PEARL – The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has received confirmation from the National Weather Service in Memphis that an EF-5 tornado with winds up to 205 mph struck the city of Smithville in Monroe County Wednesday afternoon. This is the highest rating for tornado damage and the first EF-5 tornado to hit Mississippi since March 1966.
Weather service survey teams report the tornado had a maximum width of one half mile and a path length of 2.82 miles.
There are 14 confirmed deaths, more than 40 injuries and 14 people reported missing in Monroe County.
Statewide there are 33 confirmed deaths with more than 160 injuries.
Additional weather service survey teams are working throughout the state to determine other tornado touchdowns.
MEMA will continue to provide additional reports as information becomes available.
For more information, visit us online at www.msema.org. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook using the keyword MSEMA.
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