Strong Storms Swept through Lafayette County and Oxford Early Monday
An overnight onslaught of severe weather led to a Monday morning marked by loud thunderstorms and relentless lightning over the sleepy community of Lafayette County and Oxford, keeping many from a restful sleep.
Midnight Onset and Tornado Warning
Just past midnight, at approximately 1:23 a.m., the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for north Lafayette County as the first wave of thunderstorms began to roll through. As reiterated by the public information officer of Lafayette County, Beau Moore, there were no signs that a tornado had actually touched down within the county borders.
“There is no reported damage at this time”, reported Moore early Monday morning.
Sirens Confusion
Confusion arose approximately 15 minutes after the tornado warning had been sounded, when several sirens began blaring within Oxford and around the University of Mississippi. Residents took to social media platforms expressing their confusion as to why the sirens were activated seemingly after the worst of the weather had passed over the tornado warning area.
Clarifying the situation, Moore explained that the sirens were triggered as the storm moved east and the NWS included Oxford in its warning.
Multiple Storm Cells and Power Outages
Just as the night seemed to calm down, the weather shifted once again as another cell of storms passed over Lafayette County. Loud thunder and vivid, frequent lightning overtook the early morning skyline yet again at around 2:45 a.m., prompting the NWS to issue a second severe thunderstorm warning.
The intense downpour and thunderclaps, together with the consistent lightning, did not subside until approximately 6 a.m. Soon after, at 6:15 a.m., due to the significant rainfall, the NWS issued a flash flood warning. This resulted in the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office reporting flooding of County Road 303 in the vicinity of the 300-300 block, stretching to the city limit of Taylor.
The North East Mississippi Electric Power Association reported multiple power outages during the early morning hours due to the severe weather. Restoration of service to most affected households was achieved by early Monday morning.
Continued Weather Monitoring
As Lafayette County and Oxford recover from the early morning weather disruption, residents are encouraged to remain mindful of weather updates, particularly in times of severe thunderstorms and heavy rains, to ensure their personal safety and that of their property. The forecasting and monitoring of weather conditions will be ongoing as the community returns to normalcy post-storm.
