Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi · 2011
EF2 tornado, Owens Wells to Beatty, Mississippi, April 27, 2011
From Owens Wells to Beatty, this EF2 tornado ran 8.8 miles across Holmes and Carroll counties on April 27, 2011, touching down at 1:59 AM CDT and reaching 880 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $10,000 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 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 mphthis tornado
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
- EF2
- Date
- April 27, 2011
- Touchdown
- 1:59 AM CDT (06:59 UTC)
- Lifted
- 2:12 AM CDT (07:12 UTC)
- On the ground
- 13 minutes
- Path length
- 8.8 miles (14.2 km)
- Path width
- 880 yards (805 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Crop damage
- $300,000
- Counties
- Holmes and Carroll counties
- Touchdown point
- 33.220, -89.810
- Lift-off point
- 33.316, -89.710
- Record number
- 1104270059-01
What the Weather Service recorded
A historic outbreak of tornadoes across the Ark-La-Miss began late on Tuesday, April 26th continuing into the early morning hours of Wednesday, April 27th. The event ramped up again during the early afternoon of April 27th continuing into the early evening. The activity on April 26th began as supercell thunderstorms producing large hail and tornadoes across northeast Texas and portions of Arkansas before evolving into a squall line as it moved east. This line of storms had multiple stages of evolution and moved across several states before dissipating. This line was very efficient in producing wind damage as it pushed east. More impressively, this line was responsible for 23 of the 32 tornadoes that occurred across the Ark-La-Miss during this event. Of those 23, 12 were rated as strong (EF2, EF3) tornadoes and had fairly long path lengths.||The atmosphere reloaded quickly Wednesday morning and became increasingly favorable for more severe storms by early afternoon. The driving force for the activity Wednesday afternoon was a potent shortwave and deep surface low that intensified during the day. The winds in the mid levels of the atmosphere increased to 80-100 mph helping to deepen the surface low further, which in turn caused the low level winds to become stronger. The wind shear caused by the turning of the winds from south near the surface to westerly aloft was at rare levels for late April over the Deep South. In addition, an abundance of low level moisture returned to the area in wake of the morning complex. Sunny skies during the morning interacted with the high levels of low level moisture eventually leading to a very unstable air mass by early afternoon. The result was an extremely rare mix of instability and wind shear. These ingredients, along with lift from a potent upper disturbance, ultimately led to the historic tornado outbreak of April 27, 2011.||By early afternoon, several discrete supercell thunderstorms were developing across central and eastern Mississippi. It did not take long for these storms to take on ���classic��� supercell structures and begin producing tornadoes. The first tornado of the afternoon started in Neshoba County on the north side of Philadelphia. This tornado ended up producing EF-5 damage and tracked for 29 miles across Neshoba, Kemper, Winston and Noxubee Counties. Through the rest of the afteroon multiple tornadoes developed, stemming from multiple supercell storms. Nearly all of the storms produced tornadoes, with many of them long track and significant. The other violent tornado to impact the Jackson, MS forecast area occurred across Smith, Jasper, and Clarke Counties. This tornado continued into Alabama and had a total path length of 124 miles across both states.||Loss of life during this historic event was staggering. Unfortunately, 321 people lost their lives making this the second deadliest tornado outbreak in U.S. history. The March 18, 1925 Tri-State tornado outbreak is first with 747 fatalities. This marks the first EF-5 tornado in Mississippi since the Candlestick Park tornado on May 3, 1966, and this marks the first time since statistics have been kept that two EF-5 tornadoes have been recorded on the same day in Mississippi, with the tornado in Smithville also rated as EF-5. Incredibly, 4 tornadoes had path lengths over 100 miles across the southern states during this event, and all 4 of these were rated either EF-4 or EF-5.
