Several tornadoes were reported in the South on Tuesday Dec. 23, including one in Mississippi that officials say killed at least four people and injured several others. Many businesses and homes sustained heavy damage, as seen by the images above. 

Weather in your inbox

Forecast Location

Sign Up

By signing up you agree to the Terms & Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe at any time.

According to weather.com meteorologist Nick Wiltgen, strong circulation with a debris signature was spotted on radar moving toward the town of Columbia, Mississippi, at around 2:30 p.m. local time.

(MORE: Track the Severe Threat As It Moves East)

Initial reports from emergency management said power lines were down and debris was falling from the sky after the possible tornado passed. The storms were expected to continue through the evening, bringing wind, hail and lightning, along with the possibility of a few additional tornadoes.

Mississippi Power reported 3,635 of 3,638 customers were without power in Columbia as of Tuesday night. 

According to NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, an average of 24 tornadoes touch down in the month of December – many of which are in the South.

(MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Weather.com's Top 100 Photos of 2014)