JACKSON — The National Weather Service has counted at least nine tornadoes hitting Mississippi on Monday.
Survey teams conclude storm damage was caused by twisters in Claiborne, Copiah, Covington, Forrest, Jasper, Jefferson, Lamar, Lincoln, Pike, Simpson, Smith and Walthall counties.
The strongest storm, rated EF-2 on the enhanced Fujita scale, hit near Mount Olive, with top winds estimated at 113 mph. It damaged structures near U.S. 49, with a path 300 yards wide and 4.2 miles long.
The next three strongest storms, with winds above 100 mph, struck near Pinola and Mendenhall, near Purvis and near Stringer.
At least 20 tornadoes have been counted so far in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia.
A storm that killed four people in southeast Alabama is being classified not as a tornado, but as thunderstorm winds.
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