At least 8 dead as tornadoes rip through Southeast

At least eight people have died after severe storms and dozens of tornadoes swept the Southeast on Thursday.

Seven people were killed in Autauga County, Ala., multiple news outlets reported on Friday. A 5-year-old also died in Butts County, Ga., when a tree fell on a car, the county coroner confirmed.

At least 35 tornadoes were recorded across the Southeastern U.S. on Thursday, downing power lines and damaging buildings, according to preliminary data from the National Weather Service. 

Alabama and Georgia appear to have faced the brunt of the damage, with at least 14 counties in Alabama and five in Georgia sustaining damage in the severe storms, The Associated Press reported.

Thursday’s storms were the latest in a recent series of intense weather events to bombard the U.S. At least 17 people have died in California as heavy rainfall has led to deadly flooding, while dozens were killed in a late December winter storm that slammed much of the Northeast.