Tornado Hits Central Mississippi, Killing at Least 1

At least one person was killed and 19 others were injured after a tornado slammed central Mississippi overnight, the authorities said.

A tornado struck the town of Louin, about 70 miles east of Jackson, around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, said Eric Carpenter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson.

Mr. Carpenter said that it was possible that multiple tornadoes had hit the area overnight but that survey crews would assess the damage later on Monday morning to confirm.

There was no information about how the death occurred or the nature of the other victims’ injuries, said Becky Collins, a spokeswoman for South Central Regional Medical Center in Laurel, where some of the victims were taken. The facility is about an hour south of Louin.

Most of the people with injuries were in stable condition or had been discharged from the emergency room, she said, adding that more victims might arrive at the hospital later in the morning.

As of Monday morning, nearly 500,000 customers across the South were without electricity, including more than 50,000 in Mississippi, according to poweroutage.us, which compiles data from utilities.

More than 29 million people, mostly in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi were under an excessive heat warning.

Video and images of the damage in Louin showed fields destroyed, homes leveled and debris scattered on roads. One video circulating on social media showed emergency responders rescuing people from damaged homes in the middle of the night.

“It’s been a very interesting weather pattern, especially for June,” Mr. Carpenter said. “In this situation, the jet stream is unusually strong over the area and it’s creating a springlike situation.”

Mr. Carpenter said the fronts hitting the central part of the state have been consistent and have brought a barrage of chaotic weather, including flash flooding.

Sunday night’s tornado occurred last than a week after severe storms swept across parts of the South, killing five people across three states.