4 killed in a storm system that spawned tornadoes across the southern U.S.

Officials assessed the damage on Sunday after a strong storm system moved across the southern U.S. over the weekend, spawning tornadoes and killing at least four people.

There were at least 45 reports of tornado damage across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center. Crews will do damage surveys to confirm tornadoes.

The storms during busy holiday travels caused some treacherous road conditions along with delays or cancellations at some of the busiest U.S. airports. As of Sunday afternoon, there were over 600 flight delays affecting Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to flight tracker FlightAware.

“It’s not unheard of, but it is fairly uncommon to have a severe weather outbreak of this magnitude this late in the year,” said Frank Pereira, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center.

In the Houston area, National Weather Service storm survey crews confirmed that at least five tornadoes hit north and south of the city on Saturday.

At least one person died. The 48-year-old woman was found about 100 feet (30 meters) from her home in the Liverpool area south of Houston, said Madison Polston of the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office. She said the exact cause of death wasn't immediately known.

Four other people in Brazoria County had injuries that weren't considered critical, said Polston, adding that at least 40 homes and buildings were significantly damaged.

In Montgomery County, north of Houston, about 30 homes were destroyed and about 50 others sustained major damage, county official Jason Smith said.

In North Carolina, a 70-year-old man was killed Sunday in Statesville, just north of Charlotte, when a tree landed on the pickup truck he was driving. Highway Patrol Trooper DJ Maffucci said “it was just a freak accident” and he believed Matthew Teeple, of Cleveland, North Carolina, was killed instantly.

“It’s very sad, just terrible timing,” Maffucci said, adding that the storms were responsible for a number of downed trees and “quite a few wrecks."

Two people were killed in storms in Mississippi, officials said. An 18-year-old died after a tree fell on her home Saturday night in Natchez in Adams County, said Emergency Management spokesperson Neifa Hardy. Two other people in the home were injured.

Another person died in Lowndes County and at least eight more were injured across the state, officials said.

The National Weather Service said two tornadoes hit around Bude and the city of Brandon, ripping roofs from several buildings.

Storm damage also was reported in the northern Alabama city of Athens, northwest of Huntsville.

Holly Hollman, spokeswoman for the city, said most of the damage from the early Sunday morning storms occurred downtown. She said it hurled large HVAC units from the tops of building and ripped the roof off a bookstore. A full-sized, stripped-down military helicopter was toppled from a pole where it was on display, she added.

“I stepped out on my porch and I could hear it roar,” she said of the storm. “I think we are extremely lucky that we got hit late at night. If it had hit during the busy hours, I think we might have had some injuries and possibly some fatalities.”

As of Sunday afternoon, over 40,000 people were still without power in Mississippi, according to electric utility tracking website PowerOutage.us. Texas, Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia each had about 10,000 customers without power, it said.

The storms closed some roads in western North Carolina, a region broadly devastated by Hurricane Helene this fall. That included part of U.S. 441, also known as the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway, which closed north of Bryson City due to high winds.

In Bumpus Cove, Tennessee, Justin Fromkin, president of Raising Hope Disaster Relief, worked Sunday to save what he could from the organization's supply tent — filled with clothes and food — after about 6 inches (152 millimeters) of rain fell.

He's spent the past few months delivering aid to areas in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee that are still reeling from Helene. The ground in some parts of the mountains is still unstable from Helene, Fromkin said, and Sunday’s downpour adds to the problem.

Associated Press reporters Corey Williams and Julie Walker contributed to this report.

Damage from a storm through that rolled through the night before is seen at the heart of downtown on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Athens, Ala. (AP Photo/Lance George)

Damage from a storm through that rolled through the night before is seen at the heart of downtown on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Athens, Ala. (AP Photo/Lance George)

Damage from a storm through that rolled through the night before is seen at the heart of downtown on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Athens, Ala. (AP Photo/Lance George)

Damage from a storm through that rolled through the night before is seen at the heart of downtown on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Athens, Ala. (AP Photo/Lance George)

Damage from a storm through that rolled through the night before is seen at the heart of downtown on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Athens, Ala. (AP Photo/Lance George)

First responders work to free a victim after a tree fell on a house in Natchez, Miss., Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (Thomas Graning/The Natchez Democrat via AP)

