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Tornadoes Are Expected in Parts of the South on Friday Tornado Causes Damage in Mississippi
(about 5 hours later)
Severe thunderstorms were expected to sweep across parts of the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys on Friday, raising the risk of tornadoes, damaging winds and hail for millions of people, forecasters said. A tornado touched down in Mississippi, the authorities there said on Friday night.
The storms were expected to last through the evening hours, according to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center. The National Weather Service office in Jackson, Miss., said on Twitter that a tornado had caused damage in Silver City and Rolling Fork. The agency issued a rare tornado emergency for the area on Friday night, indicating a life-threatening situation.
More than 2.3 million people from southwest Tennessee through portions of Arkansas, Mississippi and northeast Louisiana were under a moderate risk for severe weather. Jerry Briggs, an emergency coordinator in Warren County, also confirmed that a tornado hit Rolling Fork but said he had no information about damage or casualties.
A larger area in those states was under an enhanced risk. So far there were no reports of injuries, Malary White, the chief communications officer for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, said on Friday night. She said the state had no official damage estimates.
“For the moderate area, tornadoes are likely and some could be strong,” Dan Byrd, a meteorologist with the Weather Service in Jackson, Miss., said on Friday morning. Damaging winds up to 80 miles per hour and large hail were also possible in the area under moderate risk. Ms. White said state search-and-rescue resources were being sent to Sharkey County.
“The time frame we’re looking at is from about 5 to 11 p.m., and then it’s going to shift into central Mississippi into the early overnight hours,” he said. “Then it’ll move out of the state, probably about 2 or 3 in the morning.” “We are currently coordinating with our state human services to assess the needs of those that may be displaced/affected by the severe weather,” she said. “When it’s daylight, MEMA will begin with damage assessments. We’ve alerted FEMA, and they’re monitoring.”
“It really looks like those evening hours are going to be that key period, when we could see the strongest potential for tornadoes,” Mr. Byrd said. Eldridge Walker, the mayor of Rolling Fork, told WLBT-TV, a local television station, that he could not leave his house, where the garage and west side had been seriously damaged by the tornado, because of downed power lines.
A similar forecast was issued for Little Rock, Ark., where meteorologists said that hail up to the size of a quarter was expected and that “all modes of severe weather” would be possible on Friday, including tornadoes. “We have a situation here,” he said. Mr. Walker said that some people in the community had been injured, though he did not give a specific number, and asked that people continue to shelter in place while emergency responders arrived.
By Friday afternoon, between one to two inches of rain had fallen in much of northern Arkansas, according to the Weather Service in Little Rock, which issued severe weather warnings for various counties throughout the afternoon. More than five million people in Mississippi and four other states were under a tornado watch on Friday night. About 40,000 electricity customers in Mississippi and Tennessee had no power, according to the tracking site poweroutage.us.
Because of heavy rainfall associated with the storms, areas from the Ozarks to the Ohio Valley were under a moderate risk for excessive rainfall. More broadly, about 18 million people from eastern Oklahoma east to Ohio and West Virginia were under a flood watch.
Officials in Mississippi on Friday urged residents to find a safe place in the event of tornadoes, while officials in Tennessee reminded residents that spring weather could be unpredictable.Officials in Mississippi on Friday urged residents to find a safe place in the event of tornadoes, while officials in Tennessee reminded residents that spring weather could be unpredictable.
Severe weather season in the South reaches its peak during the months of March, April and May, meteorologists said. “Many in the MS Delta need your prayer and God’s protection tonight,” Governor Tate Reeves of Mississippi said in a statement on Twitter, adding that search and rescue teams and medical support were working in the area. “Watch weather reports and stay cautious through the night, Mississippi!”
Severe weather season in the South reaches its peak during March, April and May, meteorologists said.
Thunderstorms are classified as severe when they produce hail of at least the size of a quarter or wind gusts of at least 58 m.p.h.Thunderstorms are classified as severe when they produce hail of at least the size of a quarter or wind gusts of at least 58 m.p.h.
Earlier this month, powerful storms swept across the South, leaving at least 12 people dead and hundreds of thousands of customers without electricity. Heavy rains, severe winds and tornadoes damaged homes in at least eight states.Earlier this month, powerful storms swept across the South, leaving at least 12 people dead and hundreds of thousands of customers without electricity. Heavy rains, severe winds and tornadoes damaged homes in at least eight states.
And at the end of February, tornadoes injured at least a dozen people in Oklahoma.And at the end of February, tornadoes injured at least a dozen people in Oklahoma.
Johnny Diaz contributed reporting. Johnny Diaz, Chris Mele and Derrick Bryson Taylor and contributed reporting.