The tornado started near Fowler Road, where a few trees were snapped and continued northeast to Highway 12. Here, numerous large hardwood and softwood trees were snapped along with several power poles. The tornado was rated an EF-2 at this point. The tornado continued northeast and crossed Ellington Road, where it snapped several more large hardwood trees. The tornado snapped several more power poles along with several hardwood trees off of Bowling Green Road before it crossed over I-55. The tornado was at its widest point after it crossed I-55, where it snapped numerous trees along County Road 68. The tornado continued northeast and snapped several large trees along Brister Road. The tornado ended near Stran Road, where it snapped numerous soft and hardwood trees, and also damaged the roof of a barn. Maximum winds were around 130 mph.
This tornado crossed through a rural area with no structures. Many trees were blown down along the path and a power pole was blown nearly to the ground along Highway 51. The tornado crossed Highway 51 about one half mile south of the Beatty Community, and downed hundreds of trees as it tracked northeast. Maximum winds were around 115 mph. Total path length across Holmes and Carroll Counties was 9 miles.
This tornado crossed through a rural area with no structures. Many trees were blown down along the path and a power pole was blown nearly to the ground along Highway 51. The tornado crossed Highway 51 about one half mile south of the Beatty Community, and downed hundreds of trees as it tracked northeast. Maximum winds were around 115 mph. Total path length across Holmes and Carroll Counties was 9 miles.
This tornado started near the intersection of State Hwy 433 and Hebron Rd southwest of Lexington. A couple of trees were snapped at the point. The tornado continued northeast across Hwy 17 were a few trees were snapped. The tornado continued northeast where it caused significant damage to a couple of mobile homes on Arenia Mallory Rd along with several trees and a few power poles snapped. The tornado crossed Hwy 12 where it caused some roof damage to a business along with numerous snapped trees. The tornado continued northeast to Doe Rd and this is where it reached its widest point. Hundreds of hard and softwood trees were snapped along with 3 wooded high tension poles. The tornado was rated an EF3 at this point. The tornado continued northeast to Bethesda and Bowling Green Road where hundreds more trees were snapped along with some roof damage to a home. The tornado crossed Hwy 55 just west of West snapping trees and several power poles along the way. The tornado continued northeast to just south of Beatty where it merged with another tornado. Maximum winds were around 140 mph. Total path length across Holmes and Carroll Counties was 23 miles.
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 Moderate Risk, with a 0.15 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 06:10 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 Apr 26, 8:30 PM CDT, 5 hours 29 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 26, 8:30 PM CDT, 5 hours 29 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
830 PM CDT TUE APR 26 2011
...SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EVENT CURRENTLY UNFOLDING...TIMEFRAME
IS FOR TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY...
.UPDATE...LATEST SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWED STRONG UPPER TROUGH OVER THE
SOUTHERN PLAINS...WHICH WAS PROVIDING AN OUTBREAK OF SEVERE WEATHER FROM
THE AROUND THE ARKLATEX TO THE MIDSOUTH REGION. CURRENT FORECAST APPEARS
TO THE ON TRACK FOR SEVERE STORMS TO AFFECT THE REGION AS PREVIOUSLY
DISCUSSED. OVERNIGHT TEMPS LOOK TO BE ON TRACK. LATEST RUC AND SHORT
RANGE ENSEMBLES HAS IT AFFECTING THE REGION LATER TONIGHT./17/
./PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...355 PM CDT
.DISCUSSION...MAJOR SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK READY TO UNFOLD FROM THE
ARKLATEX THROUGH OUR FORECAST AREA INTO AL AND TN VALLEY TONIGHT
INTO WED. THIS EVENT WILL BE THE FOCUS OF THIS FORECAST FOR THE NEXT
24HRS THEN A SHIFT TO COOLER AND DRIER CONDITIONS INTO THE WEEKEND.
ACROSS THE AREA TODAY...THE ATMS IS QUICKLY RESPONDING AND
RECOVERING FROM THE MORNING STORM COMPLEX. BASED OFF VAPOR
IMAGERY...SEVERAL DISTURBANCES ARE NOTED IN THE MEAN UPPER TROUGH.
