Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi · 2005

F1 tornado, Becker, Mississippi, January 13, 2005

Name: F1 tornado, Becker, Mississippi, January 13, 2005
Start: 2005-01-13T13:07:00.000Z
Location: Becker, Mississippi

This F1 tornado ran 0.4 miles across Monroe County on January 13, 2005, touching down at 7:07 AM CST and reaching 40 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $50,000 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.

F040 to 72 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F173 to 112 mphthis tornado
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
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.
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.
F4207 to 260 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
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.
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: January 13, 2005
Touchdown: 7:07 AM CST (13:07 UTC)
Path length: 0.4 miles (0.6 km)
Path width: 40 yards (37 m)
Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $50,000
County: Monroe County
Touchdown point: 33.930, -88.480
Lift-off point: 33.930, -88.480
Record number: 1

What the Weather Service recorded

The tornado touched down in Becker and moved northeast. Four homes and a car were damaged by falling trees. Many trees were blown down.

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

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 Memphis, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Jan 13, 4:15 AM CST, 2 hours 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 13, 4:15 AM CST, 2 hours 52 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
415 AM CST THU JAN 13 2005

.DISCUSSION...LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS PLACES COLD FRONT STRETCHING
FROM SAINT LOUIS MISSOURI INTO WESTERN ARKANSAS.  WATER VAPOR
IMAGERY SHOWS GULF MOISTURE RIDING UP WARM CONVEYOR BELT WITH
PRONOUNCED DRYING ACROSS OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS. MAIN FORECAST CONCERNS FOR
THE FORECAST PACKAGE WILL BE EARLY SEVERE WEATHER CONCERNS AND
PRECIPITATION CHANCES FOR TODAY.

TODAY...LATEST 88D TRENDS SHOW SQUALL LINE JUST CROSSING THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT 3AM. POOR MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES /BELOW 6
C/KM/...ONLY A FEW HUNDRED J/KG OF CAPE AND RELATIVELY STABLE
SURFACE LAYER ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA HAS LIMITED THE SEVERE
WEATHER POTENTIAL. 0-3KM STORM RELATIVE HELICITIES AROUND 600 M2/S2
SUPPORT ROTATION WITHIN THE LINE BUT THINK IT WILL BE LIMITED AT
BEST.  HIGHEST WIND GUSTS THIS MORNING THUS FAR HAS BEEN BELOW 40
KTS ACROSS ARKANSAS AND PORTIONS OF WESTERN TENNESSEE WITH ONLY ONE
ISOLATED REPORT OF WIND DAMAGE NEAR TUNICA. ANY DAMAGE POTENTIAL THIS
MORNING WILL BE LIMITED TO PORTIONS OF NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI WHERE
BETTER...BUT VERY WEAK INSTABILITY STILL REMAINS. I WILL TAPER RAIN
CHANCES OFF BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AS MID/UPPER LEVEL DRY AIR BUILDS
IN ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL GRADUALLY DROP DURING
THE DAY.

TONIGHT...PRECIPITATION CHANCES WILL COME TO AN END AS MID/UPPER
LEVEL SUBSIDENCE CUTS OFF ICE NUCLEI ACTIVATION. AREAS WEST OF THE
MISSISSIPPI SHOULD CLEAR OUT BY 00Z AND AREAS EAST BY MIDNIGHT. 850
MB TEMPERATURES WILL DROP DOWN TO AROUND -2C OVERNIGHT WITH LOWS
EXPECTED IN THE 20S TO AROUND 30. 925 MB WINDS WILL STILL BE UP
AROUND 30 KTS AS COLD ARCTIC AIR CONTINUES TO FILTER INTO THE AREA.

FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT...HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD IN
ACROSS THE MID SOUTH WITH SUNNY SKIES EXPECTED AS 1000-500 MB LAYER
RH/S DROP TO AROUND 15 PERCENT. WINDS WILL GRADUALLY WEAKEN BY
AFTERNOON AS BOUNDARY LAYER WINDS WEAKEN TO AROUND 10-15 KTS BY LATE
AFTERNOON.

SATURDAY...SURFACE AND UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL BE CENTERED ACROSS
THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY WITH UPPER LEVEL SHEAR AXIS CENTERED ACROSS
THE UPPER MIDWEST AND THE GREAT LAKES REGION. SOME HIGH CLOUDS WILL
BE AROUND AND WILL GO WITH PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES.  TEMPERATURES WILL
REMAIN COOL THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

NO CHANGES MADE BEYOND SATURDAY

&&

.MEG...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AR...NONE.
MS...MSZ012>015-016-017-020>024...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 15 UTC (9AM)
MO...NONE.
TN...NONE.
&&

CJC

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 13, 4:31 AM CST, 2 hours 36 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
431 AM CST THU JAN 13 2005

ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115-MSZ001>017-
020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-088>092-141200-
ALCORN-BENTON-CALHOUN-CARROLL-CHESTER-CHICKASAW-CLAY-COAHOMA-
CRAIGHEAD-CRITTENDEN-CROCKETT-CROSS-DECATUR-DESOTO-DUNKLIN-DYER-
FAYETTE-GIBSON-GREENE-HARDEMAN-HARDIN-HAYWOOD-HENDERSON-HENRY-
ITAWAMBA-LAFAYETTE-LAKE-LAUDERDALE-LAWRENCE-LEE(AR)-LEE(MS)-MADISON-
MARSHALL-MCNAIRY-MISSISSIPPI-MONROE-OBION-PANOLA-PEMISCOT-PHILLIPS-
POINSETT-PONTOTOC-PRENTISS-QUITMAN-RANDOLPH-SHELBY-ST. FRANCIS-
TALLAHATCHIE-TATE-TIPPAH-TIPTON-TISHOMINGO-TUNICA-UNION-WEAKLEY-
YALOBUSHA-
431 AM CST THU JAN 13 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...NORTH
MISSISSIPPI...WEST TENNESSEE AND THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL.

