On December 23, 2015, the
Storm Prediction Center discussed the probabilities for severe weather to materialize in the
Mississippi Valley, encompassing regions in northern
Louisiana, eastern
Arkansas, northwestern
Mississippi, western
Tennessee, the
Missouri Bootheel, and extreme southwestern
Kentucky. A
cold front ejecting from the
Texas Panhandle and a
warm front coming from the lower
Ohio River valley, intersected by a
stationary front placed over western
Kansas, led to the creation of a
triple point over northwestern Missouri. This set up the environment for an atmosphere conductive to severe weather. As the evening progressed, further certainty arose for the possibility for an outbreak, as
Convective Available Potential Energy values of around 1,000–2,000 J/kg and effective
wind shear were present for the aforementioned areas of the upper Mississippi Valley. Solar heating in these areas gave way for effective
buoyancy in the area, further improving the conditions for supercells and to develop. Given the favorable parameters, the SPC, alongside its Convective outlook, introduced a 15% hatched area for tornadoes, indicating the probability for a few strong tornadoes to occur, as discrete
supercell thunderstorms were expected to develop in the area. As such, the SPC issued a
PDS tornado watch, the first of multiple tornado watches that day, for northern Louisiana, western Arkansas, northwestern Mississippi, and western Tennessee, highlighting the elevated threat for strong tornadoes in the area. At 2000 UTC, the SPC introduced an increased area for the concern of strong tornadoes, extending the existent area to reach central Tennessee, northwestern
Alabama, and central portions of Kentucky. The first tornadoes of the day occurred in the
Midwest, where an EF1 tornado that touched down in
Greenwood, Indiana, where several homes sustained damage. Another tornado caused damage to homes in the
Indianapolis suburb of
Noblesville. In Illinois, a tornado destroyed multiple outbuildings and downed trees near the town of
Sciota. The outbreak also spawned the only known tornado to touch down in
Michigan during the month of December, an EF1 tornado that struck the
Detroit suburb of
Canton, causing considerable damage to vehicles, an industrial park, and a gas station. In the area with the greatest risk for tornadoes, multiple supercells developed by noon, soon becoming tornadic. A strong EF2 tornado occurred near
Marianna, Arkansas, completely destroying mobile homes, tearing roofs off of frame homes, and damaging cabins in the area. A large EF3 tornado eventually touched down south of
Clarksdale, Mississippi, killing two people and severely damaging or destroying about 15 homes in that area. The tornado continued to the northeast, later snapping trees and destroying homes near
Marks and
Como before dissipating. The same parent supercell produced another tornado further east of Como, a violent EF4 tornado that devastated 6 counties in Mississippi and Tennessee along a mile long path, killing 9 people. Another destructive EF3 tornado struck the small community of
Lutts, Tennessee after dark, destroying multiple homes and a church, and completely leveling the town's post office. Additional scattered tornado activity occurred on the 24th and 25th, including a high-end EF2 tornado that caused heavy damage in the southwestern part of
Birmingham, Alabama on
Christmas Day. ==Confirmed tornadoes==