Tornados damage Crossroads
Published Sunday, May 4
By Brant Sappington
Staff Writer

Homes and buildings were damaged and trees toppled as a series of tornadoes ripped through the Crossroads area Friday night.

At least two tornadoes were spotted in the Prentiss County area, including one which hit near Jumpertown and a second which appeared to move along the Prentiss-Alcorn County line near Rienzi. The National Weather Service confirmed one funnel cloud spotted along the county line and another spotted near Burnsville in Tishomingo County.

The most serious damage was reported in and around Jumpertown in Prentiss County, where E-911 Coordinator David Kelly said several homes received structural damage, along with a pair of large shop buildings near Highway 4 West.

Damage reports continued to come into the E-911 operations center in Prentiss County throughout the day on Saturday. Day Shift Operator Cheryl Starling said most people were calling to report downed trees on power lines or other similar issues.

Alcorn County Emergency Services Coordinator Ricky Gibens said damage in the county was limited to downed trees and minor structural damage such as shingles blown off of roofs.

"We had some really nasty weather come through," said Gibens. Alcorn County Post 2 Constable Roger Voyles was traveling along Mississippi Highway 356 just off of U.S. Highway 45 near the Prentiss-Alcorn county line when everything became unusually still.

"It quit raining and all of the sudden, it just fell out of the clouds," said Voyles. He said the funnel clearly appeared to be moving along the ground and he feared it was about to make a direct hit on the town of Rienzi. Instead the cloud skirted the town, downing trees and causing damage in the more rural area surrounding the town.

Burnsville Mayor David Nixon said he was aware of reports of a tornado passing through his town, but had no reports of any serious damage in the area. A dispatcher with the Tishomingo County Sheriff's Department also said they had not been notified of any damage in the county as of Saturday morning.

"We dodged a bullet," said Nixon.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Corey Chaskelson said Friday's outbreak came about after a cold front collided with a mass of warm, moist, unstable air already in place over the Mid-South, resulting in the creation of a massive storm system which caused severe damage from Missouri south into Arkansas and Mississippi.

The most serious damage in Northeast Mississippi was centered around New Albany where a tornado touched down, destroying several homes and causing serious damage to trees and power lines.

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