Alabama tornado was worst in U.S. in six years

Rescue crews are still searching for victims of the tornado that killed 23 people and left 90 more injured in Lee County, Ala., on Sunday. With dozens of people still missing, the nearly mile-wide storm was the deadliest U.S. tornado in almost six years. At least three children were among the victims.

A second storm may have hit near the community of Beauregard, Ala., the National Weather Service said, but most of the damage is attributed to the powerful EF4 twister with 170 mph winds and a path about 24 miles long.

The Storm Prediction Center posted forecasts for higher tornado activity in the region on Thursday, three days before the disaster. University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd said government forecasters “were all over it.” The powerful storm system spawned multiple tornado warnings throughout Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. More than 20 homes in Georgia were destroyed, according to Gov. Brian Kemp, who declared a state of emergency Monday for three counties in the state that suffered the worst damage.