In Southeast, 52 tornadoes since Friday

GALLATIN, Tennessee (CNN) -- The death toll in Tennessee from severe weather rose to 12 on Saturday, as storms battered the Southeast from Mississippi to Georgia before dissipating over the Atlantic Ocean.

The fierce weather spawned tornadoes, caused widespread damage and disrupted electricity to thousands of customers.

There were 52 tornadoes reported in the region over 24 hours Friday and Saturday, more than 515 hail storms and more than 160 reports of damaging winds, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. (Watch how the warm winter has quadrupled the rate of tornadoes this year -- 1:28)

Overnight, the strong line of storms moved across southeastern Alabama and northern Georgia. Later Saturday, it moved into southern Georgia and South Carolina, packing large hail, winds estimated at 70 mph and the possibility of more twisters.

The storms lost momentum as they headed toward the Florida Panhandle and the eastern seaboard, leaving behind drier and cooler air, said CNN meteorologist Reynolds Wolf.

Four tornadoes were reported in South Carolina since 7 a.m. ET Saturday: two in Charleston, one in Horry, one in Berkeley.

Tennessee has been plagued by severe weather over the past week. Twenty-four people were killed in severe weather in the state last Sunday. (Watch how two waves of storms ravaged Tennessee -- 1:13)

In Alabama, hail more than 4 inches in diameter pelted the Huntsville area overnight, according to the National Weather Service, and large pieces of ice also rained down on Marshall County, south of Huntsville.

"(I'm) not sure of the damage that it caused, but we could hear it," said Saunja People with the Alabama State Police in Huntsville.

A tornado was reported outside Talladega County, east of Birmingham, at 3:30 a.m., said Galen Crader in CNN's Weather Center. The extent of storm damage was not immediately clear.

At least four tornadoes touched down overnight in north Georgia, according to the National Weather Service. Two hit Cobb County in metro Atlanta, including a twister that damaged between 24 and 30 homes. Two others damaged a high school and other buildings in Polk County, northwest of the city.

In Cobb County several windows were shattered, utility poles were downed and a two-story concrete office building was leveled.

About 55,000 customers were without power in metro Atlanta Saturday morning, Georgia Power spokesman John Sell said. As of 6:30 p.m., more than 3,000 Georgia Power customers were without electricity, including nearly 2,000 in metro Atlanta.

All power is expected to be restored by Saturday night, Sell said.

Friday's severe weather battered parts of at least nine states, said the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

Nine of the victims Friday died in Sumner County, northeast of Nashville, said TEMA spokesman Randy Harris. Three others were reported in Warren County, southeast of Nashville. The agency had no tally of injuries, he said.

However, he said, two people injured in the storms died Saturday. Also, a death originally thought to be storm-related was removed from the toll, he added.

'Everything was going up'
In Gallatin, in Sumner County, Tennessee, a few hundred residents sought shelter at the city's Volunteer State Community College, and some had to be hospitalized for minor injuries, college spokesman Eric Melcher said. (Watch how twisters spared students, but not buildings on campus -- 2:45)

The campus suffered "severe damage," said Melcher, who also took refuge there. The roof collapsed 10 feet from where he was standing, he added.

"[It] looks like a bomb blast," he said. "It was just a blast of debris down the hallway."

The college has canceled classes "for at least a week," he added.

Also in Gallatin, a tornado pounded a Nissan dealership, destroying 250 cars, tearing off the showroom roof and blowing out windows. (Watch how the dealership was reduced to a junkyard -- 1:50)

Mayor Linda Frazier of Dickson County, Tennessee, east of Nashville, said 12 homes were destroyed there and up to 50 other buildings damaged.

Dickson County resident Patricia Hunter, who has lived in Charlotte for 25 years, said she saw the tornado approaching her home.

"I looked out, and everything was going up in the air," she said. "It was so loud we had to scream at each other."

Hunter and her family took shelter in the laundry room. Her home was damaged, and a barn on her property was destroyed.

Nashville Electric Service reported about 3,500 customers without power late Friday night, mostly north of the city.

In Mississippi, damage to homes and vehicles was being reported, said Lea Stokes, spokeswoman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. She had no reports of injuries or deaths.

Forecasters reported wind gusts up to 60 mph in some parts of the state.