They also damaged homes and businesses, and knocked down power lines in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas. The storms moved to the Deep South after they caused extensive damage in Texas, Missouri, and Arkansas overnight.
Officials said that no deaths were reported due to the storms as at Wednesday evening.
According to poweroutage.us which tracks utility outages, around 185,000 customers were without power Thursday morning.
However, widespread damage was reported in Jackson, Tennessee as a tornado warning was in place. According to Jason Moore, Madison County Emergency Management Director, “Significant Damage” was caused to Jackson-Madison County General Hospital as well as the Madison County Sheriff’s Office.
Nashville, Tennessee – Paneling fell five stories off the side of a downtown Nashville hotel Wednesday night and onto the roof of a lower building. As high winds continue, the fire department warned that debris could be airborne. Some hotel guests were evacuated to safer areas of the building because they were concerned about the roof becoming unstable. The collapse did not cause any injuries.
Police said that a warehouse roof collapsed during the hurricanes that swept through Southaven in Mississippi, close to Memphis. No injuries were reported after the building was evacuated.
As tornado sirens blared in downtown Jackson, the Mississippi Senate was forced to suspend its work. Some workers sought refuge in the Capitol basement.
Rander P. Adams stated that Janice Delores Adams and his wife were at their Jackson home when severe weather struck during Wednesday’s tornado warning. He claimed that their lights flashed, and that they heard a loud whistling sound.
His wife was trying to open the front door when a large glass exploded just feet away.
He said, “The glass broke like a brick was thrown through it.” “I advised her that we go to the back of this house.”
Adams stated that the storm swept away trees from a nearby park and that a large tree just across the street from Adams’ house was ripped in half. He said, “We were blessed.” “It fell in the opposite direction to the house.
A tornado that struck Springdale in Arkansas and Johnson, an adjacent town, around 145 miles (235 kilometers) northwest Little Rock on Wednesday morning, left seven people injured, two of them critically. John Luther, Washington County Emergency Management Director, Arkansas. He did not have any additional information.
According to the National Weather Service, a tornado will be rated at least EF-2. This would indicate wind speeds of 111-135 mph (178-217 kph).
Arkansas Governor. Asa Hutchinson stated.
According to the weather service, an EF-1 tornado (with wind speeds of around 90 mph (175 kph), struck St. Joseph, Missouri on Tuesday night. The tornado caused damage to two homes but did not cause any injuries. The weather service reported that another EF-1 tornado, with winds of around 100 mph (161 kph), touched down in a rural subdivision about 25 miles (40 km) east Dallas on Wednesday morning, damaging two roofs.
These storms occur a week after an tornado in a New Orleans area neighborhood created a path of destruction over the overnight hours and killed a man.
KFSM-TV reported that extensive damage was done to Springdale’s elementary school gymnasium as well as a warehouse. All classes were cancelled Wednesday by the Springdale School District, Arkansas’ largest.
Luther stated, “We have some residential buildings and commercial buildings, and everything in between… with severe storm damage.”
According to forecasters for the weather service, strong winds caused semitrailers to be overturned, ripped the roof off a mobile home and sent a tree into a house, knocking down power lines. However, they didn’t immediately confirm that there were tornadoes in Louisiana.
Schools in Memphis and Mississippi were closed earlier or switched to online education as a precaution against children being crowded into buses or buildings. In Mississippi, shelters were opened and Louisiana’s Federal Emergency Management Agency advised residents who live in trailers following Hurricane Ida to prepare to evacuate.
