Tornadoes Claim Two Lives as Severe Storms Ravage Texas and Mississippi
Severe thunderstorms unleashed widespread destruction across the South on Saturday, December 28, leaving at least two people dead in Texas and Mississippi.
The National Weather Service (NWS) Storm Prediction Center received 34 tornado reports, with Mississippi accounting for 17, Texas for 10, Alabama for 5, and Louisiana and Arkansas each reporting one.
In Brazoria County, Texas, significant damage was reported after a long-tracked storm produced a deadly tornado between Liverpool and Hillcrest Village around 12:57 p.m. local time.
According to the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office, the tornado destroyed multiple homes along its path between Alvin and Liverpool, scattered debris across State Highway 35, and caused one fatality and four non-critical injuries.
Manvel Mayor Dan Davis shared images of the extensive destruction in the area. The storm continued eastward, producing another large and dangerous tornado near Port Arthur by 4:00 p.m.
In Mississippi, an 18-year-old died and two others were injured when a tree fell on a home in Natchez. Further damage occurred in the town of Bude, where a large tornado overturned trailer homes and injured one person.
Montgomery County, Texas, also faced severe impacts, with at least 15 residents trapped in homes due to the storms. Judge Mark Keough confirmed that all individuals were successfully rescued.
The storms left nearly 7 million people under tornado watches and over 223,000 customers, or approximately 650,000 individuals, without power as of early Sunday, December 29. The most affected states were Georgia, with over 71,700 customers without power, and Mississippi, with 70,800 outages. Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas also reported significant outages.
The severe weather threat persisted into Sunday, December 29, with the storm system shifting towards the southeastern United States. Heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and potential tornadoes were forecast for areas from the eastern Gulf Coast to the Carolinas.
The NWS Weather Prediction Center indicated a slight risk of severe thunderstorms in the Carolinas, while rain showers were expected to spread into the Northeast later in the day. Light wintry precipitation was also anticipated in parts of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula overnight.
