major damage to downtown businesses in prairieville. incredibly, dozens of people inside this gold's gym, unharmed, as a reported tornado rips through. >> i started screaming, everybody get down, take cover. >> reporter: the entire side of the building sheered off. the storms started in the middle of the night near san antonio, with golf ball-sized hail. this car getting pummeled. heavy rain bringing accidents. one person injured when this tractor trailer overturned and three cars slammed into it. in houston, this school bus caked with mud. no kids on board. david, these storms are on the move, headed east, and nighttime is the most dangerous time for tornadoes, so, authorities are asking everyone in the region to be on alert. david? >> linzie, thank you. of course, because people then go to bed and you say this is not going to weaken throughout the night. to bottom are such that things may strengthen. that's going to be extremely dangerous. tornadoes warnings just east of hattiesburg. tornado watches posted until 10:00 p.m. large torna

one of those reported tornadoes in prairieville, louisiana, tearing up this shopping district. that storm on the move, heading up the coast. heavy rain, wind and right behind it, sleet and snow. a dangerous night ahead. and a travel nightmare tomorrow. we are on it all tonight, and abc's linzie janis leads us off linzie? >> reporter: david, we're here in prairieville, where a reported tornado rippled apart this golds gym. it took off the roof, then knocked out this entire side wall. you can see, the metal beam still hanging. this damage from one of multiple reported tornadoes across the gulf coast. >> oh look, it's going down! >> reporter: funnel clouds trying to touch down near new new orleans. >> a tornado warning in this area. take shelter now. extreme threat. >> reporter: severe weather spawning this massive water spout on lake pontchartrain. watch as two more form on the sides. the threat growing throughout the day. now, a particularly dangerous situation. officials in four states telling residents to be on extreme alert, for large, long-tracking major damage to downtown b

. >> in downtown prairieville, major damage to businesses.ncredibly, dozen of people inside this gold's gym unharmed as a reported tornado rips through. >> i started screaming everybody get down. everybody get down it take cover. >> reporter: the entire side of the building sheered off. the storms started near san antonio with golf ball sized hail. this car getting pummeled. heavy rain bringing accidents. one person injured when this tractor-trailer overturned and three cars slammed into it. these storms are on the move headed east so authorities are asking everyone across the region to remain on alert. linzie janis, abc news, prairieville, louisiana. >> we should point out that storm warnings are going up right now as the system moves east. >>> and taking a look at the radar, tornado watches in effect in georgia and florida overnight. dangerous conditions from the deep south up the east coast. our coverage continues with accuweather's paul williams. good morning. caused havoc throughout the deep south, that same system is now going to shift

one of those reported tornadoes in prairieville, louisiana, tearing up this shopping district. that storm on the move, heading up the ast. heavy rain, wind and right behind it, sleet and snow. several major cities in the path. a dangerous night ahead. and a travel nightmare tomorrow. we are on it all tonight, and abc's linzie janis leads us off from louisiana tonight. linzie? >> reporter: david, we're here in prairieville, where a reported tornado rippled apart this golds gym. it took off the roof, then

one of those reported tornadoes in prairieville, louisiana, tearing up this shopping district. that storm on the move, heading up the coast. heavy rain, wind and right behind it, sleet and snow. several major cities in the path. a dangerous night ahead. and a travel nightmare tomorrow. we are on it all tonight, and abc's linzie janis leads us off from louisiana tonight. linzie?

one of those reported tornadoes in prairieville, louisiana, tearing up this shopping district. that storm on the move, heading up the coast. heavy rain, wind and right behind it, sleet and snow. several major cities in the path. a dangerous night ahead. and a travel nightmare tomorrow. we are on it all tonight, and abc's linzie janis leads us off from louisiana tonight. linzie? >> reporter: david, we're here in prairieville, where a reported tornado rippled apart this golds gym. it took off the roof, then knocked out this entire side wall. you can see, the metal beam still hanging. this damage from one of multiple reported tornadoes across the gulf coast. >> oh look, it's going down!

