EF0 tornado in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi

The tornado developed just east of Highway 49E, approximately 2.4 miles west-northwest of Sumner, causing damage to a grain bin. Moving to the northeast, the tornado damaged a barn and derailed 30 train cars near Tutwiler Road. Sporadic tree damage was observed along the path. Peak winds were estimated at 80 mph. A total of 30 homes were damaged by straight-line winds and this tornado on this date across mainly western sections of Tallahatchie County.

A cold season quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) moved across the Mid-South during the overnight and early morning hours Saturday, January 11, 2020. Strong southerly winds drew unseasonably warm, moist air northward into the region ahead of a cold front. Early morning temperatures were in the upper 60s and lower 70s with dewpoints in the upper 60s. This aided in the development of uncapped surface-based instability that was more than sufficient to maintain the QLCS. A strengthening shortwave trough was lifting northeastward across the Ozarks during the event resulting in strengthing wind fields and ample wind shear. The QLCS evolved into a Line Echo Wave Pattern (LEWP) with several persistent mesovortices across north Mississippi and a few transient mesovortices farther north into west Tennessee. Widespread damaging wind was observed across the entire County Warning Area (CWA) along with 13 tornadoes. In addition to the severe weather potential, heavy rainfall was a noted threat. Isolated flash flooding did occur with this system.