CLARKSDALE, Miss.–The squall line that hit the northern two thirds of Mississippi Saturday killed two people when it came through, according to the Miss. Emergency Management Agency. It also left behind downed power lines and downed trees and took its time combing the state.
The two people who died were in Coahoma and Jasper counties.
The person who died in Coahoma County was in a mobile home that was damaged. That county was under a tornado warning, but no twister was confirmed there. He was James Sanders, 47.
The person who died in Jasper County apparently hit a downed tree with his car.
Only one tornado has been confirmed thus far in Mississippi from Saturday night’s storm. That was in Bolivar County and has been rated an EF2.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Mark McAllister told News Mississippi Monday that information on the width and path length of the twister was still being gathered by survey teams.
He said that tornado is the same that cause damage in Chicot County, Arkansas, before crossing the river. It had winds of up to 135 mph.
Damage was also reported in DeSoto, Panola, Perry, Quitman, Tate, Tunica, and Union counties. Businesses were damaged in Tate and Tishomingo counties, and a church in Tunica County.
Clarke, Adams and Lafayette counties also reported damage.
“It’s kind of an eerie feeling,” said Dan, who lives in Smithville and was around for the big EF5 tornado in 2011. “You can just about squeeze water out of this air.”
He called in as News Mississippi presented wall to wall coverage of the storms.
There were high winds that affected truck drivers and even brought down trees hours before the actual squall line approached.
The storms were over by Sunday and a front has now brought cooler, less humid air to the Magnolia State.
Christmas Day looks cool, with a high near 50. Lows were expected in the upper 20s to low 30s for most of the week.
