Mississippi tornadoes cause widespread devastation, damage to homes

Tornadoes that rolled through parts of Mississippi the night of May 6 injured at least 17 people, damaged hundreds of homes and toppled trees over roadways, officials said.

Gov. Tate Reeves said late Wednesday that multiple tornadoes were reported in the central and western part of the state. Photos and videos circulating online show the devastating aftermath: fallen trees and power lines, rubble and debris.

In an update on the morning of May 7, Reeves said 17 injuries have been reported so far. No fatalities have been reported, he said.

Thousands of people were also without power the morning of May 7, reported the Mississippi Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network.

"Please continue to pray for Mississippi!" Reeves said.

Reeves said 200 homes were damaged in Lincoln County and 12 were damaged in Lawrence County in southern Mississippi. Another 275 homes and 50 apartment units saw damage in Lamar County, also in the southern part of the state, he said.

"The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is supporting damage and operations assessments," Reeves said. "Road clearing teams are being deployed to remove debris and the state is deploying additional resources as requested by local emergency managers."

Where were the Mississippi tornadoes?

Tornado warnings were issued for Lamar and Marion counties at 6:17 p.m. local time on May 6 by the National Weather Service, when the radar indicated rotation in a storm moving east at 30 mph.

At 7:10 p.m. local time, warnings were issued for Lincoln and Franklin counties, alerting that a large and destructive tornado had been observed near Meadville, moving east at 50 mph. By then, the weather service declared a tornado emergency for Bogue Chitto, Bude, Meadeville, McCall Creek and Brookhaven, warning that it was a particularly dangerous situation. The weather service said the tornado would reach Bogue Chitto around 7:35 p.m. local time.

"There were three significant tornadoes," said Eric Carpenter, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson. "They're all across the south-central area."

The weather service in Jackson said it would conduct storm surveys across seven counties in southern Mississippi. The office expects to complete a preliminary assessment by 6 p.m., with additional details to be released over the next few days.

According to the more than a dozen preliminary tornado reports to the weather service on May 6, tornadoes were spotted in Adams, Franklin, Lamar, Lincoln and Lawrence counties. 

Some of the storms were "rain-wrapped," which makes them more dangerous because they're harder to see coming, said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Adam Douty.

"We are in the peak of the spring severe weather season, and this pattern is not letting up yet. Everyone across the South and Plains needs to stay alert and have multiple ways to receive warnings that can wake them up at night," Douty said.

So far this year, preliminary information from the weather service shows 608 tornadoes have been reported in the United States, above the long-term trend of roughly 549 through May 6.

This story has been updated to add new information.

Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected].