Mississippi, 2015Tornado and Flash Flood in Mississippi, November 17 to 18, 2015
November 17 to 18, 2015 · NWS MEG · 3 events in 3 counties and zones
Strong Low pressure tracked from the Southern Plains into the Mid-Mississippi valley while a cold front pressed east toward the Mid-South during the afternoon and evening hours of November 17, 2015. A tight pressure gradient ahead of the front produced strong winds across the Mid-South during the afternoon.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
Open the live radar over this ground
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $110,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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.
Strong Low pressure tracked from the Southern Plains into the Mid-Mississippi valley while a cold front pressed east toward the Mid-South during the afternoon and evening hours of November 17, 2015. A tight pressure gradient ahead of the front produced strong winds across the Mid-South during the afternoon. A line of showers and thunderstorms moved into the Mid-South during the late afternoon producing a few reports of damaging winds. Heavy rain produced some flash flooding as well. During the early morning hours of November 18 a weak tornado touched down in Pontotoc County.
What forecasters said that day
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 Memphis, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 17, 10:34 AM CST, 26 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Nov 17, 10:34 AM CST, 26 minutes before
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</html>Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 17, 5:41 AM CST, 5 hours 19 minutes before
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</html>Event by event
1 strong wind, 1 flash flood, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong Wind, Tate
- When
- November 17, 11:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
- Where
- Tate forecast zone
- Measured
- 40 kt (46 mph) estimated gust
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- Fire Department/Rescue
- Coordinates
- 34.650, -89.945 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong gradient winds knocked a tree down on to a house in Sarah.
Flash Flood, De Soto
- When
- November 17, 10:00 PM CST to 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- De Soto County, 0.39 mi SSE of Lake Cormorant to 1.01 mi ESE of Lake Cormorant
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
- Coordinates
- 34.895, -90.217
Heavy rain caused flash flooding near Lake Cormorant. Brantley Road near Highway 61 was closed due to flooding.
Tornado, Pontotoc
- When
- November 18, 1:06 AM CST to 1:18 AM CST
- Where
- Pontotoc County, 3.86 mi E of Algoma to 1.41 mi SSW of Endville
- Rating
- EF0
- Path length
- 9.16 mi
- Path width
- 250 yd
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Reported by
- NWS Storm Survey
- Coordinates
- 34.184, -88.963
The first damage from this tornado was to trees and a storage building along Campground Road east of Algoma. Trees and outbuildings were damaged along Mississippi Route 342. The most substantial damage was observed along Highway 278. Several large trees were uprooted, one of which fell on a house. Roof debris from this house landed 150 yards to the northwest of the house. The last damage observed was along Dozier Hill Road north of Trace State Park. Observations suggest that the tornado touched down intermittently along this path. The average path width was around 125 yards. Estimated peak wind was 75 mph.
- Strong Wind
- Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
- Tornado
- A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Dust Storm and High Wind in Washington, November 17, 20154 deaths · 71 kt wind · 29 events
- Flooding in Missouri, November 17 to 18, 20152 deaths · 4 injured · 3 events
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Washington, November 17, 20151 death · 1 injured · $6.0 million · 54 kt wind · 7 events
- High Wind in Idaho, November 17, 20151 death · 1 injured · 101 kt wind · 16 events
- Dust Storm and High Wind in Oregon, November 17 to 18, 20151 death · 86 kt wind · 8 events
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Texas, November 17, 2015$944,000 · EF1 · 27 events
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Mississippi, November 17 to 18, 2015$397,000 · EF1 · 35 events
- Tornado and Damaging Wind in Texas, November 17, 2015$200,000 · EF1 · 2 events
- Tornado and Damaging Wind in Oklahoma, November 17, 2015$150,000 · EF1 · 2 events
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Texas, November 17, 2015$300,000 · 65 kt wind · 10 events
- Winter Storm and High Wind in Montana, November 17 to 18, 2015$255,000 · 57 kt wind · 11 events
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, November 17, 2015$170,000 · 52 kt wind · 14 events
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: 607965, 608032, 608033.