Damage assessments underway after tornadoes spotted across the South
A Thursday morning EF-2 tornado was confirmed in Arkansas before additional twisters were spotted in Mississippi later in the day.
NWS: Three tornadoes reported in Mississippi on Thursday
According to the National Weather Service, three tornadoes were reported across Mississippi on Thursday. FOX Weather's Robert Ray has the latest on the damage caused by the severe storms.
Nearly 50 million Americans across 15 states faced the threat of severe weather on Thursday, which included large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes.
While the South is no stranger to experiencing severe weather in February, having the potential for severe storms as far north as the Great Lakes was a rarity for the time of year.
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center issued had Tornado Watches from Texas through the Tennessee Valley warning of the threat of severe storms, but a "cap" in place during the morning and afternoon prevented thunderstorms from becoming severe early in the day.
FOX Weather meteorologist Ian Oliver defined a cap as a layer of warm air aloft that acts a lid on the atmosphere, which prevents storms from growing vertically.
The FOX Forecast Center said storms failed to develop in earnest on Wednesday because of a strong cap that wasn't broken.
WHAT IS THE ‘CAP’ IN WEATHER? HOW THIS ATMOSPHERIC LID AFFECTS SEVERE STORMS
EF-2 tornado confirmed in Arkansas
The National Weather Service office in Little Rock, Arkansas, said a team of its meteorologists determined that an EF-2 tornado tore through Searcy and Marion counties during the early-morning hours of Thursday.
Arkansas worried about flooding as severe threat continues into Thursday
AR DOT Public Information Officer Dave Parker is warning residents of possible flooding as the severe storm threat continues into Thursday, which could lead to more rain for the state.
No injuries were reported with the twister, but damage included a home being dislodged from its foundation. The NWS reported trees blocked a half-dozen roads, including Highway 65, which had to be temporarily closed.
Other parts of Arkansas experienced hail and wind damage during the severe storms, but no other tornadoes were believed to have touched down in that state.
WHERE ARE TORNADOES MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR IN FEBRUARY?
Additional tornadoes spotted in Mississippi
Confirmed tornado in Tippah County, Mississippi
FOX Weather correspondent Max Gorden on how tornado-warned storms strike Mississippi and other parts of the southern U.S.
Parts of the Deep South were under a Tornado Watch for most of Thursday as two rounds of showers and storms moved in from the west.
Damage to mobile homes, awnings, trees and power lines was reported in several communities in Mississippi.
Jon Grisham, mayor of Ripley, Mississippi, said public works' main goal was to make sure roadways were clear after being given clearance by the local utility company.
Storm damage in Ripley, Mississippi from possible tornado
Jon Grisham, Mayor of Ripley, Mississippi, suspects a funnel cloud caused damage to the north end of the city. Grisham noted that the storm knocked over pumps at a gas station and took down roofs from several homes.
"Our schools let out early today, and we were kind of expecting it to be a little later in the day," Grisham said. "It came sooner than we thought. But as far as being prepared and being ready for the emergency, we were."
The mayor had not received any reports of injuries or fatalities from the storm.
A little more hour than an hour's drive south and east of Ripley is the town of Smithville, Mississippi. Video from a resident in the eastern part of the state captured what appeared to be a large tornado outside the town.
The FOX Forecast Center said Doppler radar also detected a "debris ball," which is a telltale sign that rotation exists in a storm and that a tornado could be on the ground.
Smithville is no stranger to tornadoes and weather disasters. An EF-5 tornado in 2011 destroyed nearly everything in its path and impacted hundreds of residents.
Fortunately, Thursday's event did not reach the scale of the 2011 "Super Outbreak," and initial damage reports from the region appeared to be minimal.
High water in Tennessee forces evacuations
The threat of high water along the Kentucky-Tennessee border forced the closure of a daycare in Dover, Tennessee.
The Homestead Child Development Center said children were moved to higher ground after water started to quickly rise and a Flash Flood Warning was issued.
Computer forecast models showed a quick 1 to 2 inches of rainfall was possible, with locally higher amounts in storms and areas where precipitation could potentially move over the same region repeatedly.
More than 2 million people from Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia had been placed under a Flood Watch. The FOX Forecast Center warned excessive runoff could lead to fast-rising rivers, creeks and streams.
Storm damage was also reported in Middle Tennessee, where NWS meteorologists will likely work to determine whether straight-line winds or a tornado impacted the town of Parsons. Several structures were damaged during the storms, and dozens of power outages were reported by local utilities.