Apocalyptic storms batter the South with baseball-size hail, multiple lightning ... trends now

Apocalyptic storms are battering the south with baseball-sized hail, lightning strikes and possible tornadoes closing in on residents - and there's more to come.

Powerful winds threatened several states in the Southeast on early Friday, as people elsewhere in the U.S. cleared debris from deadly severe weather that produced tornadoes in several states including Michigan and Tennessee. 

Baseball-sized hailstones pelted Texas, with alarming photographs showing the frozen spheres at least five inches in diameter. 

Meanwhile, fires triggered by lightning strikes broke out at a home on Oak Island in North Carolina. Dramatic photographs show the property engulfed in flames on Thursday night. 

Storms also rolled into Tallahassee, Florida, where numerous trees were toppled around the state's capital city, authorities said Friday. 

Wind gusts of 71 mph were recorded by a weather station near the State Capitol Complex, according to the National Weather Service.

Florida State University announced its campuses in Tallahassee even had to close on Friday due to the severe weather. 

Nonessential personnel, students and visitors should avoid campuses in Tallahassee until further notice, the school said in a social media post.

The city of Tallahassee said on the X social medial platform that 'possible tornadic activity' caused the widespread damage in the Florida capital, especially to electric lines and numerous downed trees. 

The city said more than 66,000 customers are without power and 11 substations were damaged by the storm.

'Restoration will possibly take through the weekend,' the announcement said.

Strong thunderstorms were also expected in Alabama near the Florida panhandle, where gusty winds could knock down tree limbs, the weather service said.

In Mississippi´s capital city of Jackson, authorities on Friday were asking residents to conserve water after a power outage at one of its major water treatment plants. 

JXN Water, the local water utility, said in a statement that customers can expect reduced water pressure as workers assess damages due to storms that rolled through the region overnight.