Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi · 2015

EF1 tornado, Seminary to Gandsi, Mississippi, December 28, 2015

Name: EF1 tornado, Seminary to Gandsi, Mississippi, December 28, 2015
Start: 2015-12-28T11:43:00.000Z
End: 2015-12-28T11:51:00.000Z
Location: Seminary to Gandsi, Mississippi

From Seminary to Gandsi, this EF1 tornado ran 5.6 miles across Covington County on December 28, 2015, touching down at 5:43 AM CST and reaching 100 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $100,000 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: December 28, 2015
Touchdown: 5:43 AM CST (11:43 UTC)
Lifted: 5:51 AM CST (11:51 UTC)
On the ground: 8 minutes
Path length: 5.6 miles (9.0 km)
Path width: 100 yards (91 m)
Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $100,000
County: Covington County
Touchdown point: 31.541, -89.530
Lift-off point: 31.614, -89.490
Record number: 1512280543-01

The damage survey

10 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS JAN, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF1. The highest wind the damage implies is 95 mph.

Damage to carport. Trees snapped and uprooted.
Trees uprooted and snapped. Shed destroyed.
Barn destroyed and trees snapped.
Several U Haul trailers blown onto Highway 49. Trees snapped.

Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.

What the Weather Service recorded

Anomalously warm and moist conditions continued over the ArkLaMiss region. Another upper level disturbance moved through the region on the 27th, bringing some severe weather. A stalled front finally pushed through on the 28th, which brought a final round of storms.

This brief tornado touched down 2.5 miles southwest of Seminary and tracked to the northeast before crossing Seminary Sumrall Road where it destroyed a barn and snapped some trees. As it crossed the road, a shed was destroyed and more trees were uprooted and snapped. The tornado then crossed Tower Road and shortly after caused severe damage to a carport that fell on a vehicle. The tornado then crossed Seminary Mike Conner Road where it uprooted some trees. The tornado continued northeast and right before crossing Highway 49, several trailers were blown onto the highway and a fireworks stand was destroyed. Numerous trees were snapped in the area as the tornado crossed the highway. The tornado continued on the ground crossing Evergreen Church Road and Ray Harvey Road where it snapped more trees. In this area it produced severe roof damage to a home and snapped trees. The tornado then crossed Watts Road where large limbs were downed and a trampoline was destroyed. The tornado lifted soon after crossing Watts Road north of Seminary. The maximum estimated winds were 95mph.

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 Jackson, MS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Dec 28, 5:23 AM CST, 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 28, 5:23 AM CST, 20 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
523 AM CST MON DEC 28 2015

.DISCUSSION...

TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY...

THE SQUALL LINE AND ASSOCIATED SEVERE THREAT IS MOVING EAST OF THE
HIGHWAY 49 CORRIDOR AS OF THIS WRITING...AND IT WILL EXIT THE
FORECAST AREA BY MID MORNING. INTENSE LOW LEVEL WINDS ARE CONTINUING
TO MIX DOWN AND WILL THUS KEEP THE CURRENT WIND ADVISORY GOING FOR
THIS MORNING. OTHERWISE...A MUCH DRIER AND MORE SEASONABLE AIRMASS
WILL MOVE IN BEHIND THE FRONT AND PERSIST THROUGH TUESDAY. TODAY WILL
END AN INCREDIBLE STRETCH OF WARMTH THAT HAS SEEN DAILY RECORDS
SMASHED BY AS MUCH AS 14 DEGREES. SOME OF THE RECENT LOW
TEMPERATURES HAVE BEEN WARM BY EVEN JULY STANDARDS. /EC/

TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...

SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL IS STILL FORECAST TO DEVELOP TUESDAY NIGHT AND
LAST INTO WEDNESDAY OVER ROUGHLY THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF THE ARKLAMISS.
THE NEXT SHORTWAVE TROUGH TO ENTER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS WILL HELP TO
BACK THE LOW LEVEL FLOW OVER THE LOWER MS VALLEY REGION. AS THIS
HAPPENS...THE STALLED BAROCLINIC ZONE ALONG THE PERIPHERY OF THE
STUBBORN SOUTHEAST CONUS RIDGE WILL BEGIN TO SHIFT BACK TO THE
NORTHWEST. STRONG LOW LEVEL THETAE ADVECTION WILL INCREASE
CONVECTIVE INSTABILITY (SHOWALTER INDICES ~ -2 WITH MOST UNSTABLE
CAPE > 500 J/KG) AND RESULT IN WIDESPREAD RAIN AND ELEVATED
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. DEEP UNIDIRECTIONAL FLOW COULD RESULT IN
TRAINING OF CONVECTION AND LOCALLY HEAVIER RAINFALL GREATER THAN WHAT
IS FORECAST. THE ECMWF HAS BEEN MOST BULLISH AND A FEW ECENS MEMBERS
ARE STILL QUITE HEAVY...BUT THE GFS IS BEGINNING TO MATCH THE ECMWF
MASS FIELDS AND THE MOST RECENT SREF/GEFS IS SOMEWHAT DISCONCERTING
IN SHOWING THAT THE SET-UP COULD BE SLOWER TO LEAVE WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON INTO THURSDAY. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR AS THIS SCENARIO
MAY EVENTUALLY REQUIRE SOME MENTION OF HEAVY RAIN IN THE
HWO/GRAPHICS.

