ATLANTA — A severe weather system moved east toward the Carolinas on Friday after setting off tornadoes that swirled through Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

Tornadoes and isolated winds are possible through mid-afternoon Friday, according to the National Weather Service. Nearly 3,000 people in the Carolinas were already without power by early morning.

One tornado touched down in Eldridge in central Alabama around 8 p.m. Thursday. Another hit about hour earlier in Ardmore in the northern part of the state, according to emergency management officials Rita White and Harry Markham. There were no immediate reports of damage or any injuries, and the weather service said all tornado warnings had expired in Alabama.

In southeastern Louisiana, the National Weather Service confirmed two tornadoes touched down, bringing down trees and power lines but causing no injuries.

An apparent tornado also damaged homes and downed trees near Columbus, Mississippi. Lowndes County Emergency Management director Cindy Lawrence said reports indicated at least a dozen homes were damaged near New Hope, between Columbus and the Alabama state line.

Brian Karg, a New Hope, Mississippi resident, told The Associated Press in a phone interview he was at home with his girlfriend and daughter Thursday evening as the weather began to worsen in the northeast Mississippi community.