Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi · 2008
EF1 tornado, Bay Spgs Thigpen Arp to Lake Como, Mississippi, February 12, 2008
From Bay Spgs Thigpen Arp to Lake Como, this EF1 tornado ran 0.9 miles across Jasper County on February 12, 2008, touching down at 2:07 PM CST and reaching 100 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $20,000 of property damage.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
EF065 to 85 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 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.
EF3136 to 165 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
EF5over 200 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
- EF1
- Date
- February 12, 2008
- Touchdown
- 2:07 PM CST (20:07 UTC)
- Lifted
- 2:09 PM CST (20:09 UTC)
- On the ground
- 2 minutes
- Path length
- 0.9 miles (1.4 km)
- Path width
- 100 yards (91 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Crop damage
- $70,000
- County
- Jasper County
- Touchdown point
- 31.975, -89.237
- Lift-off point
- 31.982, -89.224
- Record number
- 0802121407-01
What the Weather Service recorded
A potent storm system dropped out of the Southern Plains on February 12th and pushed a squall line of thunderstorms through the region. This squall line produced widespread wind damage across portions of northeast Louisiana as well as central and southern Mississippi. The line of storms was very efficient in terms of producing severe wind gusts, many of which were between 75 and 90 mph. Thousands of trees were damaged with many falling on homes and taking down power lines. Five brief tornadoes also occurred with this line of storms.
This tornado briefly touched down just west of Bay Springs along county road 2339. Several large pine trees were snapped and uprooted with many limbs broken off. One home sustained shingle damage on the south and east facing sides of the house. Maximum winds were around 95 mph.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
15 minutes of warning. NWS JAN issued a tornado warning for this county at 19:52 UTC, 15 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 20:45 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 18:35 UTC and running to 21:29 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18:35 UTC | 21:29 UTC | Tornado Watch | JAN |
| 18:48 UTC | 20:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN |
| 19:52 UTC | 20:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | JAN |
| 19:59 UTC | 21:01 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN |
| 20:06 UTC | 20:46 UTC | Tornado Warning | JAN |
Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.
The forecast that day
The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 20:00 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.
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.
Jackson, MS (KJAN), 12:00Z
8.1 hours before the tornado, 89 km from the path. February 12, 2008.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -80418 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 945 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 32 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 31 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 194 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 186 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.7 K/km
Jackson, MS (KJAN), 00:00Z
3.9 hours after it, 89 km from the path. February 13, 2008.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -93695 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 653 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 48 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 6 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -51 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -38 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 3.9 K/km
The surface observations
Pine Belt Regional Awos (PIB), 58 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18:15 UTC | 69.8 | 57.2 | 90° 15 kt | 20 | 1010.8 | |
| 18:35 UTC | 73.4 | 57.2 | 60° 17 kt | 21 | 1009.8 | |
| 18:55 UTC | 68 | 57.2 | 1009.1 | VCTS | ||
| 19:15 UTC | 69.8 | 60.8 | 160° 14 kt | 21 | 1008.5 | TS |
| 19:35 UTC | 69.8 | 59 | 170° 14 kt | 24 | 1008.5 | VCTS |
| 19:55 UTC | 71.6 | 57.2 | 150° 22 kt | 28 | 1007.8 | VCTS |
| 20:15 UTC | 68 | 55.4 | 180° 21 kt | 28 | 1008.5 | |
| 20:35 UTC | 53.6 | 48.2 | 320° 14 kt | 27 | 1009.8 | VCTS |
| 20:55 UTC | 53.6 | 48.2 | 300° 7 kt | 1010.8 | TS | |
| 21:15 UTC | 53.6 | 48.2 | 290° 6 kt | 1011.2 | VCTS | |
| 21:35 UTC | 53.6 | 48.2 | 300° 6 kt | 1010.8 | VCTS | |
| 21:55 UTC | 53.6 | 48.2 | 320° 4 kt | 1010.8 | VCTS |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Jackson/Brandon,MS radar (KDGX), 78 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 20:06 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.
