worst, as the weather continues to create deadly conditions and leaves a wake of destruction in its path. 

At least 25 tornadoes and almost 200 thunderstorms were reported from Texas to Florida, leaving tens of thousands of residents without power and damaging dozens of homes and businesses. Overnight Wednesday, a storm killed two people living in a mobile home in Florida’s Panhandle. 

“We were lucky to be alive,” residents in Livingston, Louisiana, told CBS News. 

In Memphis, Tennessee, strong winds and torrential rain brought down a massive tree onto a row of apartments. Marcus Butler’s home was just a few feet away.

“I’d just laid down and I heard something coming and it just louder and louder and louder,” Butler said. “And then I heard this boom. It was just a big… seemed like the house shook.”

More severe storms are forecast for Thursday night, with the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, including New York City, as the next targets. Those areas will see rain and heavy winds, with some gusts reaching up to 60 mph and making tornadoes possible, according to The Weather Channel meteorologist Mike Bettes.

Florida could also see some remnants of the storm on Friday. But more storms are expected throughout the weekend and into next week, with the South again at risk of severe weather, including flooding.

Across the United States, the number of tornadoes in March was almost double what it usually is during this part of the storm season.