A small, but potent, storm system evolved and moved east across the region during the first half of the day. A large MCV (meso-scale convective vortex) developed across Central Louisiana during the morning hours and moved east adding an extra kick to the atmosphere and aided in generating a line of severe thunderstorms which produced five tornadoes and wind damage.
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 episode as NWS JAN wrote it up.
A small, but potent, storm system evolved and moved east across the region during the first half of the day. A large MCV (meso-scale convective vortex) developed across Central Louisiana during the morning hours and moved east adding an extra kick to the atmosphere and aided in generating a line of severe thunderstorms which produced five tornadoes and wind damage. All the severe weather was confined to the southern areas, generally along Highway 84, and extended from Natchez to Brookhaven to Laurel.
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 Dec 20, 3:43 AM CST, 4 hours 7 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 343 AM CST THU DEC 20 2007 .SHORT TERM...WELL WE ARE JUST GETTING STARTED RIGHT NOW. AT 8Z CONVECTION HAD ENTERED THE NE LA PARISHES WITH THE DISTURBANCE OVER THE OK/TX PANHANDLES AND A SFC LOW DEVELOPING ACROSS OK. BOTH THE SFC FEATURE AND THE UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH THE EAST INTO THE LOWER MS VALLEY LATER THIS MORNING WITH CONVECTION EXPECTED THROUGH MOST OF THE DAY. LATER IN THE DAY AS THE SYSTEM PUSHES FURTHER EAST THINGS WILL BEGIN TO DRY OUT FROM WEST TO EAST WITH ALL OF THE CONVECTION EXPECTED TO MOVE OUT BY EARLY EVENING. THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE MORNING AND MOST OF THE DAY HEAVY RAIN WILL BE THE MAIN CONCERN BUT THERE IS THE SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER THIS MORNING. AN AREA OF SHRA AND TSRA WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE INTO THE AREA THIS MORNING AND INTO ECNTRL MS BY MIDDAY/EARLY AFTN. RATHER DEEP MOISTURE WILL BE OVER THE AREA WITH PWS OF GREATER THAN 1.5 EXPECTED. COMBINE THIS WITH THE STRONG FORCING FROM OUR DISTURBANCE AND THE COMBINATION OF LL CONVERGENCE/UL DIVERGENCE AND THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS FOR DECENT RAINFALL ARE IN PLACE. THIS WILL LIKELY LEAD TO WIDESPREAD 1-2 OF RAIN ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA BUT ESPECIALLY CNTRL MS. AS FOR THE SEVERE CONCERN WITH THE WARM FRONT NOT EXPECTED TO MOVE NORTH THROUGH THE AREA UNTIL LATE THIS MORNING THE MAJORITY OF THE CONVECTION WILL BE ELEVATED. MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES WILL STILL BE RATHER STEEP THROUGH MID MORNING BUT COMPARED TO TO NRN LA AND SRN AR...THE CONVECTION MOVING INTO OUR AREA WILL ACTUALLY MOVE INTO A LESS FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT. THAT SAID ELEVATED INSTABILITY AND DECENT LAPSE RATES WILL STILL KEEP THE RISK OF HAILERS THROUGH THE MORNING. AFTER THE WARM FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE SEVERE CHANCES MAY INCREASE SOME MAINLY ACROSS THE SE BUT TIMING IS GOING TO BE THE BIG ISSUE. WITH THE SPEED OF THE CONVECTION RIGHT NOW...SHRA AND TSRA WILL LIKELY MOVE INTO THE SE OR EVEN NORTH OF IT BEFORE IT HAS A CHANCE TO DESTABILIZE MUCH. IF CONVECTION HOLDS OFF THEN THERE WILL BE A BETTER CHANCE OF SEEING A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE TSRA ACROSS THE SE INCREASING THE RISK OF WIND AND TORNADOES. TONIGHT MOST OF THE RAIN SHOULD BE OFF TO THE EAST WITH ONLY THE SE SEEING ISLTD SHRA EARLY IN THE EVN. THE BIG CONCERN TONIGHT WILL BE FOG. WE ARE NOT GOING TO SE ANY SIGNIFICANT COLD FRONT MOVE THROUGH WITH TODAYS SYSTEM BUT HIGH PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO SET UP OVER THE AREA TONIGHT. AT THE SAME TIME SKIES LOOK TO CLEAR THROUGH THE NIGHT. ADD THE 1-2 INCHES OF RAIN FROM TODAY AND WE ARE SETTING UP FOR A RATHER THICK FOG SCENARIO. GUI IS HITTING THE FOG HARD TOO AND WITH THAT I HAVE INCREASED THE WORDING IN THE GRIDS AND ZONES TO SHOW WIDESPREAD DENSE FOG ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA. THE ONE THING THAT MIGHT HURT THINGS WOULD BE IF CLOUDS HANG AROUND LONGER THAN