Several powerful storms hit the Southeast on Thursday leaving wrecked homes and businesses behind. At least four states were hit, one person was killed and three others were injured by an alleged tornado that hit North Carolina, authorities said.

Similar incidents were caused by the high winds the storms brought with them in Mississippi, where a shopping area was destroyed. Several homes and a few barns were badly hit by the storms in south-central Tennessee.

Three tractor-trailers were blown off Interstate 40 near Greensboro, N.C., as a tornado touched the ground. The powerful winds also caused several highway accidents in which a person was killed ant two were injured. A third person suffered serious wounds in a wall collapse.

State Department of Crime Control and Public Safety spokeswoman Patty McQuillan said two homes and two businesses were hit by the storms, The Associated Press reported.

In Clemmons, two houses collapsed and at least 32,000 people were left without electric power by the series of powerful storms, officials said.

About 15 Alabama schools released the students early. About 90 miles northwest of Birmingham, the high winds blew Hamilton High School’s roof off.

Although there were no tornado reports in Alabama, the winds that reached speeds up to 60 mph were dangerous enough. The winds flipped a mobile home and damaged another one in Lauderdale County.

A tornado devastated a furniture store in Tupelo, Miss.

"There were power lines and trees down around it and a car was lifted off the ground and pushed into a tree," said Paul Harkins, Lee County's director of emergency communications, according to AP.