Tornadoes cause damage in Mississippi; South faces threat of more severe storms, flash flooding

Multiple tornadoes were reported across Mississippi on Sunday, causing some damage but no immediate word of injuries.

A line of severe storms rolled through the state Sunday afternoon and into the nighttime hours. Late Sunday, a “tornado emergency” was declared for Tupelo and surrounding areas. Meteorologists urged residents to take cover.

“Damage has been reported in the City of Tupelo,” the mayor’s office said in a Facebook post just before 11 p.m. “Emergency crews are currently assessing the degree of damage. Please do not get out and drive.”

Photos retweeted by the National Weather Service in Memphis showed several downed trees and power lines. Tupelo Middle School sustained some damage, as well as houses and businesses.

News outlets also reported tornados near Yazoo City, Byram and Tchula earlier in the day. The National Weather Service in Jackson shared several images of funnel clouds across different parts of the state.

A tornado passes through Rankin County, Mississippi, Sunday, May 2, 2021, near the Whitfield-Mississippi 468 area. (Photo: Courtesy of Mandy Kate Myers)

No injuries were immediately reported.

Meanwhile, part of the Southern Plains, the Ohio Valley, central Appalachians and the middle to lower Mississippi Valley will be under threat of severe thunderstorms and flash flooding Monday and Tuesday as a storm that soaked previously dry regions of Texas over the weekend moves slowly northeast to start the week.

In the western part of the country, a storm in Colorado continues to bring heavy snow to the Central Rockies. Up to a foot of snow could accumulate by Monday night, the weather service said, and winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories are in effect across northern and central Colorado.

And in California, temperatures 10 to 15 degrees higher than average may bring a threat of fire. 

“The combination of warm temperatures, low relative humidity, expanding drought conditions, and gusty winds cold produce an elevated fire weather threat,” the weather service said. 

Contributing: Jorge Ortiz, USA TODAY

Source: Read Full Article