EXPECTED BUT EVEN WITH THAT I STILL SEE PATCHY TO AREAS OF DENSE FOG. I WILL MENTION THIS IN THE HWO BUT LET THE DAY CREW HAVE FINAL SAY. /CAB/ .LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...BY FRIDAY WE SHOULD SEE UPPER LEVEL RIDGING BRIEFLY MOVE OVER THE REGION AS THE SHORTWAVE MOVES TO THE EAST. THE CWFA WILL SEE A BRIEF BREAK ON FRIDAY AND SHOULD REMAIN DRY. RETURN FLOW WILL QUICKLY SET UP FRIDAY AHEAD OF OUR NEXT STORM SYSTEM AND ALLOW FOR THE CWFA TO GET RATHER WARM FOR FRIDAY AND INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. THE BIG STORY FOR THE LONG TERM WILL BE THIS STORM SYSTEM WHICH WILL BE MOVING THROUGH SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. THERE IS A BIT OF TIMING AND TRACK DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MODELS. THE GFS IMPLIES THAT THE SURFACE LOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER TX AND MOVE NORTHEAST TOWARD THE REGION AND GRADUALLY DEEPEN AS IT DOES SO. IT HAS SLOWED SOME SINCE PREVIOUS RUNS AND BRINGS THE FRONT THROUGH THE CWFA OVERNIGHT SATURDAY NIGHT. THE ECMWF HAS A SOMEWHAT SIMILAR TRACK BUT HAS A FASTER SOLUTION. NEEDLESS TO SAY THAT THE TIMING AND TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM COULD EFFECT THE EXPECTED WEATHER. FOR NOW HAVE GONE SLIGHTLY FASTER THAN THE LATEST GFS AND HAVE ADJUSTED POPS ACCORDINGLY. ALTHOUGH MODELS HAVE COME IN A LITTLE WEAKER AND LESS AMPLIFIED WITH THIS SYSTEM...THE AREA SHOULD STILL GET ITS SHARE OF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS. THERE WILL BE A DECENT UPPER JET OF 120-130 KT JUST NORTH OF THE CWFA. THERE SHOULD BE ENOUGH MOISTURE OVER THE REGION WITH PWATS BETWEEN 1.5-1.8 INCHES OVER THE CWFA AND DEW POINTS REACHING THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 60S...MAINLY IN THE SOUTH. MLCAPES LOOK TO BE AROUND 300-800 J/KG...MAYBE SLIGHTLY HIGHER. 700-500MB LAPSE RATES LOOK DECENT WITH VALUES UP ABOVE 7.0 C/KM. SHEAR LOOKS DECENT WITH 0-1 KM SHEAR AROUND 30-40 KTS AND 0-3 KM HELICITY AROUND 500 M2/S2. WILL CONTINUE MENTION OF THIS SYSTEM IN THE MORNING HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK AND THIS WILL DEFINITELY NEED TO BE WATCHED OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE AREA FOR SUNDAY...BUT AGAIN THIS SHOULD BE BRIEF. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE THROUGH ON CHRISTMAS DAY. A SURFACE LOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE NORTHWESTERN GULF OF MEXICO AND TRACK TO THE NORTHEAST. THIS WILL BRING SHOWERS TO THE AREA FOR CHRISTMAS DAY...WELL MAINLY THE NIGHT BEFORE AND SHOULD BE HEADING OUT OF THE AREA ON CHRISTMAS DAY. AGAIN...THE TIMING AND TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM IS UNCERTAIN AS WELL. HAVE PRETTY MUCH REMAINED WITH THE TIMING AND TRACK OF THE GFS...BUT HAVE SLIGHTLY LOWERED POPS AS THEY ARE A HIGH OUTLIER IN ENSEMBLE GUI. UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL AGAIN BRIEFLY MOVE OVER THE CWFA BEFORE OUR NEXT SYSTEM. BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF BRING A FRONT THROUGH THE CWFA WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY OF NEXT WEEK. THE ECMWF TRACKS THE LOW FARTHER TO THE NORTH AND IS QUICKER BRINGING THE FRONT INTO THE CWFA. THE GFS HAS A DEEPER LOW THAT MOVES FROM NORTHERN LA INTO NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI...AND HAS THE FRONT LEAVING THE CWFA BY EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. NEEDLESS TO SAY THERE IS STILL MUCH UNCERTAINTY WITH THIS SYSTEM AND HAVE REMAINED PRETTY MUCH WITH GUI FOR THIS PERIOD FOR NOW. AS A SIDE NOTE...THIS COULD BE YET ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG STORMS AND WILL HAVE TO BE WATCHED OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. /14/ && .AVIATION...CONDITIONS ARE ONLY EXPECTED TO DETERIORATE THROUGH THE MORNING. IFR CEILINGS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE IN/DEVELOP OVER MOST OF THE AREA LATER THIS MORNING. THE LONE EXCEPTION COULD BE HBG. IN ADDITION TO THE LOW CEILINGS...VISBIES WILL LIKELY BECOME AN ISSUE AT TIMES DUE TO THE RAIN. TSRA ARE EXPECTED AS WELL AND THIS WOULD GREATLY REDUCE VISBIES AT TIMES BUT SOME TSRA COULD ALSO CONTAIN HAIL. BY MIDDAY THINGS SHOULD BEGIN TO IMPROVE ACROSS THE WEST BUT LOW CLOUDS AND TEMPO VSBY PROBLEMS SHOULD PERSIST THROUGH EARLY AFTN ACROSS THE EAST. /CAB/ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... JACKSON 45 71 52 69 / 7 1 13 23 MERIDIAN 42 73 47 69 / 16 1 10 19 VICKSBURG 49 72 51 70 / 3 1 16 33 HATTIESBURG 47 75 48 71 / 36 2 10 20 NATCHEZ 49 74 52 74 / 4 2 15 34 GREENVILLE 49 67 52 65 / 3 2 18 38 GREENWOOD 48 72 51 72 / 4 1 16 28 && .JAN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MS...NONE. LA...NONE. AR...NONE. && SHORT TERM/AVIATION: CAB LONG TERM: 14
