Tornado Hits Mississippi, Fierce Storm Moves Through Southeast

Several tornadoes hit the Southeast on Tuesday afternoon, including one in Mississippi that left at least four dead, numerous others injured, and caused damage to structures.

Two people died in Marion County, Mississippi, and two more in Jones County, state Emergency Management Agency spokesman Brett Carr confirmed to the Huffington Post.

A tornado formed near Amite City, Louisiana and moved on to Columbia in southern Mississippi, which appeared to be hit the hardest. Striking Columbia at about 2 p.m. CT, the tornado "was a very large one," Karla Brown with the Marion County Sheriff's Department told the Huffington Post. Columbia saw extensive damage, and numerous people were injured, Carr said. The Sheriff's Department was responding to reports of people trapped.

The tornado caused power outages in Columbia and closed many roads, Carr said. A Walmart saw significant damage, WDAM reported. Jones County also saw damage to homes and power outages.

Across the southeast, at least five tornadoes touched down, in states including Mississippi, Georgia, and Louisiana, ABC reported.

A day care off of Highway 42 near Sumrall, Mississippi was reportedly hit, Sumrall Police Department spokesman Officer Nick Verner told CNN. No children were injured Officer Verner said.

About 15 homes outside Amite, Louisiana were destroyed by the storm system, Tangipahoa Parish Emergency Management spokeswoman Vicki Travis told CNN.

Hail was reported in Mississippi and golf ball-sized pieces landed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana earlier in the day.

A state emergency was issued in parts of Mississippi following the storm.

Parts of Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and Florida were put under a tornado watch by the National Weather Service.

Elsewhere in the southeast, flash flooding in Tallahassee and Leon County in Florida prompted water rescues for people stranded by high waters, the Weather Channel reported. The city of Tallahassee broke its all-time record for rainiest December day, accumulating 6.26 inches as of 7 p.m. ET. A flash flood emergency was put into effect.

A house in Amite City, Louisiana had its roof ripped off, WDSU reported. There were no reported injuries, but approximately 15-20 homes saw damage, the NWS told the Weather Channel.

The NWS activated a tornado watch and flash flood watch for parts of Alabama.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates...