Heavy rains, floods and even a tornado as storms hit the south

A 1923 Studebaker, left, and a 1930 Chevrolet Paddy Wagon are on display at Lawrence Motors along Highway 50 in Columbus, Missouri, after a tornado hit the area on Saturday, February 23, 2019. (AP Photo / Jim Lytle)

COLUMBUS, Miss – A tornado ripped down on a shopping district in the small town of Columbus, Mississippi, destroying businesses as violent storms swept the south during a weekend of heavy rains and a threat of riots. Rising flood.

The tornado that destroyed businesses in the eastern Mississippi city was confirmed by radar, said meteorologist Anna Wolverton of the National Meteorological Service in Jackson. She told the Associated Press that experts would travel to the city of about 23,000 on Sunday to gauge the intensity of the tornado.

No deaths or injuries have been reported in the immediate future.

Elsewhere in the south, homes, highways and bridges have been flooded or decommissioned by heavy rains. According to media reports, rescue operations in the water have occurred in some counties in central Tennessee. Warnings and flood watches remained in place throughout the south.