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 745 AM CST THU DEC 20 2007 ARZ074-075-LAZ007>009-015-016-023>026-MSZ018-019-025>066-072>074- 211345- ASHLEY-CHICOT-MOREHOUSE-WEST CARROLL-EAST CARROLL-RICHLAND- MADISON-FRANKLIN-CATAHOULA-TENSAS-CONCORDIA-BOLIVAR-SUNFLOWER- LEFLORE-GRENADA-CARROLL-MONTGOMERY-WEBSTER-CLAY-LOWNDES-CHOCTAW- OKTIBBEHA-WASHINGTON-HUMPHREYS-HOLMES-ATTALA-WINSTON-NOXUBEE- ISSAQUENA-SHARKEY-YAZOO-LEAKE-NESHOBA-KEMPER-WARREN-HINDS-RANKIN- SCOTT-NEWTON-LAUDERDALE-CLAIBORNE-COPIAH-SIMPSON-SMITH-JASPER- CLARKE-JEFFERSON-ADAMS-LINCOLN-LAWRENCE-JEFFERSON DAVIS-COVINGTON- JONES-MARION-LAMAR-FORREST- 745 AM CST THU DEC 20 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI... NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI AND NORTHEAST LOUISIANA TODAY. THE AREA OF GREATEST CONCERN WILL BE ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM FROM GRAND GULF TO LAUREL. THE PRIMARY RISK FROM SEVERE STORMS WILL BE HAIL WITH A LESSER RISK OF GUSTY WINDS THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI. AN APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL CONTINUE TO BRING NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE DAY. THE COMBINATION OF ADEQUATE MOISTURE...RELATIVELY COLD AIR ALOFT...AND WIND SHEAR WILL GIVE SOME STORMS THE ABILITY TO PRODUCE SEVERE HAIL THIS MORNING ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN MISSISSIPPI AND PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN LOUISIANA. DURING THE DAY THE RISK FOR HAIL WILL SPREAD TO THE EAST TO INCLUDE MAINLY THE HIGHWAY 84 CORRIDOR. A FEW STORMS COULD ALSO BEGIN PRODUCING GUSTY OR BRIEFLY DAMAGING WINDS BY THE AFTERNOON ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI WHERE BETTER INSTABILITY DEVELOPS AFTER A WARM FRONT MOVES BACK TO THE NORTH. THE STORMS SHOULD DIMINISH FROM WEST TO EAST BEFORE SUNSET AS A TROUGH PASSES EAST OF THE REGION. HEAVY RAINFALL OF ONE TO TWO INCHES WILL ALSO BECOME LIKELY FOR MOST CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SECTIONS LATER THIS MORNING AND THIS AFTERNOON. ON THE HEELS OF THE WIDESPREAD RAINFALL ON TODAY...RAPIDLY CLEARING SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS TONIGHT WILL SET THE STAGE FOR WIDESPREAD DENSE FOG DEVELOPMENT. IN THE MID AND LATE EVENING PATCHY FOG WILL BEGIN TO DEVELOP WITH FOG GETTING THICKER THROUGH THE NIGHT. THE FOG SHOULD GREATLY REDUCE VISIBILITIES THROUGH MID OR LATE MORNING WITH MOST OF THE OUTLOOK AREA BELOW A QUARTER OF A MILE FOR QUITE A WHILE. THE FOG SHOULD BURN OFF BY MIDDAY FRIDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... THE ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS...HAM RADIO OPERATORS...AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IN SUPPORT OF SEVERE WEATHER OPERATIONS...MAY BE NEEDED FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/JAN. THIS INCLUDES THE GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK. 24
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 657 AM CST THU DEC 20 2007 LAZ024-026-201340- CATAHOULA LA-CONCORDIA LA- 657 AM CST THU DEC 20 2007 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING INTO CATAHOULA AND CONCORDIA PARISHES... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL AS WELL AS 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS WAS LOCATED OVER ARCHIE AT 657 AM CST...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. PEOPLE IN CATAHOULA AND CONCORDIA PARISHES...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF FERRIDAY...LARTO AND MONTEREY...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY. CAW