and in neighboring prairieville... gym goers dodging debris and running to take cover when the storm struck. the roof of this gold's gym peeling up as glass walls came crashing down. (gym goer) "when the weather gets so bad the roof of your gym blows off." in florida ... apartment complexes demolished. damaging winds tossing cars like toys. texas not spared from the storm's wrath. hail the size of golf balls thousands without power -- with hundreds of reports of broken windows and damaged rooftops. ((kirsten joyce)) the storms will continue through florida... then move into georgia, the carolinas and eastern virginia. /// ((kirsten joyce)) > from severe weather... to our sunny skies. sherry.. it looks like it'll be another beautiful day in the valley. ((sherry swensk)) > we have it so much easier than the other side of the country at this hour... a sunny and calmer day in southern nevada. no wind advisories... temps back up to near normal. it's one of those near-perfect desert days. ........... but another warm-up in o

in downtown prairieville, major damage to business. incredibly, dozsf people inside this gd'gymunrmed as a reported torno rips through. >> i srted screaming, everody get down everybody, get down. take cov. >> reporter: the eire side of the buildingheared o. the orms start nsan antonio withba siz ha. isar getti pummeled. hey rain bringing accidents. e person injured when this tractotrailer overturned and ree cars smmed into it. ese stor on the move headed east sohoties are asking everyone ross the region to rein on alert. liie janis, abnews, prairieville, louisian we shou point out that storm warnings a going up ea. >> and taking a look at the rar, tornado watch inffect in georgia and florida overnight. dangerouconditions from the deep sou up the east coast. covera continu with accuweather's paul williams. morning, paul.>> good morng, ken dishgs reena. same deadly storm that causedavoc throughout the deep south, that same system isow going shift towards the east affectinthe folks as far north as d.c., richmd, and as far south as jackson

several tornadoes have been spotted including one that tore the roof off a gold's gym in prairieville, louisiana. there are no reports of any serious injuries inside the gym. there are reports of injuries elsewhere in louisiana. >>> sexual transmission of zika appears to be more common than doctors thought. the centers for disease control and prevention is investigating 14 new cases of sexual transmission of the virus. some of those cases involve pregnant women. they advise expectant mothers to use condoms or abstain from sex if their partner has traveled to areas where zika is spreading. man was travelling to a zika affected area developed symptoms that were consistent with zika, and since two weeks, the female partner developed symptoms consistent with zika virus. >> zika has been spreading across parts of latin america and the caribbean mostly through mosquitos. doctors suspect the virus is to blame for a surge of severe birth defects. >>> consumer reports has released its annual list of best vehicles of the year. the honda fit is the best compact car. the subaru impereza. the best

at golds gym in prairieville louisiana, not so lucky. the roof was torn off and found about a quarter of a mile away. the interior of the gem is also a wreck due to nonstop rain. 35 people were inside the gym when that storm hit. we will continue to keep you updated on this developing situation during our 90 minutes of news. can head to tran11.com -- wsls .com. >>> a jury finds anthony stokes guilty on all counts related to racketeering and enterprise conspiracy and construct -- obstruction of justice. >> the two of them were charged following the murder of kevin quick. for others face gang related charges. the jury has yet to read those verdicts. >> she is inside the courtroom right now and will continue to bring you the latest information as it comes into the newsroom but so far we can tell you that there are initially too guilty. -- 2 guilty. >> details remain sketchy tonight. police found a man shot dead inside to 26 halifax street just after midnight. police were not said the man lived there or who called in the report. whether they

one tornado blew the roof off their gym in prairieville lieutenant. another tornado destroyed not an >> they were praying and i was scared. the house would not stop shaking the entire time. >> to the north of mississippi, witnesses say a tornado ripped a mobile home off its foundation and the tornado spawned water spouts on lake park. >>> a terrifying moment at a local preschool in denver. a man broke into the catholic's charity dare care on 28th street. >> a 22-year-old man is facing indecent exposure charges after an incident at the catalytic charity building. tuesday around noon, a man tried to enter the building. staff told the man to leave. police say that suspect identified as 22-year-old benjamin henry wallace kicked in the window of another school building. inside that building where dozens of childrens ages 6 months to 5-year-old. the school went into its emergency protocol procedures and police were called and dozens of kids escorted by teachers into the basement. police arrived within sno children or staff hurt. wallace is facing indecent e

take a look at this video shot by our baton rouge showing some of the storm damage in prairieville steve weather cloud cover will be increasing this afternoon and rain will move into the southern counties of the fox19 now viewing area by midnight. occasionally very heavy rain overnight could cause ponding on roadways and flash flooding could become a problem. in addition areas that have had recent mud slides may see more late tonight and tomorrow. both the morning and evening commutes look rainy day slow. rainfall totals will exceed 2 inches in many areas by midday thursday. as the cold air arrives after midnight wed/thu the rain will change to wet, light snow. with the ground warm and the air at or warmer than 32 it will be a mostly wet to slushy situation. thursday morning could become a problem in isolated areas with a slick spot or two. so we could be dealing with school delays thursday morning. snow showers will be scattered on thursday with 1 inch or so possible and a cold high of 35 degrees. developing now animation developing now... three local cancer centers are under from batav

