On Tuesday, severe weather, including tornadoes, hail, and destructive wind gusts, struck portions of the South, threatening an estimated 11 million people in nine states. The National Weather Service reported that many tornadoes touched down in Mississippi as severe thunderstorms ravaged the region.
A flurry of tornado watches and warnings were also issued for portions of Alabama and Louisiana, according to the NWS, and its office in Birmingham, Alabama, confirmed early Wednesday morning that a tornado had touched down near the border of Montgomery and Elmore Counties, urging residents near Boylston to “take cover immediately!”
Tornado confirmed by radar on the border of Montgomery and Elmore counties near Boylston; seek shelter quickly! pic.twitter.com/XtngXQEM5w
30/11/2022 — NWS Birmingham (@NWSBirmingham)
It was unknown if the strong storms had caused considerable property damage or injuries.
A little after 7 p.m. local time, the NWS urged Caldwell Parish, Louisiana, citizens to seek shelter because a “potentially devastating tornado is now on the ground.”
As of late Tuesday evening, the NWS indicated that the “vast majority” of the strong tornado danger remained over central Mississippi and west-central Alabama. According to the NWS Storm Prediction Center, the severe weather began in the early afternoon and was forecast to continue into the early morning hours of Wednesday.
Minutes before it began to rain in Muscle Shoals, hail of pea to marble size was dropping. #hunwx #alwx pic.twitter.com/qSNXWLAxcx @DanielleDozier @JDressmanWX @spann @StephWVTM13 @gannweather
— Tyler Elkins (@Tyler Elkins84) November 29, 2022
Video shared on social media The northwest Alabama town of Muscle Shoals was pummeled by wind gusts and hail on Tuesday afternoon, while the Morgan County region in north central Alabama was soaked by thunderstorms. Additionally, video revealed felled trees in Eutaw, a community in west-central Alabama. According to the NWS, the storm that struck the Eutaw region “generated a tornado debris signature.”
On the evening of November 29, 2022, a car speeds along a street in Jackson, Mississippi, as lightning strikes the sky. Rogelio V. Solis/AP
Meteorologist Mike Bettes of the Weather Channel stated on Tuesday evening that there was a “high chance of flooding across the South,” including towns such as Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and Mobile, Alabama. Bettes noted that the cities of Nashville, Tennessee, Huntsville, Birmingham, and Montgomery, Alabama might all be severely impacted by the storm.
Morgan County is afflicted by heavy rain and lightning. This was between Hartselle and Priceville on I-65. @WAAYTV @BradTravisWAFF @spann @NWSHuntsville @whnt image:
November 29, 2022 — Morgan County Sheriff’s Office (Alabama) (@morgan sheriff)
According to Mike Chesterfield, head of Weather Presentation at The Weather Channel, a cold front caused the storm.
“Today and tonight, a powerful cold front will surge eastward into warm, wet air, spawning many rounds of severe thunderstorms ahead of it,” he warned. The hazard of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes will be amplified by winds that will be turning with altitude, as well as by the intense jet stream energy flowing overhead.
Tuesday, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency used its Twitter account to urge citizens to prepare for power disruptions and, if possible, keep off the highways.
»The South is impacted by tornadoes, big hail, and severe winds«