IT IS THESE FEATURES...ALONG WITH THE MAIN DIGGING TROUGH...THAT IS
CAUSING SFC PRESSURES TO LOWER ACROSS TX WHICH IS IN TURN ALLOWING
PRESSURES TO FALL OVER OUR REGION. FORECAST MODELS SEEM TO BEING
WELL WITH THE ABV FEATURES I MENTIONED AND SHOW THE RAPID RESPONSE
TO THE WIND FIELDS AND RECOVERY OF THE ATMS. TAKING THE VARIOUS
MODEL GUID ALONG WITH HI-RES OUTPUT...MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF STORMS
APPEAR POSSIBLE WITH THE VARIOUS EMBEDDED WAVES FROM LATE THIS
AFTERNOON...EVENING/OVERNIGHT AND THEN ON WED.
AS THE ENVIRONMENT RESPONDS TO THE INTENSE UPPER TROUGH AND EMBEDDED
WAVES...SVR WX PARAMETERS WILL INCREASE AND REACH EXTREME LEVELS.
INSTABILITY WILL NOT BE EXTREME...BUT WILL BE STRONG AND AT LEVELS
RATHER HIGH FOR THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. AS SFC WINDS REMAIN STRONG
OVERNIGHT DUE TO LOWERING PRESSURES...THE BOUNDARY LAYER WILL REMAIN
WELL MIXED. LOOK FOR MLCAPE TO HOLD IN THE 1500-2300 J/KG RANGE WITH
7 TO 8 C/KM LAPSE RATES IN PLACE. A LOW LEVEL CAP WILL DEVELOP AS
WELL AND HELP TO LIMIT THE STORM COVERAGE...ESPECIALLY FOR THE
SOUTHERN HALF. AS FOR SHEAR PARAMETERS...EFFECTIVE SRH VALUES WILL
RAPIDLY INCREASE EARLY THIS EVENING AND INTO WED. THESE SRH VALUES
WILL APPROACH EXTREME LEVELS AND RANGE FROM 400-800 M2/S2. THIS
COMBINATION SHEAR/INSTABILITY IS VERY RARE AND CONDUCIVE FOR
SIGNIFICANT SVR STORMS. ADDITIONALLY...THE POSITION OF THE MID LEVEL
HGHTS...SFC LOW AND VALUE OF THE SFC PRESSURES HISTORICALLY SUPPORT
A SIGNIFICANT EVENT WHEN OVERLAID OVER SUFFICIENT INSTABILITY. THE
AREA WILL ALSO SEE ANOTHER DRY LINE FEATURE PUSH INTO THE REGION AND
TYPICALLY THAT LEADS TO A SUBSTANTIAL EVENT.
THE AREAS UNDER THE GREATEST RISK HAVE NOT CHANGED. LOCATIONS NORTH
OF I-20 CONTINUE TO HAVE THE GREATEST RISK WITH AREAS ALONG AND S OF
I-20 HAVING A MORE ISOLATED RISK. THE SOUTHERN HALF WILL HAVE TO
COMPETE WITH LOW/MID LEVEL CAPPING AND ALL INDICATIONS ARE THAT IT
WILL BE TOUGH TO BREAK THE CAP EVEN IN THE FACE SUCH INTENSE
FORCING. HOWEVER...IF ANYTHING CAN DEVELOP...CONDITIONS WILL BE VERY
FAVORABLE FOR HIGH END SVR STORMS. THE NORTHERN HALF WILL LIKELY
HAVE SOME CAP...BUT IT WON'T BE AS STRONG AND THE DEPTH OF MOISTURE
AND ASCENT WILL ALLOW FOR MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF STORMS. THE REPETITIVE
EXPECTATION OF STORMS WILL LIKELY LEAD TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS ACROSS
THE NORTH WITH 3-6 IN TOTALS POSSIBLE. SOME HIGHER AMOUNTS COULD
ALSO OCCUR. DUE TO THIS...HAVE EXPANDED THE AREA OF THE FLASH FLOOD
WATCH.
