A confirmed EF-0 tornado touched down in the area of the Poplar Creek and Huntsville communities near the Choctaw County line Saturday afternoon causing downed trees.
Montgomery County Emergency Management Director Alan Pratt said it was confirmed the damage was from an EF-0 tornado.
“It stayed on the ground for a brief period,” Pratt said. “Trees were down north of the Highway 413 and Huntsville intersection.”
Pratt said a resident of Poplar Creek reported they saw the tornado when it touched down in the area. “It knocked several trees down and the road was blocked,” he said.
Pratt said volunteers, volunteer firefighters with the Poplar Creek Volunteer Fire Department, road crews, and Montgomery County Road Manager Chris Breazeale cleared the road.
Lisa Henning, said half a tree fell in her yard and took out the powerline to her barn during the storm. She said after the storm had passed, she and her neighbors were outside checking to see if everyone was okay and the damage that was done.
“…They found the roads near us were clear and that someone had cleared some downed trees from Highway 413 in the Huntsville area,” Henning said. “For the next hour or so I could see other neighbors driving around and checking the roads and ready to help if need be.”
Meteorologist Janae Elkins with the National Weather Service in Jackson said the tornado traveled four tenths of a mile and went 25 yards. Elkins said the tornado was on the ground for a minute.
In Northern Choctaw County, the community of Chester also saw storm damage. According to North Mississippi Storm Chaser James Bishop, there were downed powerlines near Chester-Tomnolen Road. The two communities of Huntsville and Chester are 30 minutes apart, connected by Stewart-Weir Road on the Choctaw and Montgomery County lines and Chester-Tomnolen Road on the Choctaw and Webster County lines.
It is believed the storm damage is connected.
