Some Golden Triangle-area schools let students out early as tornado watches and warnings broke out across north Mississippi and storms pushed toward Alabama this afternoon. The National Weather Service said the storm system from the west will likely keep much of Mississippi under a tornado watch today.
West Point, Oktibbeha County, and Noxubee County schools in Mississippi, and Lamar and Pickens County, Ala., schools dismissed students early this afternoon. No Lowndes County schools had made plans to dismiss early as of 1:40 p.m., though some after-school programs such as tutoring sessions were canceled.
Meteorologist Dan Byrd in Jackson said damaging winds and large hail were accompanying the storm system moving through the state. Severe thunderstorm warnings were out for much of Mississippi except coastal areas at mid-day today.
A tornado warning was canceled in DeSoto and Tunica counties at mid-day but remained in effect for other areas of north Mississippi until 3 p.m. and central and south Mississippi until 6 p.m.
In Tunica County, a severe thunderstorm uprooted trees, severed power lines and produced heavy rain from Dundee in the south to Robinsonville in the north county area, said Larry Liddell, a spokesman for Tunica County.
Liddell said the back wall of the North Tunica Fire Station was blown out by high winds, but there have been no official reports of a tornado touching down. No injuries were reported.
Temperatures were not expected to drop too far after the cold front moves through. Temperatures should be in the 60s on Tuesday with lows in the 40s.
The warm weather should be back by Thursday, returning to the 70s.
In Alabama, a tornado watch area covered 22 counties along a line roughly from Interstate 59 north to the Tennessee state line. It includes metro Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Cullman, Huntsville, Decatur, Florence and the entire Tennessee Valley region.
Forecasters say the watch will expire at 6 p.m. today, but other watches and warnings could be needed.
Forecasters say those storms should begin moving into the state around the time classes would normally be dismissing for the day.
The severe weather threat is linked to a strong cold front moving into the state.
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