EF1 tornado, Purvis to Mc Laurin, Mississippi, May 15, 2008

1. EF065 to 85 mph

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

2. EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado

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

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. EF4166 to 200 mph

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

6. 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.

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.

Rating

EF1

Date

May 15, 2008

Touchdown

10:05 AM CDT (15:05 UTC)

Lifted

10:24 AM CDT (15:24 UTC)

On the ground

19 minutes

Path length

15.4 miles (24.8 km)

Path width

600 yards (549 m)

Deaths

0

Injuries

0

Property damage

$710,000

Crop damage

$500,000

Counties

Lamar and Forrest counties

Touchdown point

31.144, -89.401

Lift-off point

31.218, -89.155

Record number

0805150905-01

Multiple rounds of storms evolved over the region starting late on the 14th and lasted through the 15th. This produced several areas of heavy rainfall across the forecast area. The region that experienced the greatest rainfall was across Northeast Louisiana, and West Central Mississippi where 5 to 8 inches fell. The other area of heavy rain was along Interstate 20, through Central and East Central Mississippi. Here, 3 to 6 inches fell. All this heavy rain resulted in flash flooding across the area. The severe weather was more scattered in nature, but what did occur was mainly damaging winds and located across the southern half of the area.

This tornado began on the east side of Purvis, here it downed some limbs and small trees. The tornado intensified and widened at it approached and crossed Interstate 59 near Black Creek. Numerous trees and large limbs were snapped along the path as it moved through the area between the interstate and Highway 49. Additionally, a couple homes and outbuildings were damaged by limbs or trees falling on them. The tornado intensified again and narrowed as it approached Highway 49 and the south gate of Camp Shelby. A number of large trees were downed along the highway, and from there to the actual gate of Camp Shelby. One large tree fell on a mobile home on the east side of Highway 49, destroying it. Shingles were pulled off a couple commercial buildings along the highway as well and 2 power poles were snapped. This area was where the tornado reached its maximum intensity. As the tornado moved across Camp Shelby, it remained narrow, but not as intense, with winds likely in the 70 to 80 mph range. The tornado downed numerous large limbs and sporadic trees as it moved across the base. One large tree fell on base quarters home, causing serious damage to it, and another tree fell on a vehicle, destroying it. Some other minor roof damage was noted. The tornado continued causing sporadic tree damage as it crossed Highway 98 near the Perry County line where it dissipated. Maximum winds were around 105 mph. The total path length across Lamar and Forrest Counties was 15 miles.

This tornado began on the east side of Purvis, here it downed some limbs and small trees. The tornado intensified and widened at it approached and crossed Interstate 59 near Black Creek. Numerous trees and large limbs were snapped along the path as it moved through the area between the interstate and Highway 49. Additionally, a couple homes and outbuildings were damaged by limbs or trees falling on them. The tornado intensified again and narrowed as it approached Highway 49 and the south gate of Camp Shelby. A number of large trees were downed along the highway, and from there to the actual gate of Camp Shelby. One large tree fell on a mobile home on the east side of Highway 49, destroying it. Shingles were pulled off a couple commercial buildings along the highway as well and 2 power poles were snapped. This area was where the tornado reached its maximum intensity. As the tornado moved across Camp Shelby, it remained narrow, but not as intense, with winds likely in the 70 to 80 mph range. The tornado downed numerous large limbs and sporadic trees as it moved across the base. One large tree fell on base quarters home, causing serious damage to it, and another tree fell on a vehicle, destroying it. Some other minor roof damage was noted. The tornado continued causing sporadic tree damage as it crossed Highway 98 near the Perry County line where it dissipated. Maximum winds were around 105 mph. The total path length across Lamar and Forrest Counties was 15 miles.

This tornado occurred just south of the first, longer track tornado, and was on the ground for just over a mile. A concentrated path of trees, in a convergent pattern, was blown down. Additionally, half the roof of a small church was peeled off.

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

24 minutes of warning. NWS JAN issued a tornado warning for this county at 14:41 UTC, 24 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 15:15 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 14:00 UTC and running to 16:09 UTC.

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 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 12:54 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 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.

Hattiesburg Municipal (HBG), 10 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

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

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 114 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 15:05 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.

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

The live radar over the trackEvery 2008 tornado in MississippiEvery tornado in Mississippi since 1950Warnings in force in Mississippi nowThe forecast where you are

13 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

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.

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