Tornado with 135 mph winds confirmed in Greensboro; 3 schools to stay closed

The funnel cloud Stephanie Hopkins and her husband Shawn saw from their car window in...
The funnel cloud Stephanie Hopkins and her husband Shawn saw from their car window in Greensboro. (Credit: Screenshot of video courtesy of Stephanie Hopkins)
Updated: Apr. 16, 2018 at 3:51 PM EDT
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GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) - The National Weather Service has confirmed tornadoes touched down during a severe weather outbreak in the Carolinas.
  
In North Carolina, the weather service office in Raleigh said Monday that a tornado hit Greensboro, carrying maximum winds of 135 mph with a path that was at least 300 yards (274 meters) wide.

Police said 48-year-old Anthony George of Greensboro was killed about 5:45 p.m. Sunday when a tree fell on his car.

During an emergency school board meeting, Guilford County Schools announced plans for relocating students and staff affected by the tornado.

For the remainder of the school year, plans were announced for the three damaged schools.

Hampton Elementary with 297 students will attend Reedy Fork Elementary.

Peeler Elementary with 291 students will attend Bluford Elementary.

Erwin Montessori students with 252 students will attend Alamance Elementary.

Thousands were left without power because of fallen trees and downed power lines and utility poles. The damage forced officials to cancel classes at all schools in Guilford County.
  
The weather service in South Carolina said tornadoes also hit Lexington and Irmo, but no serious injuries were reported.
  
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1 p.m.
  
Two tornadoes were confirmed in central South Carolina as storms swept across the state.
  
The National Weather Service said Monday tornadoes touched down in the towns of Lexington and Irmo, west and northwest of Columbia.
  
More than a dozen homes were damaged as trees and power lines fell, blocking roads in many cases.
  
No serious injuries were reported in South Carolina.
  
By early Monday afternoon, more than 4,000 electric customers were still without service. Duke Energy reported about 2,100 customers without service, most in Lancaster and Fairfield Counties.
  
South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. had nearly 2,000 customers without service, almost all were in Lexington and Richland counties.


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9:07 a.m.
  
More than 50,000 customers are without electricity after storms swept through North and South Carolina, with at least one person dead.
  
Police said 48-year-old Anthony George of Greensboro was killed about 5:45 p.m. Sunday when a tree fell on his car.
  
Guilford County schools were closed Monday because of damage.
  
Duke Energy reported about 37,000 customers without power in North Carolina. The biggest problems were in Guilford and Mecklenburg counties.
  
Electric cooperatives in North Carolina had about 4,500 customers without service Monday. Burke County had about half of those outages.
  
Duke had about 2,300 customers without service in South Carolina. About 700 customers were without service in Lancaster County.
  
South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. had about 3,200 customers without service. The biggest problems were in Lexington and Richland counties.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.