Mississippi set a new state record last year in tornado activity.

In 2019, 114 tornadoes occurred in Mississippi, surpassing the previous record of 109 set in 2008.

“This just happened to be a record year,” said Heather Stanley with the National Weather Service in Jackson. “We found a lot of smaller tornadoes as well, it’s just a matter of it being an active year.”

With climate averages, some years see less activity and some see more, according to Stanley.

“That’s just how the weather works,” she said.

Meteorologists use the Enhanced Fujita Scale to measure tornado intensity, taking into account wind speed and related damage.

An EF0 has the lowest rating, with wind speeds reaching 65-85 mph. The highest is EF5, reaching speeds over 200 mph.

Though the scale measures severity, a tornado should never be taken lightly.

“All tornadoes are dangerous,” said Stanley.

In East Mississippi, Clarke County saw four tornadoes – two EF1s, an EF2 and an EF3. One tornado, an EF1, was cofirmed in Newton County. Kemper County saw two tornados, an EF2 and an EF0. 

No tornadoes were reported in Lauderdale County, but Neshoba County saw 10 – two EF0s and eight EF1s. There were no EF5s, and the increased number for Neshoba may just be arbitrary, Stanley said. 

“It’s a matter of where they happen to start, and it’s sort of arbitrary based on where county lines were drawn,” she said. 

Two people from Clarke County were sent to the hospital on Dec. 16 after sustaining injuries related to a severe storm, and an EF1 tornado that hit Union in Newton County caused minor damage on Dec. 29. 

The forecast for 2020 is unknown, as certain ingredients in the atmosphere have to be present to detect a tornado, which is impossible to do this early, according to Stanley.