THE SEVERITY OF THIS EVENT WILL ULTIMATELY COME DOWN TO STORM MODE
(SUPERCELL VS SQUALL LINE). AT THIS TIME...IT SEEMS AS THE CWA WILL
SEE A MIXTURE OF BOTH THROUGH THIS EVENT. WITH ANY SUPERCELL
STORM...THERE WILL EXIST THE POSSIBILITY OF LONG TRACK STRONG
TORNADOES....VERY LARGE HAIL AND DMG WINDS TO 80 MPH. AS FOR ANY
LINE SEGMENT...DMG WINDS TO 80 MPH WILL BE THE PRIMARY RISK WITH
HAIL AND TORNADOES ALSO A SUBSTANTIAL RISK. EITHER WAY AND WHICH
EVER MODE OCCURS...THE RISK FOR SIGNIFICANT SVR WX IS POSSIBLE.
AS FOR TIMING...THERE IS NO SPECIFIC TIME...JUST A LARGE WINDOW OF
FAVORABLE CONDITIONS ACROSS THE N HALF FROM NOW THROUGH WED
AFTERNOON. I WOULD SAY THAT THE SE PORTION OF THE CWA WILL WAIT
UNTIL AT LEAST MID/LATE MORNING AND DURING WED AFTERNOON. I DO FEEL
CONFIDENT THAT THINGS WILL PUSH EAST AND EXIT THE AREA BY 7 PM WED.
IN ADDITION TO ALL THE SVR WX...SFC WINDS WILL INCREASE OVERNIGHT
AND BECOME QUITE GUSTY. THE STRONGEST WINDS LOOK TO OCCUR ON WED AS
THE AREA WARMS AND MIXES DOWN THE INTENSE WINDS JUST OFF THE SFC.
ADDITIONALLY...WHEN THE DRY LINE MOVES ACROSS THE W/NW
AREAS...DEEPER MIXING WILL OCCUR AND HELP TO BRING DOWN WINDS OF
40-50 MPH. FOR NOW...HAVE ISSUED A WIND ADV FOR ALL OF THE AREA.
PORTIONS OF THE W/NW MAY NEED A HIGH WIND WARNING. THIS WILL BE
LOOKED AT CLOSER IN LATER FORECASTS AND UPDATED AS NEEDED.
BEYOND 8 PM TOMORROW...CONDITIONS WILL BE QUIET WITH COOLER AND MORE
SEASONAL CONDITIONS EXPECTED. NEXT REAL CHANCE AT PRECIP LOOKS TO
WAIT UNTIL SUN OR MON. /CME/
&&
.AVIATION...DANGEROUS FLYING WEATHER IS EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT 24-30
HOURS AS SEVERAL ROUNDS OF SEVERE TSRA(LARGE HAIL/SEVERE
TURBULENCE/WIND SHEAR) IMPACT THE ARKLAMISS. FIRST ROUND OF STORMS
IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN OVER THE DELTA AROUND 22-24Z THIS
EVENING...WITH CONTINUED TSRA DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE DELTA/NORTHERN
MS LATER TONIGHT. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHWRS/TSTMS WILL BEGIN
IMPACTING THE REGION TOMORROW MORNING AS A FRONTAL BOUNDARY
APPROACHES THE REGION FROM THE WEST. VFR CONDS WILL PERSIST THIS
AFTN INTO THIS EVENING WITH A TREND TOWARD MVFR/IFR CIG 07-13Z FOR
AREAS ALONG AND EAST OF I-55. MVFR/OCSNL IFR CIG XPCTD INVOF
SHWR/TSTM ACTIVITY. IN ADDITION... SOUTHERLY SFC WINDS WILL REMAIN
GUSTY THRU THE PERIOD...WITH GUSTS TO 40KTS PSBL AFTER 03Z THIS
EVENING...ESPECIALLY OVER THE DELTA. /BK/
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
JACKSON 74 86 53 74 / 49 44 12 0
MERIDIAN 73 87 54 75 / 37 56 37 0
VICKSBURG 73 83 51 75 / 54 38 3 0
HATTIESBURG 74 88 57 79 / 21 43 22 0
NATCHEZ 74 83 51 73 / 37 30 4 0
GREENVILLE 68 82 51 74 / 82 47 1 0
GREENWOOD 69 84 49 74 / 74 54 6 0
&&
.JAN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MS...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON FOR MSZ018-019-
025>042.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 7 PM CDT WEDNESDAY FOR MSZ026>033-
036>039-042>066-072>074.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 PM CDT WEDNESDAY FOR
MSZ018-019-025-034-035-040-041.
