The storms that preceded a cold week of ice and snow across much of the state, produced the first Mississippi tornadoes of the year.
The National Weather Service confirmed Friday that survey teams found damage from two tornadoes in southeast Mississippi as a result of last Sunday's storms.
The first tornado was confirmed to have touched down in Pearl River County in the city of Poplarville at 4:45 p.m. Sunday.
The NWS said the 200-yard-wide, EF-1 tornado with 95 mph winds, tracked just over one mile, just east of Interstate 59, snapping dozens of trees with one falling and severely damaging a pickup truck. A metal workshop building also had half of its roof removed.
This was the second confirmed tornado in Pearl River County in less than a month. A powerful and long-tracked EF-3 tornado hit the county on Christmas Day, causing massive destruction and injuries.
The second tornado on Sunday was confirmed to have touched down in Wayne County, just north of the Buckatunna area, at 6:15 p.m.
This tornado, also rated an EF-1 tornado with winds between 86 and 110 mph, tracked on the ground for 3.3 miles with a damage path of 200 yards wide. Dozens of trees were snapped and uprooted with two homes sustaining significant damage with the loss of their roofs. Two chicken houses had either received major damage or were destroyed, according to the NWS.
Fortunately, no one was reportedly injured in these tornadoes, especially since the tornado in Pearl River County, went unwarned by the NWS.
Mississippi typically is hit with an average of two to three tornadoes a year during the month of January. Last January (2012), five tornadoes touched down during the month in the state.
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