Unseasonably warm temperatures spawned violent storms in the South this Christmas that killed over a dozen people

On Friday evening, a tornado touched down in north-central Alabama, splitting trees in half, hospitalizing four people, and stripping walls and roofs from homes, like the one shown below:

The funnel was spotted by witnesses outside the city at about 5 p.m. CST Friday and left a two square-mile swath of destruction before letting up. An hour later, first responders were on the scene.

Some people were trapped inside damaged houses, but, no one was killed. So far, four people have been transported to local hospitals with only minor injuries, CNBC reported.

Severe weather on Wednesday kills 15

The same can't be said for the parts of Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas, who, on Wednesday, suffered severe storms, flooding, and an exceptionally long-lasting tornado. At least 15 people were killed, AccuWeather reported.

The tornado had winds up to 110 mph and first touched down in northern Mississippi, but it didn't stop until it had reached western Tennessee.

"If it is continuous it would be the longest track (December) tornado on record here in the mid-South," the Memphis office of the weather service said, according to CNN.

Here's a map showing the tornado's path:

And some tweets of the damage:

This month's unseasonably warm temperatures helped spawn this torrential rain and deadly tornadoes. The bizarre weather can be linked to the record-breaking El Niñ0 weather pattern, which is why the East Coast has been enjoying spring-like weather this winter.

Among the 15 who died were eight people from Mississippi and six in Tennessee, including three who were found in a car submerged in a creek, according to the Columbia Police Department.

In addition, dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed and thousands were left without power.

It's not over yet

As of Friday, parts of Mississippi were still under a flood warning:

And Mother Nature isn't done, yet.

More severe weather is also in store for parts of Georgia and Tennessee until Monday. Residents were warned to brace for flash flooding and possible tornadoes.

As the rain continued to fall, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley on Friday issued an emergency declaration that covers any part of the state experiencing flash flooding. Officials in southeast Alabama are particularly concerned, as Pea River is approaching record-levels near the town of Elba, which has a history of severe flooding.

Peak tornado season in the South is in the spring, but such storms can happen at any time.