LA...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON FOR LAZ007>009.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 7 PM CDT WEDNESDAY FOR LAZ023>026.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 PM CDT WEDNESDAY FOR
LAZ007>009-015-016.
AR...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON FOR ARZ074-075.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 PM CDT WEDNESDAY FOR
ARZ074-075.
&&
17/CME/BKHazardous weather outlook, Apr 26, 10:27 PM CDT, 3 hours 32 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 1027 PM CDT TUE APR 26 2011 ARZ074-075-LAZ007-MSZ018-019-025-026-034-280330- ASHLEY-CHICOT-MOREHOUSE-BOLIVAR-SUNFLOWER-LEFLORE-GRENADA- WASHINGTON- 1027 PM CDT TUE APR 26 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI... NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY AN OUTBREAK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TONIGHT THROUGH AROUND MIDDAY WEDNESDAY. TORNADOES...POSSIBLY STRONG AND LONG TRACKED...VERY LARGE HAIL TO THE SIZE OF BASEBALLS...AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE MOST INTENSE STORMS. AN UNSUALLY STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM FOR LATE SPRING IS FORECAST TO MOVE NORTHEAST THROUGH THE MID SOUTH THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN SEVERAL ROUNDS OF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS BEGINNING LATE THIS EVENING AND CONTINUING THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING. THE ATMOSPHERE IS FORECAST TO BE VERY SUPPORTIVE FOR SEVERE STORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER. IN ADDITION TO THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT...THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERAL ROUNDS OF STORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL RESULT IN A RISK FOR FLASH FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... THE ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS...HAM RADIO OPERATORS...AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IN SUPPORT OF SEVERE WEATHER OPERATIONS IS EXPECTED TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. LAZ008-009-015-016-023>025-MSZ027>033-035>052-280330- WEST CARROLL-EAST CARROLL-RICHLAND-MADISON LA-FRANKLIN LA- CATAHOULA-TENSAS-CARROLL-MONTGOMERY-WEBSTER-CLAY-LOWNDES-CHOCTAW- OKTIBBEHA-HUMPHREYS-HOLMES-ATTALA-WINSTON-NOXUBEE-ISSAQUENA- SHARKEY-YAZOO-MADISON MS-LEAKE-NESHOBA-KEMPER-WARREN-HINDS-RANKIN- SCOTT-NEWTON-LAUDERDALE- 1027 PM CDT TUE APR 26 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI... NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY AN OUTBREAK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT THROUGH MUCH OF WEDNESDAY...WITH THE GREATEST RISK EXPECTED WEDNESDAY. TORNADOES...POSSIBLY STRONG AND LONG TRACKED...VERY LARGE HAIL TO THE SIZE OF BASEBALLS...AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE MOST INTENSE STORMS. AN UNSUALLY STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM FOR LATE SPRING IS FORECAST TO MOVE NORTHEAST THROUGH THE MID SOUTH THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN SEVERAL ROUNDS OF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS BEGINNING LATE THIS EVENING AND CONTINUING THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE ATMOSPHERE IS FORECAST TO BE VERY SUPPORTIVE FOR SEVERE STORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HIGH-END SEVERE WEATHER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .