Students were evacuated from Cedartown High School in Polk County, Georgia, after a roof caved in near the lunchroom and a gas line reportedly ruptured, according to WGCL-TV.

School officials said in a social media post that classes are canceled Friday at all schools in the county.

"We have many families with damage to their homes and widespread power outages," the post said, adding that several roads were blocked by fallen trees and schools were being assessed for wind and water damage.

NOAA's Storm Prediction Center issued a rare "high risk" severe weather forecast through tonight from northern parts of Mississippi and Alabama into a portion of south-central Tennessee.

The National Weather Service declared a particularly dangerous situation tornado watch and warned residents in the line of the weather to take cover immediately.

A severe storm with radar confirmed tornadoes was tracked across Alabama and Georgia Thursday afternoon. The storm had moved more than 150 miles from Bibb County, Alabama, all the way to Floyd County, Georgia, by 3:50 p.m. CDT.

A tornado was first confirmed near Moundville, Alabama, at 12:21 p.m. CDT, the National Weather Service said. It moved across northern Hale County into Bibb County.

Bibb County's Emergency Management Agency reported damage to several houses and mobile homes around the Mount Carmel area in West Blocton, according to WBMA. No injuries had been reported.

By 1:30 p.m., the storm was nearing Pelham, Alabama, about 15 miles south of Birmingham, in Shelby County, WVTM reported. Radar indicated debris over the very populated area, the station reported.

The Fire Department in Helena, just northwest of Pelham, was responding to a collapsed structure, the NWS said. The Helena Police Department said, "Helena has received major damage as a result of the tornado."

The Pelham Fire Department was also responding to numerous calls.

Several trees were downed at Pelham High School. Damaged homes and extensive tree damage was reported at Heardmont Park, near Oak Mountain State Park northeast of Pelham. Power lines and trees were down in Indian Springs Village.

The Pelham Police Department said numerous houses were damaged in the Chandalar community and utility lines were down along U.S. Highway 31 and State Highway 119. The Pelham Civic Complex also was damaged. Bearden Road at Crosscreek Trail was not passable.

Numerous structures were damaged in the Eagle Point and Greystone subdivisions, the NWS said. The Hoover Fire Department treated one person for injuries in Greystone Farms, and an ambulance was called to transport a second person, the Hoover Sun reported.

Shortly before 2:30 p.m., a tornado was spotted near Ragland in St. Clair County. It was approaching Ohatchee.

Earlier, another tornado was reported near Aliceville, Alabama, near the Mississippi state line.

Earlier in the day, Gov. Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency for 28 counties because of the threat. She later expanded it to 46 counties. Alabama saw more than two dozen tornadoes last week, including an EF1 that hit Moundville.

The University of Alabama announced it was suspending all operations at noon Thursday through 5 a.m. Friday. All classes, including those conducted online or remotely, were canceled, and libraries, recreation centers and other campus facilities were to close.

Dozens of school districts in Alabama canceled classes or made plans for remote learning and early dismissal Thursday, al.com reported. Schools in Mississippi and Tennessee also announced they were closing or using online learning as well, WHBQ reported.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham announced it was closing its four community COVID-19 vaccination sites because of the weather, WBRC reported. Appointments will be rescheduled. Drive-through sites in 15 counties in Mississippi also were closed Thursday, WLBT reported.

(MORE: Dangerous Tornado Outbreak Likely in the South Thursday)

Birmingham also opened the city’s community safe rooms, WBRC reported.

The city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has activated its new Incident Command center. Tera Tubbs, executive director of Infrastructure and Public Services, told WBRC the center is ready to monitor the weather and share information with residents about tornado warnings and where to find shelter.

Moundville, in Alabama's Hale County, was one of the hardest hit areas in last week's tornado outbreak. Roofs are still covered with blue tarps and debris is piled in many yards, WVTM reported.

Hale County Emergency Management Director Russell Weeden said, despite the damage, residents need to be prepared for Thursday's storms. They should plan for where they'll ride out a tornado warning now, not wait until the warning comes.

Cullman, Alabama, about 45 miles north of Birmingham, was already experiencing some flash flooding Thursday morning. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning until 12:15 p.m. and said 2 to 3 inches of rain had already fallen in the area.

Interstate 65 was closed in both directions near Cullman for an undetermined amount of time because of flooding, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said.

More than 24,00 homes and businesses were without power in Alabama as of about 3:30 p.m. CDT, according to poweroutage.us.

Some folks in Mississippi were not taking Thursday's threat as seriously as officials would like, WAPT reported, probably because the state did not see extensive damage in last week's tornado outbreak.

"I get it. That people prepare, prepare, prepare and then nothing happens. Well that's a great outcome. You know that's what we want," Warren County Emergency Management Agency Director John Elfer told the station.

"Hope is not a good method of emergency planning. You've got to actually get out there and get prepared, get ready," Elfer said about residents who planned to go about their day normally.

The mayor of Canton, Mississippi, William Truly, told WAPT the city's multipurpose center has been opened as a safe room, as it did during last week's storms. Truly also said boats are ready if residents need to be rescued from flooding.

In Clinton, Mississippi, repair crews have worked over the past week to get five malfunctioning warning sirens back up and running, WAPT reported. Four were repaired as of Wednesday afternoon, but the fifth is waiting for parts. Officials said 21 of 22 outdoor warning sirens in the city are now working.

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