people were inside this gold's gym in prairieville, louisiana when a twister ripped the wall right off the side of the building. the daycare, so definitely a scary situation." amazingly no one was seriously hurt here.. but elsewhere the heavy wind and rain powerful enough to flip this tractor trailer over proved to be deadly and with dozens injured. the search is continuing for anyone who may still be strapped in the mangled mess of debris.. ((sot)) willy martin, st. james' parish sheriff "we are hoping that's we can get down into those debris piles and try to find people." ad lib toss to 13 weather first chief meteorologist bryan scofield . a simply wonderful end of the week and weekend is in store for the desert southwest. temperatures will continue to warm as high pressure builds in overhead and keeps the skies completely clear. high level clouds will pass overhead intermittently through the next several days but will never completely obscure the sun. we'll definitely see the clouds, but they'll only be the decorative sort, and will at best slightly dim the sunshine for a couple min

one of those reported tornadoes in prairieville, louisiana, tearing up this shopping district. that storm on the move, heading up the coast.

the rain continuing to fall in prairieville about 20 miles southeast of baton rouge. many forecasted to be affected. >> people need to be on alert for the potential of tornadoes moving through the area of louisiana, mississippi, alabama and the florida panhandle. there you have it. a tornado watch remains in effect until 6 a.m. for northeast florida. omar lewis, today in florida. >>> breaking overnight, flames ripping through a south florida home. the homeowner managing to get out safely all thanks to his dog. >> diana: alex de armas is live on the scene in northwest miami-dade now with more. >> reporter: like you said, a man is lucky to be alive and has hit little chihuahua to thank. his home in northwest miami-dade was up in flames overnight. i want to get straight to video of firefighters when they were out t here busy fighting this fire. inside the home, we have severe damage, the ceiling is torn apart, the walls covered in ashes. this home here h no smoke detectors. the man woke up to his dog barking and she said he saved his life. >> i was sleeping. during the t

one of those reported tornadoes in prairieville, louisiana, tearing up this shopping district.

. >> a couple of guys in prairieville, louisiana watched in amazement as a tornado crossed the highway in front of them. no one was hurt in this area. but the twister did bring some trees and telephone poles down. not a good idea. and to be that close to a tornado. perhaps, happened upon it. damaged pictures as well we have seen from louisiana an i'll take it back here. there we go. it has been a violent day in that part of the world. still occurring in parts of mississippi and likely into alabama. rain chances, 20%. throughout the evening, lite rains possible. but it really starts to pick up around 6:00 a.m. looking to the west as a cold front approaches the area. right now, we think the timing would be anywhere from 7:00 a.m. to say about noon. the bulk of it, and then possibly lingering into some of lands county. into the early afternoon hours. 73 apollo beach. 72 clear water. hinter haven, 74. showers, thunderstorms on ahead of that. whole area. the areas that are now affected with severe weather with the wash boxes for tornado warnings as well as for severe thunderstorm warnings.

. >> another twister blew the roof off of this gym in prairieville. >> they had about 35 people here working employees and people just working out. they had about eight kids in the day care. so definitely a scary situation. >> forecasters expect the nasty weather to move north. heavy rain, possible tornados, are in the forecast for the carolina's. kenneth craig, cbs news, atlanta. >> and once again that storm system is moving this way. katie will explain its impact here coming up. >> also, do you ever see a facebook status and wish you could do more than just like it? well now you have several options, we'll tell you coming up. also: >> ♪ >> just a great group making beautiful music. more on these special singers and the big performance they're preparing for when we come back. >> ♪ addition to the like button on facebook, you can choose from these: love, haha, wow, sad, originally. all do you have do is cover your mouth over that thumbs-up button, and then you can select the one that i want to use. facebook said it tested the reaction last year and received good reviews. >>> this noo

reporter: in neighboring prairieville, dodging debris. the roof of this jim peeling up as glass walls came crashing down. >> when the weather gets so bad, the roof of your gym and the ball blows off. reporter: in florida, apartment completions demolished. wind touseses cars like toys. texas not spared. hail the size of golf balls. thousands without power, hundreds reports of broken windows and damaged rooftops. >> that was chad reported. the storms will continue through florida today and move to georgia, the carolinas and eastern virginia. the damaging winds will be the greatest threat with tornadoes still possible though not as likely. >>> taking a look at our forecast for today on your wednesday, beautiful outside. i was saying i wish i could go outside and -- outside and enjoy the sun. >> show is over in 11 minutes. our followings joins us with >>> it is going to be a good one to soak up that sunshine. it is beautiful outside. warm temperatures and by the way, if the warm weather has you wanting to get away, weekend get away to vegas,

