Large and destructive tornado hits Tishomingo, Mississippi — rare tornado emergency issued
A large and destructive tornado hit the town of Tishomingo in northern Mississippi and moved into northern Alabama on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, forcing authorities to issue a rare tornado emergency. Considerable damage was reported and several people were reportedly injured.
The National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed the tornado at 22:35 UTC (17:35 CDT) near the city of Tishomingo, far northeastern Mississippi.
Tishomingo Police Chief Mike Kemp confirmed several buildings were damaged, including Dollar General variety store which sustained major damage. Kemp said he received reports of several minor injuries, but Mayor Tenson said Wednesday there have been no injuries as a result of the tornado.
In addition, numerous trees were downed and the town is without power.
Tishomingo Emergency Management said it will complete another damage assessment Wednesday morning.
Dr. Barrett Gutter and state climatologist Mike Brown were heading east on Highway 30 toward Tishomingo when the tornado was on the ground, recording the video below:
Images courtesy Google. Edit: TW
Drone footage of the Tishomingo County tornado Tuesday evening. #mswx https://t.co/DxDHklbl22
— Patrick Ellis WLBT (@PatrickEllisWx) March 25, 2020
Chris Darracott shares these #stormdamage photos from Tishomingo, Mississippi. #mswx @NWSMemphis @whnt pic.twitter.com/AieSv4USQ6
— Blake Williams (@blwilliamsmedia) March 25, 2020
Dollar General in Tishomingo, MS one of the building hit by a tornado tonight. No injuries reported but damage all over town. @weatherchannel @NWSMemphis @JimCantore @StephanieAbrams @JenCarfagno #mswx pic.twitter.com/ippKjDqdNT
— Charles Peek (@CharlesPeekWX) March 25, 2020
NWS SPC received two tornado reports on March 24 — both from Tishomingo.
After moving through Tishomingo, the twister crossed the border into northern Alabama, forcing NWS to issue a rare tornado emergency for the state.
At 05:41 p.m. CDT a confirmed large and destructive tornado was observed near Tishomingo State Park, moving east at 45 mph [28 km/h], NWS stated in a bulletin.
Alabama issues tornado emergencies just a few times a year.
This is a developing story. The report will be updated when more information becomes available.
Featured image: Tishomingo, MS tornado on March 24, 2020. Credit: Dr. Barrett Gutter
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So sorry to see the damage done to Tish. I worked there several times back in the late 1990s doing upgrades on the telephone switching equipment. My thoughts and prayers to all there.