Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi · 2004

F1 tornado, Mashulaville to Macon, Mississippi, November 24, 2004

From Mashulaville to Macon, this F1 tornado ran 7.5 miles across Noxubee County on November 24, 2004, touching down at 2:50 AM CST and reaching 200 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $70,000 of property damage.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F040 to 72 mph

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F173 to 112 mphthis tornado

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2113 to 157 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3158 to 206 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4207 to 260 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5261 to 318 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating
F1
Date
November 24, 2004
Touchdown
2:50 AM CST (08:50 UTC)
Path length
7.5 miles (12.1 km)
Path width
200 yards (183 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$70,000
County
Noxubee County
Touchdown point
33.050, -88.700
Lift-off point
33.080, -88.430
Record number
1799

What the Weather Service recorded

This tornado moved into Noxubee county from Winston county and tracked northeast for 8 miles before dissipating 3 miles southeast of Mashulaville. This tornado mainly moved across heavily forested areas of Noxubee county and downed several hundred trees. As it crossed some county roads a few homes sustained minor roof damage and a few sheds were blown over. The total path length across northern Neshoba, southeast Winston and western Noxubee county was 21 miles.

This tornado touched down 1 mile south of were the Neshoba, Winston, Noxubee 21 mile track tornado ended. The first half of the track remained in a pine forest before moving out and across open farm land. In the pine forest, a few hundred trees were snapped and uprooted. Across the open farm land, numerous trees were blown down along with a few power lines. The tornado dissipated 3 miles southwest of Macon.

This tornado touched down in an open field 5 miles northeast of Macon and tracked east northeast for 5 miles. This tornado snapped and downed numerous trees on the edges of several fields. On Deerbrook Lane a grain silo was dented and had the roof torn off. Several power lines were also blown down here. The tornado continued to the northeast and dissipated in an open field 10 miles northeast of Macon.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk. The outlook in force was issued at 06:00 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, 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 tornado touched down at Nov 23, 9:30 PM CST, 5 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 23, 9:30 PM CST, 5 hours 20 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
930 PM CST TUE NOV 23 2004

.UPDATED...WILL DO A COSMETIC UPDATE TO ADJUST WORDING...REMOVE ANY
EVENING OR AFTER MIDNIGHT WORDING WHERE POSSIBLE. WILL ALSO ADJUST
TEMPS MAINLY SOUTH AND CENTRAL. NO OTHER CHANGES POSSIBLE AT THIS
TIME.

.JAN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MS...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THRU 24/12Z MSZ018-019-025>052 TORNADO WATCH
888 THRU 24/8Z MSZ018-019-025>029>038-040>042 TORNADO WATCH 890 THRU
24/8Z MSZ047-043>045-048>051-053>056-059>064
LA...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THRU 24/12Z LAZ007>009-015-016 TORNADO WATCH
890 THROUGH 24/08Z LAZ008-009-015-016-023>026
AR...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THRU 24/12Z ARZ074-075

&&
Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 23, 2:30 PM CST, 12 hours 20 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
230 PM CST TUE NOV 23 2004

ARZ074-075-LAZ007>009-015-016-023>026-MSZ018-019-025>066-072>074-
242030-
ADAMS-ASHLEY-ATTALA-BOLIVAR-CARROLL-CATAHOULA-CHICOT-CHOCTAW-
CLAIBORNE-CLARKE-CLAY-CONCORDIA-COPIAH-COVINGTON-EAST CARROLL-
FORREST-FRANKLIN LA-FRANKLIN MS-GRENADA-HINDS-HOLMES-HUMPHREYS-
ISSAQUENA-JASPER-JEFFERSON-JEFFERSON DAVIS-JONES-KEMPER-LAMAR-
LAUDERDALE-LAWRENCE-LEAKE-LEFLORE-LINCOLN-LOWNDES-MADISON LA-
MADISON MS-MARION-MONTGOMERY-MOREHOUSE-NESHOBA-NEWTON-NOXUBEE-
OKTIBBEHA-RANKIN-RICHLAND-SCOTT-SHARKEY-SIMPSON-SMITH-SUNFLOWER-
TENSAS-WARREN-WASHINGTON-WEBSTER-WEST CARROLL-WINSTON-YAZOO-
230 PM CST TUE NOV 23 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI...
NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...

...THUNDERSTORMS...
NUMEROUS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED OVER SOUTHEAST
ARKANSAS...NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...AND WESTERN MISSISSIPPI LATE
THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.  SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE
EXPECTED OVER EAST MISSISSIPPI	TONIGHT.

AN INTENSE UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE SOUTHERN
PLAINS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST TOWARD THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI
VALLEY REGION TONIGHT.	A VERY WARM AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS IS IN
PLACE. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE ERUPTING OVER CENTRAL LOUISIANA
ALONG A WARM FRONT...AND THEY WILL MOVE INTO AREAS WEST OF THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER BEFORE DARK.

WIND FLOW THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE WILL INCREASE DRAMATICALLY BY
LATE AFTERNOON AS THE INTENSE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM PIVOTS THIS
WAY. A STRONG UPPER LEVEL JET WILL SWING INTO THE LOWER
MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY AS THE ASSOCIATED LOWER LEVEL JET
PUNCHES INTO THE AREA. THIS WILL RESULT IN A POWERFUL STORM
ENVIRONMENT WITH INTENSE WIND SHEAR THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE AND
ABUNDANT MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY TO PRODUCE  LONG LIVED
SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS. THE INTENSE WIND SHEAR IN PLACE WILL
RESULT IN  TORNADO DEVELOPMENT PROGRESSING FROM WEST TO EAST...
ESPECIALLY IN AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 55 THROUGH
TONIGHT .  THESE STORMS WILL ALSO HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR LARGE
HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH.