linzie janis, abc news, prairieville, louisiana. >>e should point out that storm warnings areoing up right now as the system moves east. >>> and taking a look at the radar, tornado watches in effect in georgia and florida overnight. dangerous conditions from the deep south up the east coast. our coverage continues with accuweather's paul williamsn good morning. >>> good morning. that same deadly storm that caused havoc throughout the deep south, that same system is now going to shift towards the east down to tampa with damaging winds. 35 to 55 or 60-mile-per-hour chances of tornadoes as well as damaging hail and you have to keep in mind why. this front's going to cut underneath all this warm air and cause those e orms to fire off. kendis, reena. >> turning to politics, another sweeping victory for donald trump. >> trump won the nevada caucuses by what looks like his widest margin yet. he made hihivictory speech flanked by his two oldest sons telling the crowd he attracted voters across a broad spectrum winning among evangelicals and

look at what strong winds did to this gym in prairieville. completely ripping off the side a gym supervisor telling lindsey janice about the storm. >> the wall just blew out. it was one piece. it didn't even have time. >> reporter: what were you thinking? >> i wasn't thinking much. i was thinking, please god, let everyone be safe. >> reporter: two people living in an rv park died. they're looking for people that may be trapped under debris. and in new orleans, cameras capturing these water spouts. one and then two smaller ones. >>> and now to more breaking news. a two-car crash leaving one person dead and rescuers rushing several people to local hospitals. >> the two vehicles collided at state road 60 and rifle range road in wahneta. and now state road 60 is still closed. >> abc action news reporter michael paluska with the very latest. michael? crash. polk county sheriff investigators have been out there since the crash and still out here. the americas just showed up. the -- the medical examiner just showed up. the suv has side damage and fr

inside this golds gym in prairieville, louisiana, when a twister ripped the walls right off the building. >> employees and people working out.had about eight kids in the daycare. it was a scary situation. >> reporter: amazingly, no one was seriously hurt here, but elsewhere the heavy wind and rain flipped this tractor-trailer over and proved to be deadly. with dozens injured, the search is continuing for anyone trapped in the mangled mess of debris. >> we're hoping we could get down into those debris piles and find people. >> reporter: looking ahead, forecasters say from florida to maryland they could be hit with wind and hail this afternoon. from d.c. to where we are in new york, we are being told to brace for heavy rain and flooding later tonight. elizabeth hur, abc news, new york. >>> we're seeing steady rain, and so would her presidency. which is why, for every american who's not being paid what they're worth... who's held back by student debt or a system tilted against them- and there are far too many of you- she understands that our country can't reach it's potential... unless we a

check out the pictures from prairieville, louisiana. that is just outside of baton rouge. a room rooftop of gold's gym. been reported near new orleans. tom: right now, it may not look bad only local radar, but come tomorrow, it is expected to look completely different. nicole: don slater has a look at willie can expect tonight and where we are headed. don: want to see what is going on throughout the area right now. scattered light rainfall throughout the region. save anything all day long. temperatures in the 40's to around the 50 or 52 degree mark around the region. we will talk about what is going on. the weather is coming. you can see again the scattered thunderstorms, especially down to louisiana and into mississippi. the center of the storm is to the dallas-fort worth area and basically southeast of there. all of this will come marching northeastward. it will be here about 24 hours from now. tomorrow will be the exact opposite of but we had during it will write no, warm up -- it will brighten up and warm up. a little stronger risk coming up for eastern north carolina.

a reported tornado peeling off the roof of this gold's gym in prairieville, louisiana. you see insulation and one wall gone. dozens were inside the building working out at the time. >> tornado warning in this area. take shelter now. extreme threat. >> this shows a funnel cloud orleans. then men appear to be driving over lake pontchartrain. we see damage to a home next to the airport. we continue warning you about the purr of these destructive storms. john: our crews and mobile vehicles are on standby as it gets closer. we will send out push alerts and updates on abc11.com and news app and can you track it on the first alert weather app. caitlin: sadly there are no survivors from a plane crash in nepal. it lost contact eight minutes after taking off from a resort town west of katmandu. it was heading north to a spot for hikeers going into the himalayas. 23 people on board are confirmed dead. you are looking at video from a local tv station and you see obviously some distraught families of passengers. officials say it appears the plane flew straight into a mountain. there

