A round of tornadoes ripped through Mississippi late Sunday night, destroying buildings and littering roads with downed power lines.
More tornadoes and dangerous weather are expected across the Plains and the South; part of a multiday severe weather event that will spread from Oklahoma to the Mid-Atlantic on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Damage in Tupelo
One of the tornadoes ripped through Tupelo. The National Weather Service in Memphis sent a series of tweets urging people to seek cover.
Following the tornado, the mayor’s office in Tupelo issued a warning to residents to stay at home while crews assessed the damage.
“Please do not exit the vehicle and move. It’s dangerous, there have been rumors of power lines down in the streets”, according to a post on the Tupelo Mayor’s Office’s Facebook page. “Prayers for everyone’s safety, and please remember to pray for our crews and first responders as well.”
Another one in Calhoun City
The same line of tornadoes caused damage about 50 miles southwest of Tupelo, in the town of Calhoun City.
Their Sheriff, Greg Pollan said Calhoun City also “was hit hard tonight.” “Light poles have been snapped off. Trees in a few homes. Trees on vehicles. Damage to several businesses.
Fortunately, we have had no reports at this time of injuries,” Pollan posted on Facebook, asking people to stay off the roads. “Emergency personnel are working feverishly to open the roads as quickly as possible.”
In addition, the same lead impulse that brought tornadoes to Mississippi over the weekend was producing a second wave of severe storms that stretched from eastern Alabama across Georgia and into the Carolinas. Charlotte, Raleigh, and Atlanta are all classified as having a slight risk rating of 2 out of 5.
Other less-intense tornadoes occurred in Nebraska and Colorado as part of a secondary storm system, while straight-line winds gusted to 93 mph near Lamar, Colorado, off Highway 287. Storms ripped through Kansas late into the night, with wind speeds to 85 mph in Russell, Kan., along Interstate 70.
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