What was reported nearby
Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Report | Where | County | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19:21 UTC | TSTM WND GST 0 | 1 Se Puckett | Rankin, MS | TIN BLOWN ACROSS A FIELD AND A FEW TREES WERE DOWN ALONG WITH SOME LARGE LIMBS. |
| 19:24 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | 6 Ne Bay Springs | Jasper, MS | |
| 19:25 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 N Puckett | Rankin, MS | LARGE TREE LIMBS BLOWN DOWN ON HIGHWAY 13 NORTH OF THE TOWN OF PUCKETT. |
| 19:25 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 W White Oak | Smith, MS | WIDESPREAD TREE DAMAGE ACROSS SMITH CO, GENERALLY BETWEEN HWY 18, POLKVILLE, BURNS AND PINEVILLE. HUNDEREDS OF TREES SNAPPED/UPROOTED, 2 DOZEN ACROSS ROADS. DAMAGE OCCURRED BETWEEN 125 PM AND 2 PM. |
| 19:35 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Nw Morton | Scott, MS | HWY 481 NW OF MORTON-3 HOMES HEAVILY DAMAGED 2 ON MT CARMEL RD AND 1 ON MONROE MOORE RD |
| 19:37 UTC | TORNADO | Magee | Simpson, MS | POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR MAGEE ON HIGHWAY 28. |
| 19:44 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Ene Raleigh | Smith, MS | JUST TO THE S OF THE BRIEF TORNADO PATH, WINDS TORE SOME SHINGLES FROM A HOME AND BLEW THE SKIRTING OUT OF A MOBILE HOME. A FEW LARGE LIMBS WERE ALSO TAKEN DOWN. |
| 19:45 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Ne Forest | Scott, MS | 1 HOME HEAVILY DAMAGED ON HARRISON RD - 70+ TREES DOWN COUNTYWIDE - SEVERAL POWERLINES DOWN |
| 19:45 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 Se Mendenhall | Simpson, MS | SOME TREES DOWN AND A FUNNEL CLOUD SPOTTED ABOUT HALFWAY BETWEEN MENDENHALL AND MAGEE...NEAR HWY 43 AND HWY 13. POWER IS OUT IN THIS AREA. |
| 19:45 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | Magee | Simpson, MS | |
| 19:45 UTC | TORNADO 0 | 4 Ene Raleigh | Smith, MS | A BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF COUNTY RD 581 AND 113. SEVERAL TREES WERE SNAPPED/UPROOTED ALONG THE PATH WITH HALF OF THEM LAID TO THE W WITH OTHERS TO THE E. SOME SHINGLES WERE REMOVED FROM THE DO |
| 19:49 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | Garlandville | Jasper, MS | |
| 19:50 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 E Moselle | Jones, MS | POWER LINES DOWN EAST OF MOSELLE IN COUNTY. |
| 19:50 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Conehatta | Newton, MS | NUMEROUS TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN ACROSS EXTREME WESTERN NEWTON COUNTY. NUMEROUS POWER OUTAGES IN CONEHATTA AND NORTH TOWARDS SEBASTOPOL. ALSO QUITE A FEW SHEDS...EQUIPMENT SHACKS AND CHICKEN HOUSES WERE DAMAGED. |
| 19:50 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Magee | Simpson, MS | SIDING BLOWN OFF OF A MOBILE HOME NEAR MAGEE. |
| 19:50 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Raleigh | Smith, MS | A FEW TREES DOWN WITHIN THE CITY. |
| 19:53 UTC | TORNADO 1 | 5 Se Mount Olive | Covington, MS | TORNADO TRACKED FOR ABOUT A MILE TO THE NORTHEAST AND WAS 100 YARDS WIDE AT ITS WIDEST POINT. MULTIPLE LARGE PINE TREES SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ROOF OF CHICKEN HOUSES PEELED OFF. |
| 19:55 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 9 Ne Raleigh | Smith, MS | TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN ALONG HIGHWAY 501 NEAR THE PINEVILLE COMMUNITY. |
| 20:00 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 W Moselle | Jones, MS | TREE FELL ON A CAR ON INTERSTATE 59. |
| 20:00 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Seminary | Covington, MS | TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN ACROSS COVINGTON COUNTY. MOST CONCENTRATED AND EXTENSIVE DAMAGE NEAR SEMINARY. |