.DAY ONE...

A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE MID SOUTH TODAY. STRONG
WIND SHEAR IN THE ATMOSPHERE WILL ALLOW SOME THUNDERSTORMS TO BECOME
SEVERE. THE GREATEST THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER THIS MORNING IS
PRIMARILY ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM TUPELO TO CLARKSDALE
MISSISSIPPI THROUGH 9 AM. THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE
DAMAGING WINDS...THOUGH AN ISOLATED TORNADO IS POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

RECENT PRECIPITATION IN THE OHIO AND UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY REGIONS
HAVE RESULTED IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER RISING ABOVE FLOOD STAGE AT
TIPTONVILLE AND CARUTHERSVILLE. THE STAGE AT MEMPHIS IS EXPECTED TO
CONTINUE TO RISE...POSSIBLY REACHING FLOOD STAGE NEXT WEEK. SEE
LATEST RIVER FORECASTS FOR UPDATED INFORMATION REGARDING THE RIVER
FLOODING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.

CJC

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jan 13, 2:24 AM CST, 4 hours 43 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
0224 AM CST THU JAN 13 2005

ARZ026>028-035-036-048-049-058-130924-
CRAIGHEAD AR-CRITTENDEN AR-CROSS AR-LEE AR-MISSISSIPPI AR-PHILLIPS
AR-POINSETT AR-ST FRANCIS AR-
0224 AM CST THU JAN 13 2005

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 7 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES:

IN ARKANSAS...
CRAIGHEAD...    CRITTENDEN...   CROSS...        LEE...
MISSISSIPPI...  PHILLIPS...     POINSETT...     ST. FRANCIS...

Local storm report, Jan 13, 3:43 AM CST, 3 hours 24 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
343 AM CST THU JAN 13 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0230 AM     TSTM WND DMG     ROBINSONVILLE           34.82N 90.32W
01/13/2005                   TUNICA             MS   EMERGENCY MNGR

            2 BUILDINGS SUFFERED ROOF DAMAGE NEAR ROBINSONVILLE.
            EVENT TIME ESTIMATED.

&&

RSW

Special weather statement, Jan 13, 5:12 AM CST, 1 hour 55 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
512 AM CST THU JAN 13 2005

MSZ013-021-131130-

LAFAYETTE MS-YALOBUSHA MS-
512 AM CST THU JAN 13 2005

THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR...LAFAYETTE AND YALOBUSHA
COUNTIES.

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 3 MILES SOUTH OF WATER VALLEY AT
512 AM CST...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH.

THIS STORM IS INTENSIFYING AND COULD BECOME SEVERE RAPIDLY.

PEOPLE IN LAFAYETTE AND YALOBUSHA COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF
OXFORD AND WATER VALLEY...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY.

Special weather statement, Jan 13, 5:47 AM CST, 1 hour 20 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
0547 AM CST THU JAN 13 2005

MSZ010>013-020-021-131247-
COAHOMA MS-LAFAYETTE MS-PANOLA MS-QUITMAN MS-TALLAHATCHIE MS-
YALOBUSHA MS-
0547 AM CST THU JAN 13 2005

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 902 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES:

IN MISSISSIPPI...
COAHOMA...      LAFAYETTE...    PANOLA...       QUITMAN...
TALLAHATCHIE... YALOBUSHA...

MSZ014>017-022>024-131247-
CALHOUN MS-CHICKASAW MS-ITAWAMBA MS-LEE MS-MONROE MS-PONTOTOC MS-
UNION MS-
0547 AM CST THU JAN 13 2005

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 902 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:

IN MISSISSIPPI...
CALHOUN...      CHICKASAW...    ITAWAMBA...     LEE...
MONROE...       PONTOTOC...     UNION...

Special weather statement, Jan 13, 6:55 AM CST, 12 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jan 13, 7:04 AM CST, 3 minutes before

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The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), 12:00Z

1.1 hours before the tornado, 168 km from the path. January 13, 2005.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 22 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -102 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 42 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1070 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 74 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -131 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -274 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0
0-3 km lapse rate: 6.2 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Columbus Afb (CBM), 32 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

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

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

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 14 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 13:07 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 track Every 2005 tornado in Mississippi Every tornado in Mississippi since 1950 Warnings in force in Mississippi now The forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of January 13, 2005

9 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
January 13	3:05 AM CST	F1	Pulaski, IL	11.0	100			$70,000
January 13	8:35 AM CST	F0	Pearl River, MS	0.1	20			$10,000
January 13	5:58 PM EST	F1	Calhoun, GA	3.0	100	2	5	$260,000
January 13	6:15 PM EST	F0	McDuffie, GA	0.1	30
January 13	6:37 PM EST	F0	Columbia, GA	0.2	40
January 13	6:40 PM EST	F0	Lincoln, GA	0.1	30
January 13	6:52 PM EST	F0	McCormick, SC	0.2	40
January 13	7:13 PM EST	F2	Laurens, SC	12.0	350		1	$2.0 million
January 13	7:46 PM EST	F0	Newberry, SC	11.0	40

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.