12 tornado, 5 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Jackson, MS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 23, 3:45 PM CST, 10 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 345 PM CST FRI NOV 23 2001 STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW DEVELOPING OVER THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY REGION THIS AFTERNOON AHEAD OF A MAJOR CENTRAL US STORM SYSTEM. INCREASING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL AID LINEAR MESOSCALE COVECTIVE COMPLEX DEVELOPMENT OVER THE ARKLATEX REGION LATER TONIGHT...AHEAD OF A SURFACE COLD FRONT. NEW 18Z MESOETA APPEARS TO HAVE A GOOD HANDLE ON CURRENT CONVECTIVE SITUATION AND WILL FOLLOW CLOSELY FOR DETAILS NEXT 24 TO 36 HRS. EXPECT CONVECTIVE COMPLEX TO DEVELOP INTO ARKLAMISS REGION AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH A SQUALL LINE APPROACHING MS RIVER BY 12Z. SEVERE WEATHER INDICES INDICATE THAT SOME STORMS ALONG AND AHEAD OF LINE COULD BE SEVERE WITH 0-3KM HELICITY VALUES APPROACHING 500 M2/S2...AND EHI VALUES OF 4 TO 5. MID LEVEL SPEED MAX WILL BE APPROACHING DELTA REGION AS WELL BY 12Z. SQUALL LINE WILL PROGRESS SLOWLY ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA DURING DAY ON SATURDAY REACHING ERN MS BY LATE AFTN. BELIEVE SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER AREA COULD BE SE PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA WHERE INSTABILITY WILL BE BETTER (CAPE APPROACHING 3000 J/KG)...ESPECIALLY GIVEN LATE DAY TIMING OF CONVECTION AND INCREASINGLY FAVORABLE UPPER JET DYNAMICS SPLIT POLAR/SUBTROPICAL JET REGIME. EXPECT ACTIVITY TO END ALL AREAS BY LATE SAT NIGHT WITH COLD FRONT STALLING OUT OVER NRN GULF. TEMPS BEHIND COLD FRONT WILL NOT DROP A WHOLE LOT IN PACIFIC AIRMASS WITH MILD HIGHS FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY. IN THE EXTENDED...FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER NRN GULF IS EXPECTED TO RETREAT NWD ALONG WITH STRONG RETURN MOIST FLOW BY LATE MONDAY INTO TUESDAY AS LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS ALONG FRONT. THIS MID WEEK SYSTEM COULD BE A RATHER WET ONE IF 12Z AVN/00Z MRF/12Z UKMET ARE CORRECT. WILL LEAVE EXTENDED AS IS FOR NOW UNTIL PICTURE BECOMES CLEARER. WILL ALSO INTRODUCE DRY FRIDAY WITH SEASONABLY COOL TEMPERATURES. PRELIM NUMBERS... JAN 64/75/46/68/44 57200 MEI 61/76/50/69/43 47600 .JAN... MS...NONE. LA...NONE. AR...NONE. 43
ARZ074-075-LAZ007>009-015-016-023>026-MSZ018-019-025>066-072>074- 241200- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 941 PM CST FRI NOV 23 2001 ...THUNDERSTORMS... SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR ACROSS EXTREME SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS...NORTHEAST LOUISIANA AND MUCH MISSISSIPPI TONIGHT. A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WILL MOVE EASTWARD OVERNIGHT...AFFECTING AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF A LINE FROM GREENWOOD TO ROLLING FORK TO VIDALIA LOUISIANA BETWEEN 2 AM AND 6 AM. THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING STRAIGHT-LINE WIND GUSTS FROM THE LINE OF STORMS. HOWEVER...IF ANY STRONG STORMS DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE LINE...THEY WILL BE CAPABLE OF ROTATING...AND ONE OR TWO TORNADOES MAY ALSO OCCUR. AGAIN...THE MAIN THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER OVERNIGHT WILL BE THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA REGION...SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS AND EASTERN LOUISIANA. THE LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER SOMETIME BETWEEN 5 AM AND 8 AM...AFFECT MISSISSIPPI WEST OF INTERSTATE 55 PRIOR TO NOON SATURDAY...AND AREAS EAST OF INTERSTATE 55 DURING THE AFTERNOON. RESIDENTS NEED TO KEEP ABREAST OF THIS DEVELOPING SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION TONIGHT AND SATURDAY. AGAIN...THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE FROM DAMAGING STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS AS THE LINE MOVES EAST AT 40 TO 50 MPH. ONE OR TWO TORNADOES MAY OCCUR IF STRONG STORMS DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE MAIN LINE. THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY MOVE NORTHEAST AT 40 TO 50 MPH...AND BE DIFFICULT TO SEE DUE TO THEIR RAPID MOVEMENT. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO STATIONS FOR FURTHER UPDATES ON THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION. ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS...HAM RADIO...AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL WILL BE NECESSARY. MAKE SURE SPOTTERS ARE ACTIVATED AT LEAST ONE HOUR BEFORE THE MAIN LINE REACHES YOUR AREA. ...NON PRECIPITATION... IN RESPONSE TO AN APPROACHING STRONG STORM SYSTEM...WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE MAINLY WEST OF A GREENWOOD TO ROLLING FORK TO VIDALIA LOUISIANA LINE. BOATERS ON AREA LAKES AND OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS WILL NEED TO USE CAUTION AS A FEW GUSTS MAY APPROACH 30 MPH...ESPECIALLY IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA REGION OF SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS...NORTHEAST LOUISIANA AND WEST MISSISSIPPI. HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES ON EAST TO WEST HIGHWAYS WILL BE MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE GUSTY CROSS WINDS. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/JAN. THIS INCLUDES THE GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
12 tornado, 5 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A supercell thunderstorm moved out of Chicot County Arkansas into northern Washington County, Mississippi. The storm produced a violent tornado that touced down 2.5 miles southwest of Winterville, or along the northern edge of Lake Ferguson. The tornado had a width of up to one half mile and moved through the town of Winterville, causing extensive damage. It then continued northeast into southern Bolivar county about 2 miles northeast of Winterville. The total path length in Washington County was 4.8 miles. The tornado entered southern Bolivar County about 3.5 miles southwest of Stringtown. It travelled northeast 25.5 miles through mostly rural areas of Bolivar County and lifted one mile southeast of Mound Bayou. In Washington County, the tornado caused 12 injuries, mainly in the community of Winterville. In Bolivar County, 36 people were injured, including one 7 year old boy who was critically injured. In Washinton County, a total of six houses, five mobile homes, and two businesses were totally destroyed. Additionally, extensive damage was done to 34 houses and six businesses. Minor damage occurred to over 30 houses and several mobile homes. Total damage to the county was estimated to be around $3.5 million. In Bolivar County, the tornado destroyed ten houses, two mobile homes, and four businesses. Extensive damage occurred to 21 houses, one mobile home, and one business. Minor damage occurred to over 20 houses and around 20 mobile homes. The tornado caused extensive damage to the Bolivar County Detention Center, and hit an electric power substation. The substation was totally destroyed it. At the substation, the tornado blew over a tranformer that weighed approximately 25 tons, and slid another transformer sideways three feet. Total damage in Bolivar County was estimated at around $6 million.
