Tornado rips across Mississippi and Alabama, causing injuries and damage

A "large and destructive" tornado ripped across northeastern Mississippi and northwestern Alabama late Tuesday afternoon, reportedly causing injuries and damage in the town of Tishomingo, Mississippi, near the Alabama state line.

A Dollar General store was destroyed in Tishomingo, the Weather Channel said. Tishomingo police chief Mike Kemp told WTVA-TV that some minor injuries had been reported.

The National Weather Service in Memphis confirmed the tornado moved through shortly after 5:30 p.m. local time.

Weather Service meteorologist Mike Johnson said there were reports of widespread tree damage and some structural damage in the area.

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After going through Tishomingo, the tornado crossed the border into northern Alabama, AccuWeather said, prompting the weather service to issue an extremely rare "tornado emergency."

Drier conditions – and no threat of severe weather – was in the forecast for Wednesday, AccuWeather said.

In this Tuesday, March 24, 2020 photo, a Dollar General store in Tishomingo, Miss., is completely destroyed after a suspected tornado swept through the area.
In this Tuesday, March 24, 2020 photo, a Dollar General store in Tishomingo, Miss., is completely destroyed after a suspected tornado swept through the area.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tornado hits Mississippi and Alabama