Tornado and Tropical Storm in Mississippi, October 9 to 10, 2020

Name: Tornado and Tropical Storm in Mississippi, October 9 to 10, 2020
Start: 2020-10-09T15:34
End: 2020-10-10T10:00
Location: Mississippi

October 9 to 10, 2020 · NWS JAN · 12 events in 11 counties and zones

m. CDT on October 9th and moved to the northeast across southwest and central Mississippi.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 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: $692,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 12

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 JAN wrote it up.

Hurricane Delta made landfall along the southwest Louisiana Gulf Coast around 5:00 p.m. CDT on October 9th and moved to the northeast across southwest and central Mississippi. Heavy rainfall saturated and loosened soils, allowing for many trees to be blown down even as the hurricane weakened into a tropical storm and then tropical depression. Some of the trees fell onto and damaged homes and power lines in the region. Strong winds continued into the morning of October 10th, and isolated damaging wind gusts occurred with the outer rain bands as far east as Jasper County. The greatest rainfall totals of around 5 to 7 inches were measured near the center of the storm's track in southwest Mississippi, with totals of 1 to 3 inches measured farther away from the storm's track. A brief EF-0 tornado developed from an outer rain band in Lincoln County on October 9th.

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 Jackson, MS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 9, 2:48 PM CST, 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 9, 2:48 PM CST, 46 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 9, 3:31 PM CST, 3 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 tropical depression, 4 tropical storm, 1 tornado, 1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Franklin

When: October 9, 3:34 PM CST to 3:35 PM CST
Where: Franklin County, 2.4 mi N of Little Spgs to 2.66 mi N of Little Spgs
Rating: EF0
Path length: 0.73 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates: 31.434, -90.724

The tornado formed in a field just west of the intersection of Horse Creek Road and Bogue Chitto Rd SE and traveled northwest about a quarter of mile uprooting a tree. Another quarter of a mile northwest, a larger tree was uprooted and blocked the road. The tornado dissipated near a home where a small tree was snapped in the yard and tree tops were snapped behind the home as it lifted. The maximum estimated winds were 76mph.

Tropical Storm, Adams

When: October 9, 9:00 PM CST to October 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Adams forecast zone
Property damage: $300,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 31.483, -91.353 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hundreds of trees were blown down across Adams County, including 6 to 8 trees down on houses. A tree fell onto a vehicle in Natchez. Power lines were also blown down throughout the county. Tropical storm force wind gusts were first measured at the Natchez-Adams County airport at 11:00 p.m. CDT on the 9th, and sustained tropical storm force winds were first measured at 12:00 a.m. on the 10th with a peak gust of 54 mph shortly before the airport instrumentation lost power. Rainfall amounts ranged from 3 to 7 inches across parts of the county.

Tropical Storm, Claiborne

When: October 9, 9:00 PM CST to October 10, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Claiborne forecast zone
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 31.974, -90.912 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

About two dozen trees were blown down around the county, including a few which blocked roadways. A total of 5.80 inches of rain fell near Port Gibson.

Tropical Depression, Warren

When: October 9, 9:00 PM CST to October 10, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Warren forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 32.357, -90.852 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tropical depression force winds from Hurricane Delta blew down around 3 dozen trees in the county, including one tree which fell onto a house and several which fell into power lines in the Vicksburg area. A peak wind gust of 40 mph was measured at 6:30 a.m. CDT at the Vicksburg Municipal Airport. Rainfall totals of up to 3 to 4 inches were measured in the county.

Tropical Storm, Franklin

When: October 9, 10:00 PM CST to October 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 31.477, -90.898 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Scattered trees and power lines were blown down across the county, with several roads blocked by fallen trees. A peak wind gust of 47 mph was measured at the Bude RAWS site around 2:00 a.m. CDT. Rainfall amounts of 5 to 6 inches were measured in the county.

Tropical Storm, Jefferson

When: October 9, 10:00 PM CST to October 10, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 31.734, -91.037 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Scattered trees and a few power lines were blown down around the county, and some roads were blocked by fallen trees. A tree fell onto a home along Corban Road near Fayette. Rainfall amounts of 4 to 6 inches were measured in the county.

Tropical Depression, Lincoln

When: October 9, 10:00 PM CST to October 10, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Lincoln forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 31.532, -90.454 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tropical depression force winds from Hurricane Delta blew down scattered trees and power lines across the county, including one tree which fell onto a home in Brookhaven. A peak wind gust of 46 mph was measured at 4:15 a.m. CDT at the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Airport.

Tropical Depression, Copiah

When: October 9, 11:00 PM CST to October 10, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Copiah forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 31.869, -90.449 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tropical depression force winds from Hurricane Delta blew down several trees along Interstate 55 north of Hazlehurst. Peak wind gusts of 49 mph were measured between 5:00 and 6:00 a.m. CDT at the Copiah RAWS site.

Tropical Depression, Hinds

When: October 9, 11:00 PM CST to October 10, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Hinds forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 32.267, -90.443 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tropical depression force winds from Hurricane Delta blew down several trees in and around the Jackson area. A peak wind gust of 44 mph was measured at 3:15 a.m. CDT at John Bell Williams Airport in Raymond, and peak wind gusts of 51 mph were measured between 4:00 and 6:00 a.m. at Hawkins Field in Jackson. Total rainfall amounts near 2 inches were observed around the county.

Tropical Depression, Washington

When: October 10, 12:00 AM CST to 7:00 AM CST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 33.284, -90.947 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tropical depression force winds from Tropical Storm Delta blew down several trees in the county, including some which blocked roadways. A peak wind gust of 54 mph was measured at 3:30 a.m. CDT at the Mid Delta Regional Airport in Greenville. Total rainfall amounts of 5 to 7 inches were measured in the county.

Tropical Depression, Rankin

When: October 10, 2:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where: Rankin forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: NWS Employee
Coordinates: 32.264, -89.946 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tropical depression force winds from Tropical Storm Delta blew down several trees in and around the Pearl, Brandon, and Flowood areas, including one which fell partially into the roadway at the intersection of Louis Wilson Drive and Deborah Drive. A peak wind gust of 54 mph was measured at 4:03 a.m. CDT at Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers Airport. Total rainfall amounts near 2 inches were observed around the county.

Strong Wind, Jasper

When: October 10, 4:00 AM CST to 5:00 AM CST
Where: Jasper forecast zone
Measured: 39 kt (45 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 32.019, -89.119 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

As an outer rain band from Tropical Storm Delta moved across the county, strong wind gusts blew down a few trees and power lines in the Bay Springs and Heidelberg areas.

What these are

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.
Tropical Storm: A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph).
Tropical Depression: A tropical cyclone with sustained winds below 34 knots.
Strong Wind: Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Mississippi in 2020 Every state in 2020 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Mississippi, 2020 Warnings in Mississippi, October 2020 The 2020 hurricane season

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 922795, 922116, 924144, 924271, 923993, 924006, 924261, 924265, 924269, 924272, 924612, 924611.