Powerful thunderstorms, possible tornadoes predicted in U.S. South

FILE PHOTO: Strong winds and rain are seen in Starkville, Mississippi, U.S., March 17, 2021 in this still image obtained from a social media video. Video taken March 17, 2021. Dylan Hudler/via REUTERS

(Reuters) - Severe thunderstorms were forecast across Southern U.S. states and the lower Mississippi River Valley on Wednesday with the possibility of high winds, hail and tornadoes, the National Weather Service said.

The storms marked the latest rough weather to descend on the South, where in late March five people were killed, dozens injured and entire neighborhoods wiped out in Northern Alabama by a string of powerful twisters.