pelizabeth: people were inside pthis gold' s gym in prairieville, plouisiana when a twister ripped pthe wall right off the side of pthe building. paaron: working employees and pjust people working out and they phad about eight kids in the pdaycare, so definitely a scary psituation. pelizabeth: amazingly, no one was pseriously hurt here, but pelsewhere, the heavy wind and prain, powerful enough to flip pthis tractor trailer over, roved to be deadly. pand with dozens injured, the psearch is continuing for anyone pwho may still be strapped in the psheriff martin: we are hoping pthat' pthose debris piles and try to pfind people. pelizabeth: looking ahead, pmaryland, they could be hit with pdamaging winds and hail today, pfurther from d.c. to where we pare here in new york, we' re pbeing told to brace for heavy pelizabeth hur, abc news, new pyork. pamy: new details this noon about pan home invasion in hudson. olice now say 36-year-old pmatthew felton was actually ptargeting his father' s home on pwoodcrest drive. phe was masked and armed with pwhat looked like a gun and was pcarrying a back

this was shot in a gym in prairieville, louisiana. imagine being one of the dozen people inside when some of the roof and side of that building was completely torn off, leaving nothing but wide open skies over that building. >> it touched down in the gym, then right when it touched down in the gym the wall blew out. it was one piece. didn't even have time. >> what were you thinking? >> thinking please god we want to be safe. >> reporter: crews have been searching for hours now, looking for anyone that may be trapped under the debris where the storms hit hardest. >>> meanwhile in new orleans site here, these water spouts on lake pontchartain. first one large spout forms, then two smaller ones form on either side. >>> the storm system has also been doing damage in northwest alabama. the tornado touched down briefly in marion county near hackleburg which was also devastated by a killer tornado just five years ago. officers were reporting falling trees and a few structures with roof damage in the area but no injuries. >>> good morning. if

. >> reporter: some of the worst damages in prairieville where the roof and exterior wall at the school's gym were ripped away. it was lunchtime and workers say the gym was packed with people. no one inside was hurt. law enforcement officials in louisiana say right now they are still actively searching for survivors. maurice and kristine, back to you. >>> campaign 2016, high-stakes contest happening right now in las vegas. and all of nevada. >> voters taking part in the republican presidential caucuses. jessica schneider is here now with the very latest from there. >> reporter: still an hour left of caucusing in nevada. but there are already rumblings of dirty dealings. donald trump tweeting out a warning to his supporters not to be deceived by cruz's people but the nevada gop stress and there are no official reports of voting irregularities. 30 delegates are up for grabs a third consecutive win. >> down at crunch time. we've got to do it. >> reporter: trump pumping up voters in nevada and counting on a knockout punch to the only candidate to beat him so far. >> ted cruz is the single big

and in prairieville louisiana, there were people inside a golds gym when a twister ripped off the wall. >> they had about 35 people here working employees and people just working out. they had about eight kids in the daycare. definitely a scary situation. >> in pensacola florida, neighborhoods were destroyed. look at that. florida's governor has traveled there this morning trying to get a firsthand look at the damage. with all the rough weather that we saw today, we just had to show you this. it's an amazing shot that reporter dave faherty sent to us of this double rainbow this just gorgeous. quite a sight to end the storm. john ahrens is standing by. >> this is perfect rainbow weather. the air is so tropical. when you get breaks in the clouds, the sunlight reflects. there's a lot of moisture in the atmosphere. and it shines like a prism. and you get those gorgeous colors that dave was able to capture. live early warning doppler 9. we're dealing with residual rain. the storm's long gone. you get up near baden lake. passed rich field. some of those communities. there's a couple rain dro

this is just one of the buildings wiped out by the storm in prairieville, louisiana. now, that same weather system is heading north east. elizabeth hur with more on the storm' s deadly and destructive path. >> look up. elizabeth: a massive storm system on the move in these goes . -- the east coast. this rv park in louisiana of litter rated. >> i took off running to help people. elizabeth: entire neighborhoods in pensacola, florida decimated, 27 reported tornadoes in 24 hours across five states. people were inside this goals jim and louisiana when a twister ripped the wall off the building. daycare, a scary situation. elizabeth: no one was seriously hurt here but elsewhere the heavy wind and rain, powerful enough to flip this tractor-trailer proved to be deadly. the surge continues for anyone best search continues -- the search continues. elizabeth: forecasters say from florida to maryland, they could be hit with damaging winds and hail this afternoon. in new york , we are being told to brace for heavy rain and flooding later tonight. doug: a little bit of weather this