Severe weather threatens tornadoes, floods along U.S. Atlantic Coast

By Harriet McLeod CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - A handful of tornadoes were spotted in the U.S. Southeast on Wednesday as a storm system brought high winds, rain and threats of flooding to the East Coast, according to the National Weather Service. Tornadoes were suspected or confirmed in Georgia and South Carolina about 5:30 p.m. ET, according to national and local weather officials. Rough threatened to delay flights and slow commutes along the East Coast as the severe weather was expected to last at least through the Wednesday evening commute, Accuweather.com forecasters said. Heavy rain and high winds extended from northern Florida through parts of Virginia, including warnings of gusts up to 60 mph, according to forecasters on Accuweather.com. Moderate rain was forecast as far north as Maine. The dangerous conditions spun off from the same system that brought blizzards, floods and tornadoes to the south and central United States on Tuesday, including a twister in Alabama reported to have displaced dozens from their homes. Wednesday's heavy rainfall contributed to several collisions involving injuries on flooded roads and highways in South Carolina, state highway patrol officials said. State and national weather officials received reports of downed trees in several counties and a vehicle trailer blown over. "This wall, or bands, of weather moving through the state is creating very hazardous conditions on the roadways," said Derrec Becker, South Carolina Emergency Management Division spokesman. "It's a very narrow system, but it's very fast, and it's very strong, too." A tornado in Lexington, South Carolina, damaged trees and cars when it touched down for about half a mile on Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. Tornadoes in Columbia, South Carolina, and near Fort Stewart military base in Georgia were reported shortly after 5 p.m. ET, the service said. A rash of short-lived tornado warnings were also issued until about 4 p.m. for several towns in central South Carolina. The region's severe weather should drop off by Thursday, giving way to cooler but calmer conditions through the weekend, Alex Sosnowski, senior meteorologist, wrote on the Accuweather.com site. The Northeast is likely to see rain or wet snow on Thursday evening, with the potential for a small amount of snow accumulation on Friday morning, forecasters said. (Additional reporting and writing by Karen Brooks in Fort Worth, Texas; Editing by James Dalgleish and Cynthia Osterman)