Mississippi, 2015

Tornado 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.

Where it happened

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

The toll

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MEG wrote it up.

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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Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 17, 5:41 AM CST, 5 hours 19 minutes before
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The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 78 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:01 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

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.

What these are

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.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Mississippi in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Mississippi, 2015Warnings in Mississippi, November 2015

Sources

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.