Tornado Wrecks Firehouse as Storms Hit South

Strong thunderstorms shook parts of the South on Monday, generating tornadoes in Georgia that demolished a fire station, blew mobile homes off their foundations and ripped out trees and power lines.

Two tornadoes touched down in rural Lowndes County in southern Georgia, heavily damaging several homes. No injuries were reported.

“We’ve had extensive damage. There’s been quite a few houses which are wiped out completely,” Lowndes County Sheriff’s Deputy Robert Rudd said. “We’ve got lines down all over the area.”

Later in the day, in western Georgia, a powerful storm system spawned at least one tornado in Carroll County but it did not touch down.

In Naylor, Ga., the volunteer Fire Department was hit and fire trucks held up what was left of the battered building.

Speeds Up to 65 M.P.H.

Severe thunderstorms developed rapidly across northern sections of Mississippi and Alabama as well as west-central Georgia, and raced eastward at speeds up to 65 m.p.h. A severe thunderstorm over northwestern Alabama dropped hail as large as golf balls near Goodsprings, about 25 miles northwest of Birmingham.

Severe thunderstorms also produced 1-inch hail at Anniston, Ala. One-inch hail pelted Carrollton, Ga., Coldwater, Ala., and Cleburne County, Ala.

In Florida, a waterspout sighted near Key West moved ashore as a tornado and caused some property damage on Stock Island, the National Weather Service said.

The same system Sunday night kicked up 60-m.p.h. winds over north-central Texas that destroyed a mobile home in rural Parker County, injuring two elderly brothers and scattering debris across a highway, authorities said.

William Russell, 69, was in serious condition at Harris Methodist Hospital in Ft. Worth with a scalp laceration and other injuries. His 72-year-old brother, V. C., was in stable condition at Campbell Hospital in Weatherford, where he was being treated for fractured ribs, a hospital spokesman said.

Windows Broken

About 100 miles northwest of Ft. Worth in Graham, high winds broke windows, damaged roofs and caused other minor damage, police said.

A separate storm system moving through the northern Rocky Mountains produced bands of heavy snow from central Montana into western Wyoming.

By late morning, 5 inches of snow had fallen at Bear Lodge and Arrowhead Lodge in the Big Horn Mountains. Up to 8 inches of snow was expected in the Big Horns.

A snow advisory was posted for Utah’s northern mountains above 5,500 feet.