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 NECESSARY TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. LAZ026-MSZ053>066-072>074-280330- CONCORDIA-CLAIBORNE-COPIAH-SIMPSON-SMITH-JASPER-CLARKE-JEFFERSON- ADAMS-FRANKLIN MS-LINCOLN-LAWRENCE-JEFFERSON DAVIS-COVINGTON- JONES-MARION-LAMAR-FORREST- 1027 PM CDT TUE APR 26 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...AND SOUTH CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE PRIOR TO DAYBREAK WEDNESDAY...AND THE RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE DURING THE DAY. THIS WILL OCCCUR AS A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE REGION FROM THE WEST. AT THE CURRENT TIME...IT IS STILL SOMEWHAT UNCERTAIN HOW MANY...IF ANY...STORMS WILL FORM ACROSS THE AREA DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF WARM AIR ALOFT IN THE ATMOSPHERE. HOWEVER...IF STORMS DO DEVELOP...THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER...INCLUDING THE POSSIBILITY OF STRONG TORNADOES...DAMAGING WINDS...AND LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... THE ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS...HAM RADIO OPERATORS...AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IN SUPPORT OF SEVERE WEATHER OPERATIONS MAY BE NECESSARY WEDNESDAY. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/JAN. EC
In the hours before
Local storm report, Apr 27, 12:03 AM CDT, 1 hour 56 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1203 AM CDT WED APR 27 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1155 PM TSTM WND DMG EUDORA 33.12N 91.26W
04/26/2011 CHICOT AR EMERGENCY MNGR
NUMEROUS TREES DOWN. MUCH OF EUDORA WITHOUT POWER.
&&
GERARDLocal storm report, Apr 27, 12:33 AM CDT, 1 hour 26 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1233 AM CDT WED APR 27 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1140 PM FUNNEL CLOUD DERMOTT 33.53N 91.44W
04/26/2011 CHICOT AR EMERGENCY MNGR
FUNNEL CLOUD SPOTTED
1140 PM TSTM WND DMG DERMOTT 33.53N 91.44W
04/26/2011 CHICOT AR EMERGENCY MNGR
TWO TREES DOWN IN DERMOTT
1215 AM FLASH FLOOD DERMOTT 33.53N 91.44W
04/27/2011 CHICOT AR EMERGENCY MNGR
NUMEROUS ROADS UNDERWATER AROUND DERMOTT
&&Local storm report, Apr 27, 12:50 AM CDT, 1 hour 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1250 AM CDT WED APR 27 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1220 AM TSTM WND DMG LAKE PROVIDENCE 32.81N 91.18W
04/27/2011 EAST CARROLL LA LAW ENFORCEMENT
TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN PARISH WIDE. TREE DOWN ON A
HOUSE IN LAKE PROVIDENCE. STILL GETTING REPORTS.
&&
GERARDLocal storm report, Apr 27, 1:08 AM CDT, 51 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
108 AM CDT WED APR 27 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1255 AM TORNADO 2 S DODDSVILLE 33.63N 90.52W
04/27/2011 SUNFLOWER MS EMERGENCY MNGR
MOBILE HOME ROLLED OVER. POSSIBLE TORNADO BASED ON RADAR.
