EF0 tornado in Smith County, Mississippi

An EF-0 tornado touched down near MS Highway 540 in western Smith County. The tornado blew down a couple of trees along the highway and then dissipated before it reached Raleigh. One home suffered minor damage due to a fallen pine tree. Maximum winds were estimated at 75 mph.

As a low pressure system moved through the Upper Midwest region, its cold front which stretched to the south through the Lower Mississippi River Valley became the focus for thunderstorm development on the afternoon of December 9th. Initially discrete supercell storms produced wind damage and hail as they moved into northern Mississippi, and these supercells eventually grew upscale into a squall line of nearly continuous storms as the cold front pushed farther southeast into Mississippi. A few severe storms developed in advance of the cold front during the afternoon and early evening and also produced wind damage and hail.