Cleanup continued Friday in the Clarkdale and Whynot communities after a storm tore through rural Lauderdale County Wednesday night.

High winds knocked down power lines and uprooted trees near the Clarkdale Attendance Center, where the school was closed on Thursday after several buildings were damaged.

“Prayers for our Clarkdale family as heavy damage has been sustained in the community and to the school campus,” LCSD Superintendent John-Mark Cain tweeted after the storm. “There will likely be substantial disruption to our normal operations as we assess and outline a plan to restore services.”

Damage was also reported at the Whynot Motorsports Park.

The National Weather Service confirmed an EF-2 tornado in northern Clarke County, which was associated with damage in northern Jasper and southern Lauderdale counties. Five other tornadoes were confirmed  across the state.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said Friday that six injuries were reported from the storms. Three of the injuries were in Tippah County, two were in Alcorn County and one was in Clarke County.

Statewide, damage was reported in 24 counties. Winston County reported the most damage, with 41 homes, three businesses and eight farms affected.

EMEPA reported more than 600 power outages in Clarke and Lauderdale counties Friday afternoon. Crews from Natchez Trace Electric Cooperative, Singing River Electric Cooperative, Tallapoosa River Electric Cooperative and Covington Electric Cooperative were called in to join EMEPA’s restoration efforts.

At the peak of the storm, more than 8,000 EMEPA members experienced a loss of power, and the agency’s system sustained at least 120 broken poles, 70 of which are 3-phase poles.

Wednesday’s storm came after two EF-1 tornadoes hit Lauderdale County on March 30, one causing extensive damage to the Clarkdale High School softball field. On April 5, an EF-0 tornado hit the Whynot Community, knocking down trees and leaving some residents without power.

Looking ahead

Showers and storms are remain likely heading into the Easter weekend.

Rain chances will increase throughout the day Saturday, reaching a 90% certainty after 1 p.m. New precipitation of half to three-quarters of an inch are possible.

Easter Sunday will be warm, with temperatures reaching 74 degrees. Rain chances are about 70% with showers arriving after 1 p.m.

Severe weather, including hail and damaging winds, is possible though the holiday weekend.

The wet weather will continue into Monday morning bringing a 20% chance of showers before noon. Clouds will decrease throughout the day with clear skies forecast for Monday night.

Temperatures throughout the weekend will stay in the mid- to high 70s during the day and about 60 degrees at night.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.