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 733 AM CST THU DEC 20 2007 MSZ062-201415- LINCOLN MS- 733 AM CST THU DEC 20 2007 STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER NORTHERN LINCOLN COUNTY... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL AND 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS WAS LOCATED OVER LOYD STAR AT 732 AM CST...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH. VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. PEOPLE IN LINCOLN COUNTY...INCLUDING THE CITY OF BROOKHAVEN...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY. AEC
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 thunderstorm wind, 5 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Numerous large trees were blown down with some down on power lines. Damage occurred in eastern Adams county.
A few trees were blown down on power lines which knocked out power near Roxie.
Several trees and power lines were blown down along Zetus Road in the Zetus Community. A few of those trees were down on a mobile home which caused significant damage.
This weak tornado touched down just west of I-55, along Cline Road, and tracked east across I-55, then across Dixie Garden Road, then to Highway 51 where it lifted. Scattered trees were snapped with several tops blown out along the path.
This strong tornado touched down just east of the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Airport and tracked east-northeast for five miles to near the Woolworth Community. The most significant damage occurred just south of Heucks Crossing along Beeson Road where two mobile homes were obliterated. The debris was swept from foundations with large debris, including furniture, and appliances thrown more than 100 yards. Additionally, numerous trees, both pines and hardwoods, were snapped and uprooted along with several power lines down along the path. A shop was also destroyed, camper trailer heavily damaged and two other homes suffered significant roof damage.
A few trees and power lines were blown down near the Arm Community.
A few trees were blown down across Highway 13.
Several trees were blown down around the Bassfield area.
A couple of trees were blown down across Highway 13 near the Jefferson Davis county line.
This tornado touched down just south of Collins to just southeast of the Highway 84 and 37 intersection. The damage began on the south side of Collins where a billboard was blown over and a warehouse building was destroyed. Numerous trees were uprooted and snapped as the tornado tracked east-northeast. The tornado reached its peak intensity and maximum width along Dennis Knight Road. Here, numerous large trees were snapped and uprooted including a swath where a large majority of the trees were snapped off. The tornado continued moving east-northeast, where the roof of a chicken house was completely removed and caused minor to moderate roof damage to two homes.
This tornado was brief and touched down just inside the Covington County border with Jones County. The roofs were blown off of two mobile homes with extensive debris strewn. One home had a part of it's roof removed along with numerous pine trees snapped and uprooted in a convergent path.
This tornado began as a small, narrow path of minor damage, including a porch being blown off a house. It reached its maximum intensity as it crossed highway 29. Here, a brick home had all of its roof structure blown off along with a few walls blown down. Three mobile homes were rolled or tossed and destroyed, with debris strewn downstream along the path. Numerous trees were snapped off or uprooted. The last damage occurred along Leroy Hill Road. A home suffered significant roof damage, an outbuilding was destroyed, a car suffered major damage, and numerous large trees were snapped or uprooted. The tornado dissipated shortly after crossing Leroy Hill Road with only a few trees snapped at the end of the path.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Mississippi in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Mississippi, 2007Warnings in Mississippi, December 2007
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: 68796, 68797, 68834, 68798, 68800, 68808, 68809, 68811, 68810, 68812, 68813, 68814.