SPLUNGE – Unseasonably warm weather brought severe thunderstorms to several areas Wednesday evening including a tornado in Monroe County and reports of a funnel cloud in Duck Hill in Montgomery County.
Severe weather alerts went out across the state about 5:30 p.m. with several counties including Attala, Carroll, Grenada, Itawamba, Lee, Leflore, Montgomery and Oktibbeha being in the direct line for severe weather.
WTVA reported that strong winds, associated with thunderstorms, were also blamed for damage to buildings, trees and power lines late Wednesday night.
The majority of the damage, however, was reported near Splunge in Monroe County, and the National Weather Service (NWS) in Memphis has confirmed that a brief tornado did touch down in the county Wednesday night.
After conducting damage surveys, officials confirmed that the tornado was on the ground for about 200 yards and was about 25 yards wide.
WTVA Chief Meteorologist Matt Laubhan said that due to the tornadoes small size, and short path, it may have only been on the ground for 10-20 seconds, which can make it difficult to detect by doppler radar.
NWS officials said the damage was near the Sipsey Fork area of Monroe County.
The storm has been classified as an EF-0 tornado with winds near 85 miles an hour.
Emergency management said a gas station awning was blown over at S & J on Highway 145 in Aberdeen, also in Monroe County.
Damage was also reported to a mobile home and some storage buildings near Splunge on Sipsey-Detroit Road.
Power lines were down between Athens and Quincy.
Trees were reported down south of Becker and in the Cherry Creek area of Pontotoc County.
There were no reports of injuries.
Officials have also confirmed that an F-2 tornado caused significant damage last Sunday in the town of Alligator in Bolivar County.
WABG reported that the twister left many residents displaced with as many as 14 homes and several vehicles being damaged.
Reportedly, heavy straight-line winds hit the small town around 10:30 p.m., and the American Red Cross was on the scene providing relief assistance to the victims.
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