A supercell thunderstorm produced an F1 tornado that touched down in the northern part of the county, about three miles northwest of Lombardy. The storm travelled northeast and moved into Coahoma County, about six miles north of Lombardy. The tornado destroyed one mobile home and caused major damage to two houses, and minor damage to one house. Total damage is estimated to be around $80 thousand.
A supercell thunderstorm moved across northern Humphreys County and produced a tornado three miles southwest of Isola. The tornado was rated as an F3 and had a width of about 400 yards as it travelled approximately 5 miles through the town of Isola. The tornado dissipated about one mile northeast of town. This tornado destroyed three houses, six businesses, and one church. Additionally, 20 houses, four businesses, and one church sustained major damage. Minor damage occurred to seven businesses. Several grain silos and a farm headquarters were destroyed southwest of Isola. Five people sustained minor injuries.
Several farm buildings sustained minor damage.
Numerous trees were blown down in a rural area along Highway 27.
Numerous trees were blown down along the Natchez Trace southeast of Bolton.
A strong supercell thunderstorm produced hail the size of baseballs. Numerous houses and automobiles in the Pocahontas area sustained damage.
A brief F0 tornado was sighted in an open field about two miles north of Cynthia.
Hail of up to golfball size fell for several minutes in the vicinity of the Greystone subdivision, about eight miles west of Madison. Numerous houses sustained major roof damage.
A violent tornado touched down about six miles west-southwest of the city of Madison. The touchdown point of the tornado was just south of the Fairfield subdivision, which is a large, well built subdivision of mostly brick homes. Numerous houses were seriously damaged or destroyed as the tornado, as much as one half mile wide, moved across the subdivision. Several houses in the subdivision in the direct path of the tornado were blown off of their foundations. One 25 year old woman was killed, and a pregnant woman was critically injured as the tornado destroyed their houses. The baby of the pregnant woman was delivered at the hospital and died shortly after birth. After the storm moved across the Fairfield subdivision, it continued moving northeast through several other subdivisions and large houses in the Madison and Gluckstadt communities. The tornado travelled 11.5 miles, crossing Interstate 55 before dissipating over central Madison County, about 3.5 miles south-southwest of Canton. In addition to the two deaths, a total of 21 people were injured. Damage in the county included 47 houses and seven mobile homes destroyed, 37 houses and three mobile homes with major damage, and 67 houses and three mobile homes with minor damage.
A weak tornado briefly touched down around three miles northwest of Thomastown. Several trees were snapped off and blown down in a wooded area.
Trees were blown down in various parts of the county.
Eyewitnesses saw a tornado briefly touch down in an open field about five miles southwest of Starkville.
This weak tornado touched down about four miles northeast of Macon and moved northeast across the county. The storm travelled eight miles and dissipated about 12 miles northeast of Macon. The maximum width of the tornado path was 50 yards. The tornado significantly damaged eleven barns. Three sheds were destroyed. Three houses sustained minor roof damage. One 75-foot grain silo was damaged. A small airplane hanger was destroyed. A plane inside of the hanger sustained significant damage. Two cattle trailers were turned over, along with a farm tractor with its windows blown out. Numerous trees were either twisted or snapped off about four to five feet above the ground along the edges of fields.
This weak tornado caused minor damage to a house and blew down several trees during its brief path from 12 miles northeast of Quitman to 12.5 miles northeast of Quitman.
Several trees and power lines were blown down in the community of New Hope.
The tornado knocked down several trees and power lines.
Several trees were blown down.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado, Madison | 2001-11-24 | 0 | Male | Permanent Home | Direct |
| Tornado, Madison | 2001-11-24 | 25 | Female | Permanent Home | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Mississippi in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Mississippi, 2001Warnings in Mississippi, November 2001
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5272444, 5272551, 5272552, 5272553, 5272554, 5272623, 5272624, 5272621, 5272622, 5272628, 5272625, 5272626, 5272627, 5272629, 5272726, 5272727, 5272729, 5272728, 5272731, 5272730.