THESE ATMOSPHERIC  CONDITIONS WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE REST OF THE
FORECAST AREA TONIGHT AS THE UPPER LOW PIVOTS TO THE NORTHEAST
AND THE COLD FRONT PROGRESSES EASTWARD. THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE
STORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO THE NIGHTTIME HOURS OVER WESTERN AREAS
AND CONTINUE FOR EAST MISSISSIPPI THROUGH SUNRISE.

...FLOODING...
A VERY MOIST AIRMASS WILL LEND TO THUNDERSTORMS WITH TORRENTIAL
RAINFALL OVER MUCH OF THE OUTLOOK AREA TONIGHT. RAINFALL OF TWO
TO THREE INCHES MAY FALL IN A SHORT TIME. SOILS ARE VERY MOIST
AND SUCH INTENSE RAINFALL COULD LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT FLOODING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...

...DAYS TWO AND THREE...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...
A COOLER AIRMASS WILL MOVE IN FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND
THANKSGIVING DAY. A COMBINATION OF DRY AIR...NEAR CALM WINDS AND
CLEAR SKIES...WILL BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR THE AREAS FIRST FREEZE
FRIDAY MORNING. AT THIS TIME...AREAS OVER EAST MISSISSIPPI ALONG
AND NORTH OF I-20 HAVE THE GREATEST POTENTIAL.

...DAYS FOUR THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...
NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...
THE ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS...HAM RADIO OPERATORS...AND
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL...IN SUPPORT OF SEVERE WEATHER
OPERATIONS..WILL BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT
WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/JAN. THIS INCLUDES THE GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS
WEATHER OUTLOOK.

In the hours before

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The surface observations

Golden Tri(Awos) (GTR), 43 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
00:00 UTC

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 95 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 08:50 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2004 tornado in MississippiEvery tornado in Mississippi since 1950Warnings in force in Mississippi nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of November 24, 2004

49 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
November 2412:30 AM CSTF2Saint Tammany Parish, LA4.0504$750,000
November 2412:33 AM CSTF0Hinds, MS1.030$2,000
November 2412:35 AM CSTF0Madison, MS6.040$2,000
November 2412:54 AM CSTF2Lawrence, MS28.0200$1.5 million
November 241:15 AM CSTF2Leake, MS10.5400$300,000
November 241:32 AM CSTF1Lawrence, MS7.075$30,000
November 241:43 AM CSTF1Leake, MS3.075$120,000
November 241:53 AM CSTF2Smith, MS38.06004$7.0 million
November 242:10 AM CSTF0Stone, MS0.330$10,000
November 242:19 AM CSTF1Neshoba, MS4.0100$30,000
November 242:25 AM CSTF3Winston, MS21.060012$2.7 million
November 242:40 AM CSTF0Perry, MS0.230$10,000
November 242:41 AM CSTF1Lauderdale, MS12.0300$150,000
November 242:50 AM CSTF1Lincoln, MS3.0150$60,000
November 243:07 AM CSTF1Noxubee, MS5.0100$100,000
November 243:10 AM CSTF0Greene, MS0.330$10,000
November 243:25 AM CSTF0Wayne, MS0.230$10,000
November 244:10 AM CSTF2Marengo, AL11.92002$140,000
November 244:35 AM CSTF1Clarke, AL3.0100$200,000
November 244:40 AM CSTF0Choctaw, AL0.530$10,000
November 244:43 AM CSTF0Marengo, AL5.050$30,000
November 244:50 AM CSTF1Jefferson Parish, LA4.575$250,000
November 245:07 AM CSTF1Dallas, AL14.73001$100,000
November 245:10 AM CSTF0Stone, MS0.230$10,000
November 245:28 AM CSTF0Jefferson, AL1.050$70,000
November 245:49 AM CSTF2Autauga, AL49.01,400$630,000
November 245:56 AM CSTF0Dallas, AL1.150$20,000
November 246:00 AM CSTF2Harrison, MS1.550$3.0 million
November 246:24 AM CSTF2Autauga, AL9.75001$900,000
November 246:36 AM CSTF1Talladega, AL0.950$80,000
November 246:41 AM CSTF0Talladega, AL5.7250$640,000
November 246:48 AM CSTF0Talladega, AL3.3100$50,000
November 246:48 AM CSTF0Elmore, AL2.450$120,000
November 246:59 AM CSTF2Talladega, AL15.25001$210,000
November 247:09 AM CSTF1Clay, AL13.7300$260,000
November 247:10 AM CSTF0Mobile, AL0.120$10,000
November 247:24 AM CSTF0Montgomery, AL4.875$40,000
November 247:35 AM CSTF0Tallapoosa, AL0.830$10,000
November 247:55 AM CSTF0Baldwin, AL0.130
November 248:09 AM CSTF0Lee, AL0.230$30,000
November 248:55 AM CSTF1Santa Rosa, FL1.050$70,000
November 2410:41 AM CSTF1Walton, FL0.2100$40,000
November 2410:55 AM CSTF0Walton, FL0.250$10,000
November 2411:50 AM CSTF0Bay, FL0.150$10,000
November 242:25 PM ESTF0Union, SC0.550
November 243:03 PM ESTF0Aiken, SC0.580
November 245:25 PM ESTF1Rush, IN2.150$100,000
November 246:02 PM ESTF0Wayne, IN0.110$10,000
November 2410:10 PM ESTF0Decatur, IN0.550$30,000

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.