&&
GERARDLocal storm report, Apr 27, 1:41 AM CDT, 18 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
141 AM CDT WED APR 27 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0141 AM HAIL 5 N CANTON 32.68N 90.03W
04/27/2011 E1.00 INCH MADISON MS LAW ENFORCEMENT
&&
GERARDLocal storm report, Apr 27, 1:51 AM CDT, 8 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
151 AM CDT WED APR 27 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0110 AM TSTM WND DMG 1 SE YAZOO CITY 32.85N 90.40W
04/27/2011 YAZOO MS AMATEUR RADIO
NUMEROUS TREES DOWN ACROSS RIDGE ROAD...ROOF BLOWN OFF A
HOUSE ON THE SE SIDE OF YAZOO CITY
&&
GERARDThe 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), 00:00Z
7.0 hours before the tornado, 110 km from the path. April 27, 2011.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1600 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -5 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 2354 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1229 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 53 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 25 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 165 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 229 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 2.0
- Supercell composite
- 12.6
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.6 K/km
Jackson, MS (KJAN), 12:00Z
5.0 hours after it, 110 km from the path. April 27, 2011.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 890 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -102 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 609 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 61 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 43 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 449 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 786 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 21.2
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 3.4 K/km
The surface observations
Greenwood/Leflore (GWO), 39 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 Jackson/Brandon,MS radar (KDGX), 112 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 07:01 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 2011 tornado in MississippiEvery tornado in Mississippi since 1950Warnings in force in Mississippi nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of April 27, 2011
209 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 27 | 1:12 AM CDT | EF1 | Yazoo, MS | 9.7 | 250 | $70,000 | ||
| April 27 | 1:15 AM CDT | EF1 | Leflore, MS | 27.7 | 50 | $50,000 | ||
| April 27 | 1:24 AM CDT | EF1 | Leflore, MS | 3.2 | 100 | $50,000 | ||
| April 27 | 1:36 AM CDT | EF0 | LaSalle Parish, LA | 8.0 | 100 | $40,000 | ||
| April 27 | 1:40 AM CDT | EF2 | Holmes, MS | 12.3 | 1,760 | $100,000 | ||
| April 27 | 1:40 AM CDT | EF3 | Holmes, MS | 23.0 | 1,760 | $700,000 | ||
| April 27 | 1:51 AM CDT | EF2 | Attala, MS | 23.0 | 860 | $553,000 | ||
| April 27 | 1:51 AM CDT | EF0 | Holmes, MS | 1.7 | 50 | $25,000 | ||
| April 27 | 2:06 AM CDT | EF1 | Grenada, MS | 1.9 | 150 | $60,000 | ||
| April 27 | 2:17 AM CDT | EF2 | Montgomery, MS | 11.7 | 1,760 | $425,000 | ||
| April 27 | 2:20 AM CDT | EF1 | Attala, MS | 0.5 | 50 | $25,000 | ||
| April 27 | 2:25 AM CDT | EF2 | Choctaw, MS | 6.8 | 1,750 | 2 | $350,000 | |
| April 27 | 2:29 AM CDT | EF1 | Winston, MS | 4.2 | 150 | $85,000 | ||
