At least nine people are dead, according to local officials - and that number is expected to rise.
In Georgia, a five-year-old child was killed when a tree fell on a car. An adult passenger was also in critical condition, according to a local coroner.
Survivors captured the magnitude of the damage.
"This was my mom's house, y'all. My sister lived in it. This is the damage that we have down on 25 here in Greensboro. Everybody's safe. Thank God for that. Stuff can be replaced."
Aerial footage shows a trail of destruction through Selma, where the storm blew the rooftops off of several businesses.
The National Weather Service confirmed at least five tornadoes touched down in central Alabama Thursday, with the longest twister tracking from Selma to the Georgia-Alabama state line.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency for the counties hit hardest by the storm.
Multiple damage survey teams have been dispatched to the field, but the weather service warned the cold temperatures and gusty winds will continue into the weekend.
Tens of thousands remained without power on Friday, including outages in neighbouring Mississippi
and Georgia.
