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Tupelo Water and Light employees work to repair storm damage to power lines along
Elizabeth Street in Tupelo on Wednesday.
High winds from an afternoon severe
thunderstorm blew down five power poles near Cockrell Banana and caused auto
accidents, downed trees and other
damage across the city. (C. Todd Sherman)
Several traffic lights at Highway 45 and Main Street were broken after a severe thunderstorm on Wednesday. (C. Todd Sherman)
Sign along the north-bound off ramp of Highway 45 at Main Street in Tupelo lies on the ground after a severe thunderstorm on Wednesday. (C. Todd Sherman)
Tupelo Water and Light employees begin clearing Elizabeth Street of power poles that were blown over during and severe thunderstorm Wednesday afternoon. (C. Todd Sherman)
High winds from a severe thunderstorm passing through Tupelo blew this semi truck off the south-bound land of Highway 45 near the Main Street exit in Tupelo on Wednesday afternoon. (C. Todd Sherman).
An 18-wheeler was turned over on Highway 45 near the Main Street exit Wednesday. No one was injured. Highway 45 south bound was blocked for about 45 minutes. (Brandon Speck)
Wind gusts between 40 and 60 mph caused damage to trees, power lines and along the roadways. Ten automobile accidents were reported in Tupelo but none resulted in major injuries. Police said traffic on Highway 45 between the Main Street and Eason Boulevard exits was backed up for nearly an hour while the wreckage from the truck was cleaned up.
Winds peaked at 90 mph in Vardaman around 12:50 p.m. in what the National Weather Service Declared an EF-1 tornado. Meteorologist Chris Duke said the tornado brought trees down on homes, damaged sheds and caused one minor injury. He said the tornado started and ended in Vardaman with a three-mile length and 100-yard width.
In Tupelo, most damages from the storm involved power lines and poles down like on Mt. Vernon Road and on Elizabeth Street. Tupelo Water and Light crews scrambled to get the poles and dozens of power lines out of the roadway and power in the affected areas restored.
Chris Duke, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Memphis, said the 50 mph winds reported were damaging.
“The gusts got pretty high, so it’s not a surprise that trees and power lines were down,” said Duke. “And under the right circumstances, those winds could definitely overturn an 18-wheeler.”
Other areas in Northeast Mississippi like Oxford saw heavy rainfall but had no structural damage reported, according to emergency management personnel. There were also high winds reported in areas of Chickasaw County, causing several trees to be downed.
Thunderstorms are expected to continue though the weekend, according to the NWS. There is a 40 percent chance for thunderstorms today and a 50 percent chance for Friday. Both Saturday and Sunday have 20 percent chances for storms.
Contact Danza Johnson at (662) 678-1583 or danza.johnson@journalinc.com.