| April 27 | 2:29 AM CDT | EF3 | Choctaw, MS | 58.7 | 1,800 | 25 | $5.4 million | |
| April 27 | 2:37 AM CDT | EF2 | Webster, MS | 13.3 | 1,320 | 1 | 5 | $605,000 |
| April 27 | 2:47 AM CDT | EF1 | Winston, MS | 7.3 | 200 | $60,000 | ||
| April 27 | 3:20 AM CDT | EF1 | Noxubee, MS | 6.2 | 150 | $300,000 | ||
| April 27 | 3:43 AM CDT | EF2 | Tishomingo, MS | 9.3 | 150 | 1 | $500,000 | |
| April 27 | 4:01 AM CDT | EF1 | Lauderdale, AL to TN | 9.2 | 200 | $1,000 | ||
| April 27 | 4:03 AM CDT | EF2 | Kemper, MS to AL | 35.2 | 1,410 | $3.2 million | ||
| April 27 | 4:19 AM CDT | EF1 | Lauderdale, AL | 1.8 | 100 | 1 | ||
| April 27 | 4:27 AM CDT | EF2 | Pickens, AL | 14.4 | 1,232 | $1.8 million | ||
| April 27 | 4:41 AM CDT | EF3 | Pickens, AL | 22.5 | 704 | $741,000 | ||
| April 27 | 5:03 AM CDT | EF1 | Fayette, AL | 7.3 | 176 | 4 | $1.4 million | |
| April 27 | 5:17 AM CDT | EF3 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 20.3 | 200 | $9.3 million | ||
| April 27 | 5:18 AM CDT | EF3 | Walker, AL | 18.9 | 375 | 20 | $13 million | |
| April 27 | 5:38 AM CDT | EF2 | Lincoln, TN | 25.9 | 400 | |||
| April 27 | 5:40 AM CDT | EF1 | Marshall, TN | 2.9 | 100 | $75,000 | ||
| April 27 | 5:47 AM CDT | EF0 | Rutherford, TN | 2.1 | 50 | $8,000 | ||
| April 27 | 5:48 AM CDT | EF2 | Cullman, AL | 30.3 | 880 | 1 | ||
| April 27 | 5:50 AM CDT | EF1 | Shelby, AL | 3.4 | 100 | $3.7 million | ||
| April 27 | 5:50 AM CDT | EF1 | Lawrence, TN | 2.7 | 150 | 1 | $11,000 | |
| April 27 | 5:52 AM CDT | EF0 | Rutherford, TN | 1.6 | 75 | $50,000 | ||
| April 27 | 5:53 AM CDT | EF2 | Blount, AL | 3.2 | 200 | 3 | $9.3 million | |
| April 27 | 5:54 AM CDT | EF2 | Jefferson, AL | 7.8 | 200 | 20 | $18 million | |
| April 27 | 6:12 AM CDT | EF1 | Blount, AL | 14.8 | 200 | $42,000 | ||
| April 27 | 6:13 AM CDT | EF2 | Moore, TN | 2.0 | 75 | $25,000 | ||
| April 27 | 6:16 AM CDT | EF2 | St. Clair, AL | 3.8 | 200 | 5 | $865,000 | |
| April 27 | 6:20 AM CDT | EF1 | Marshall, AL | 11.0 | 75 | |||
| April 27 | 6:24 AM CDT | EF0 | Smith, TN | 3.4 | 50 | $5,000 | ||
| April 27 | 6:24 AM CDT | EF1 | Marshall, AL | 6.4 | 100 | |||
| April 27 | 6:30 AM CDT | EF2 | Marshall, AL | 20.0 | 880 | |||
| April 27 | 6:30 AM CDT | EF1 | Marshall, AL | 4.6 | 50 | |||
| April 27 | 6:30 AM CDT | EF1 | Marshall, AL | 3.4 | 100 | |||
| April 27 | 6:30 AM CDT | EF1 | Marshall, AL | 5.7 | 50 | |||
| April 27 | 6:32 AM CDT | EF1 | Green, KY | 3.1 | 150 | |||
| April 27 | 6:35 AM CDT | EF1 | Marshall, AL | 4.9 | 100 | |||
| April 27 | 6:35 AM CDT | EF1 | Marshall, AL | 0.3 | 50 | $10,000 | ||
| April 27 | 6:43 AM CDT | EF0 | Marshall, AL | 2.8 | 75 | |||
| April 27 | 6:45 AM CDT | EF0 | Coffee, TN | 1.7 | 50 | $5,000 | ||
| April 27 | 6:45 AM CDT | EF1 | Marshall, AL | 4.8 | 200 | |||
| April 27 | 6:45 AM CDT | EF1 | Marshall, AL | 6.9 | 300 | |||
| April 27 | 6:47 AM CDT | EF1 | Jackson, TN | 3.3 | 100 | $10,000 | ||
| April 27 | 6:49 AM CDT | EF0 | Jackson, TN | 2.0 | 50 | $20,000 | ||
| April 27 | 6:49 AM CDT | EF1 | Marshall, AL | 1.6 | 100 | |||
| April 27 | 6:50 AM CDT | EF1 | Warren, TN | 13.2 | 100 | $100,000 | ||
| April 27 | 6:58 AM CDT | EF1 | DeKalb, AL | 27.9 | 300 | 1 | ||
| April 27 | 7:02 AM CDT | EF1 | Monroe, KY | 5.9 | 550 | |||
| April 27 | 7:10 AM CDT | EF2 | DeKalb, AL | 5.8 | 200 | $30,000 | ||
| April 27 | 7:18 AM CDT | EF1 | DeKalb, AL | 4.0 | 50 |
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.