Yesterday was worst January day for tornado deaths since 1969

A wide swath of the Southeast was reeling Monday after a two-day weather rampage of tornadoes and violent storms that killed at least 20 people, injured dozens more and destroyed homes, businesses and communities.

Elsewhere Monday, separate storms were slamming California and the Northeast with heavy rain and snow and howling winds. Flood watches and warnings were in effect in and around Los Angeles and San Diego while high wind watches and warnings were posted in New England and portions of the Mid-Atlantic coast.

A hurricane force wind warning was in effect for the waters south of Long Island, where gusts of up to 74 mph were forecast, the National Weather Service said.

Snow was forecast for interior portions of the Northeast, where winter storm warnings were in effect.

Sixteen of the deaths from the weekend severe weather outbreak took place in Sunday in Georgia. That made Sunday the USA's deadliest January day for tornadoes since Jan. 22, 1969, when 32 people died, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

January 2017 is now also the second-deadliest January for tornadoes in the U.S. on record, following January 1969.

Survey teams are out examining damage Monday to determine how many tornadoes hit Georgia, the length of their path and their strength.

There were 37 preliminary reports of tornadoes from Friday through Sunday, according to Patrick Marsh, warning coordination meteorologist with the Storm Prediction Center.  An average January only sees 21 tornadoes. The all-time record number of January tornadoes is 212, set in 1999.

President Trump pledged to aid Georgia's recovery.

"I just spoke with Gov. Nathan Deal,” Trump said during a White House ceremony. “Georgia is a great state, great people … The tornadoes were vicious and powerful and strong and they suffered greatly. So we'll be helping out the state of Georgia.”

Trump also expressed condolences for victims of storm damage in surrounding states.

Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency Monday for 16 Georgia counties. He added that "all indications suggest" a request would be made for federal assistance as well.

“These storms have devastated communities and homes in south central Georgia, and the state is making all resources available,” Deal said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Georgians suffering from the storm’s impact."

About 16,000 Georgia residents remained without power as of midday Monday, the state's emergency management agency said in a statement.

There is no more danger of severe weather anywhere in the U.S. for at least the next several days, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

Four people died Saturday in southern Mississippi when a tornado left a trail of devastation in and around Hattiesburg. On Sunday, damaging storms were reported from South Carolina to northern Florida, but so far all the reported deaths were in Georgia.

Seven people were killed in a mobile home park in Cook County, and two people were killed in Brooks and Berrien counties, Howden said. She said at least 23 people were injured. The numbers could rise.

Karen Moore survived when an apparent tornado destroyed a swath of the Sunshine Acres Mobile Home Park in the Cook County seat of Adel. She said the storm woke her up before dawn Sunday.

"It sounded like a freight train coming through, and I told my husband that is no train, that is a tornado." Moore said. "There was rubble everywhere. ... It took out five trailers, double-wides, I mean, it just turned them."

Debra Buckholts, who lives just outside Adel, said she feared for the safety of her friends in Sunshine Acres. Closed roads, power outages and spotty cellphone service have made it difficult to check on friends and loved ones.

"Half the trailers aren't there anymore," Buckholts said. "There is nothing left of them."

Florida State issued an alert for it students on the Tallahassee campus.

*FSU ALERT!* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM! Main Campus - Tallahassee. Seek shelter immediately, away from doors and windows," the school tweeted.

Howden said all the Georgia deaths were related to severe weather, but it was not clear whether tornadoes had touched down in the area. Patrick Marsh, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center, said, "In all likelihood, it appears that these were tornadoes."

In Mississippi on Saturday, at least an EF3 tornado tore through the Hattiesburg area with wind gusts estimated from 136 mph to 165 mph, according to preliminary reports from the weather service. The tornado touched down about 4 a.m., leaving extensive damage for several blocks. The streets were littered with toppled tress and power lines, and thousands of homes and businesses were without power.

"The total debris cleanup will be weeks at this point," said Lee Smithson, executive director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.