Radar imagery shows the storm near Deer Lodge, Tennessee, Thursday night.
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A mother and daughter were killed in severe storms that struck Morgan County in East Tennessee Thursday night, and three others were injured in the area.
Officials with the county's emergency management agency confirmed the casualties in a Facebook post Friday morning, saying the victims were in the Deer Lodge and Sunbright areas of the county. Their identities were not immediately released.
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The EMA said the storms hit the area at about 8:27 p.m. local time Thursday night and caused "severe property damage." More than 100 emergency personnel responded to the scene.
An EMA spokesperson told WBIR.com that the three injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. The Tennessee Highway Patrol said in an email to the Associated Press that nobody was believed to be missing.
A survey crew with the National Weather Service is expected to inspect the damage Friday and determine whether or not it was caused by a tornado. If a tornado is confirmed, it will likely be the first killer tornado of 2025 in the United States, pending confirmation from the Storm Prediction Center.
Over each of the past three years, tornadoes have been responsible for at least 23 U.S. deaths, according to the SPC. The highest death toll of the past three years was in 2023, when 83 people were killed by U.S. tornadoes.
Morgan County, which is located about 50 miles northwest of Knoxville, closed schools as a result of the storm damage.
This is a developing story; please check back frequently for updates.