| 20:00 UTC | HAIL 0.5 | 5 N Collins | Covington, MS | HALF INCH SIZED HAIL WAS REPORTEDLY COVERING THE GROUND. |
| 20:05 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 6 N Bay Springs | Jasper, MS | UTILITY SHED DAMAGED AND A BACKPORCH BLOWN OFF OF A HOME. |
| 20:07 UTC | TORNADO 1 | 4 E Bay Springs | Jasper, MS | BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDED DOWN ALONG COUNTY RD 2339 ABOUT 4 E OF BAY SPRINGS. SEVERAL LARGE TREES WERE SNAPPED/UPROOTED WITH MANY LIMBS BROKEN OFF. SHINGLE DAMAGE WAS NOTED ON 1 HOME ON THE S SIDE AS WELL AS THE E SIDE SUGG |
| 20:08 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 Ese Louin | Jasper, MS | THE ROOF OF A BACK POARCH WAS BLOWN OFF AND LAID OVER THE MAIN HOUSE. OTHER TIN WAS BLOWN OVER THE HOUSE INTO THE FRONT YARD. |
| 20:15 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Bay Springs | Jasper, MS | NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE WESTERN PORTION OF JASPER COUNTY. |
| 20:17 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | Hickory | Newton, MS | DIME SIZED HAIL REPORTED IN HICKORY. |
| 20:19 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Newton | Newton, MS | TREES DOWN ON POWER LINES AND A ROOF WAS DAMAGED AT A CONSTRUCTION SITE AROUND GIBBSTOWN. |
| 20:20 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 E Chunky | Lauderdale, MS | A LARGE TREE FELL DOWN ON HIGHWAY 80 NEAR THE TOWN OF MEEHAN. |
| 20:20 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Quitman | Clarke, MS | 3 TREES DOWN WITH POWER LINES DOWN AROUND QUITMAN AND IN THE COUNTY. |
| 20:25 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Moselle | Jones, MS | NUMEROUS TREES DOWN AROUND MOSELLE. |
| 20:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 W Moselle | Jones, MS | TREES DOWN ON INTERSTATE 59...INCLUDING A TREE THAT FELL ON A CAR WITH A PERSON INSIDE. |
| 20:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Ellisville | Jones, MS | LARGE TREE DOWN ON POWERLINES IN ELLISVILLE. |
| 20:41 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 W Meridian | Lauderdale, MS | LARGE TREE DOWN ACROSS HIGHWAY 80 WEST NEAR MEEHAN. |
| 20:50 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Ovett | Jones, MS | NUMEROUS TREES DOWN AROUND OVETT. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2008 tornado in MississippiEvery tornado in Mississippi since 1950Warnings in force in Mississippi nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of February 12, 2008
15 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 12 | 11:37 AM CST | EF0 | Harrison, MS | 0.1 | 20 | |||
| February 12 | 12:40 PM CST | EF0 | Plaquemines Parish, LA | 0.1 | 15 | |||
| February 12 | 12:45 PM CST | EF1 | Rankin, MS | 3.2 | 400 | $1.0 million | ||
| February 12 | 1:02 PM CST | EF0 | Saint Martin Parish, LA | 0.3 | 10 | $15,000 | ||
| February 12 | 1:07 PM CST | EF1 | Rankin, MS | 2.7 | 250 | $200,000 | ||
| February 12 | 1:16 PM CST | EF0 | Iberia Parish, LA | 0.2 | 10 | $20,000 | ||
| February 12 | 1:21 PM CST | EF0 | Pike, MS | 0.1 | 20 | |||
| February 12 | 1:23 PM CST | EF0 | Saint Helena Parish, LA | 0.2 | 20 | |||
| February 12 | 2:45 PM EST | EF0 | Brevard, FL | 0.1 | 30 | $200,000 | ||
| February 12 | 1:45 PM CST | EF0 | Smith, MS | 0.7 | 150 | $25,000 | ||
| February 12 | 1:45 PM CST | EF1 | Tangipahoa Parish, LA | 0.8 | 20 | 1 | $25,000 | |
| February 12 | 1:53 PM CST | EF1 | Covington, MS | 1.5 | 100 | $200,000 | ||
| February 12 | 2:20 PM CST | EF0 | Saint Charles Parish, LA | 0.1 | 20 | |||
| February 12 | 9:45 PM EST | EF0 | Collier, FL | 1.3 | 50 | $445,000 | ||
| February 12 | 11:03 PM EST | EF0 | Broward, FL | 3.1 | 220 | $350,000 |
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.