J.C. Betanzos, 11, looks for items from his sister's business and things his deceased mother gave them that blew away during a tornado, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Katy, Texas. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Saul Rodriguez uses a chain saw to remove debris atop a car from a woman's home after strong thunderstorms pass through the Greater Houston region, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Porter Heights. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Debris block a portion of Porter Lane after strong thunderstorms pass through the Greater Houston region, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Porter Heights. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Metal roofing sheets are seen on trees after strong thunderstorms pass through the Greater Houston region, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Porter Heights. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Alyssa Duncin, 26, walks with her daughter Kingsley Duncin, 3, through the family home just after it was destroyed by a tornado that hit nearby on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Alvin, Texas. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Neighbors move debris from a woman's home after strong thunderstorms pass through the Greater Houston region, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Porter Heights. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Bystanders hug as first responders work to free a victim after a tree fell on a house in Natchez, Miss., Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (Thomas Graning/The Natchez Democrat via AP)

Damage from a storm through that rolled through the night before is seen at the heart of downtown on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Athens, Ala. (AP Photo/Lance George)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The FBI is investigating an early Wednesday attack in which a U.S. Army veteran drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers in New Orleans, killing 15 people. The driver had posted videos on social media hours before the carnage saying he was inspired by the Islamic State group and expressing a desire to kill, President Joe Biden said.

The FBI identified the driver as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar.

Officials have not yet released the names of the people killed in the attack, but their families and friends have started sharing their stories. About 30 people were injured.

Here is the latest:

The College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame was postponed by a day because of the truck attack, which unfolded about a mile away.

The game, originally scheduled for 7:45 p.m. CST at the 70,000-seat Superdome on Wednesday, was pushed back to 3 p.m. Thursday. The winner advances to the Jan. 9 Orange Bowl against Penn State.

“Public safety is paramount,” Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said at a media briefing alongside federal, state and local officials, including Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “All parties all agree that it’s in the best interest of everybody and public safety that we postpone the game.”

The decision to postpone the game meant numerous traveling fans with tickets would not be able to attend. Ticket prices online plummeted in some cases to less than $25 as fans with plans to depart on Thursday tried to unload them.

The Superdome was on lockdown for security sweeps on Wednesday morning. Both teams spent most of the day in their hotels, holding meetings in ballrooms.

▶ Read more about the decision to postpone the Sugar Bowl

Officials have not yet released the names of the 15 people killed in the New Orleans New Year’s Day truck attack, but their families and friends have started sharing their stories.

Here’s a look at some of what we know:

▶ Read more about the victims of the New Orleans truck attack

Authorities say the driver of a pickup truck sped through a crowd of pedestrians gathered in New Orleans’ bustling French Quarter district early on New Year’s Day, killing at least 15 people and injuring about 30 others. The suspect was killed in a shootout with police.

The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism and said it does not believe the driver acted alone.

Wednesday’s attack unfolded on Bourbon Street, known worldwide as one of the largest destinations for New Year’s Eve parties. Large crowds had also gathered in the city ahead of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl, which had been scheduled for later Wednesday at the nearby Superdome. The game was postponed until Thursday afternoon following the attack.

▶ Catch up on what we know about the New Orleans truck attack

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Emergency personnel work the scene on Bourbon Street after a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon Street, Wednesday Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

The FBI investigates the area on Orleans St and Bourbon Street by St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter where a suspicious package was detonated after a person drove a truck into a crowd earlier on Bourbon Street on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

Matthias Hauswirth of New Orleans prays on the street near the scene where a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon streets, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A bouquet of flowers stands at the intersection of Bourbon Street and Canal Street during the investigation after a pickup truck rammed into a crowd of revelers early on New Year's Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

An officer walks along Conti Street after a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon streets, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Law enforcement officers stand behind a SWAT vehicle near a location in Houston, Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, where police personnel investigate the place suspected to be associated with an attacker in a deadly rampage in New Orleans. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Investigators work the scene after a person drove a vehicle into a crowd earlier on Canal and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Neighbors stand and watch outside the police lines surrounding a location in Houston, Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, where police personnel investigate the place suspected to be associated with an attacker in a deadly rampage in New Orleans. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Police officers stand near the scene where a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon streets, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Neighbors embrace as they stand outside the police lines surrounding a location in Houston, Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, where police personnel investigate the place suspected to be associated with an attacker in a deadly rampage in New Orleans. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)