Strong winds associated with severe thunderstorms caused property damage in Tate County on Mother’s Day.
Kim Brownlee, Tate County Emergency Management Director, said no injuries were reported after storms moved through the area Sunday, May 9. He said there were several downed trees and limbs in New Town, just east of Senatobia on Highway 4, that led to some minor damage to homes.
There were also sporadic reports of tree damage inside the Senatobia city limits after the two separate thunderstorm warnings were issued for Tate County at 5:22 and 5:52 p.m., packing wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.
An EF-0 tornado, which is the weakest according to the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, contains wind speeds between 65 and 85 miles per hour. Straight-line wind comes out of a thunderstorm. If winds meet or exceed 58 miles per hour, the storm is classified as severe by NWS.
Local officials opened the storm shelter on the Senatobia Elementary School campus on Marvin Street for several hours, offering citizens a safe haven to ride out the storms.