AS WE GO LATER INTO THE WEEK AND THE NEW YEAR...A BIG PATTERN CHANGE
IS IN STORE FOR THE ARKLAMISS. MODELS GENERALLY AGREE THAT RIDGING
ALONG THE WEST COAST WILL FORCE NORTHERLY FLOW AND THE INFLUX OF COLD
POLAR AIR INTO THE ARKLAMISS AND SUPPRESSION OF THE SOUTHEAST CONUS
RIDGE. WHILE THE INTENSITY OF THE COLD SHOULD NOT BE ANOMALOUS...IT
WILL FEEL THAT WAY DUE TO THE RECENT WARMTH. CURRENT FORECAST HIGH
TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 40S WOULD BE AROUND 35 DEG F COLDER THAN
CURRENTLY BEING EXPERIENCED. TO ADD TO THE CHILL...EXTENSIVE MID/HIGH
LEVEL CLOUDINESS ASSOCIATED WITH A MINOR PERTURBATION SHOULD LIMIT
HEATING FRIDAY AND POTENTIALLY KEEP HIGHS LOWER THAN FORECAST. EXPECT
THE COLDER PATTERN TO PERSIST INTO THE WEEKEND AND LIKELY BEYOND.

ONE THING TO ADD HERE IS THAT MODELS ARE COMING IN MORE PRONOUNCED
WITH THE COASTAL BAROCLINIC ZONE AND INDICATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF
SUFFICIENT ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF LIGHT
PRECIPITATION FROM FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY...ESPECIALLY ALONG/S OF THE
I-2O CORRIDOR WHERE SEVERAL GEFS MEMBERS SHOW MEASURABLE RAINFALL.
AT THIS TIME IT LOOKS LIKE THIS WOULD BE IN LIQUID PHASE...BUT WILL
NEED TO MONITOR FOR SLEET POTENTIAL IF TRENDS CONTINUE. IN THE
LEAST...WILL NEED TO CONSIDER INCREASING POPS FOR FRIDAY INTO
SATURDAY. /EC/

&&

.AVIATION...SQUALL LINE WILL MOVE EAST OF THE AREA BY MID MORNING
WITH ALL RAINFALL ENDING QUICKLY THEREAFTER. THERE SHOULD BE A SHORT
DURATION OF CLEARING BUT THIS SHOULD BE FOLLOWED BY MVFR CATEGORY
CIGS EXPECTED IN THE FOLLOWING COLD ADVECTION PATTERN GOING THROUGH
TONIGHT. /EC/

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
JACKSON       66  41  59  49 /  81   5   6  77
MERIDIAN      72  43  60  52 / 100   9  12  80
VICKSBURG     64  40  57  46 /  55   3   6  66
HATTIESBURG   73  45  62  56 /  80   8  14  80
NATCHEZ       65  40  57  49 /  55   3   6  76
GREENVILLE    65  39  53  44 /  69   3   6  44
GREENWOOD     71  40  56  46 /  90   7   6  57

&&

.JAN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MS...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL NOON CST TODAY FOR MSZ018-019-025>027-
     034>036-040>043-047-048-053-054-059.

LA...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL NOON CST TODAY FOR LAZ007>009-015-016-023-
     025.

AR...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL NOON CST TODAY FOR ARZ074-075.

&&

EC

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 27, 1:12 PM CST, 16 hours 31 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
112 PM CST SUN DEC 27 2015

ARZ074-075-LAZ008-009-MSZ018-019-025-027-034>036-040>042-281915-
ASHLEY-CHICOT-WEST CARROLL-EAST CARROLL-BOLIVAR-SUNFLOWER-LEFLORE-
CARROLL-WASHINGTON-HUMPHREYS-HOLMES-ISSAQUENA-SHARKEY-YAZOO-
112 PM CST SUN DEC 27 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST
ARKANSAS...NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI...NORTH
CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI...NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST CENTRAL
MISSISSIPPI.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND MONDAY

NON-THUNDERSTORM WINDS
THREAT...ELEVATED
TIMING...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY MORNING

TORNADOES
THREAT...LIMITED
TIMING...TONIGHT

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
THREAT...ELEVATED
TIMING...TONIGHT

A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE REGION WITH THUNDERSTORMS AND VERY
STRONG WINDS.

(WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/GRAPHICAST.PHP?SITE=JAN&GC=1)

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY

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 NEEDED FOR PORTIONS OF THE REGION TONIGHT.

MSZ026-028-029-032-037-281915-
GRENADA-MONTGOMERY-WEBSTER-CHOCTAW-ATTALA-
112 PM CST SUN DEC 27 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
MISSISSIPPI...AND NORTH CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND MONDAY

TORNADOES
THREAT...LIMITED
TIMING...TONIGHT

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
THREAT...LIMITED
TIMING...TONIGHT

NON-THUNDERSTORM WINDS
THREAT...ELEVATED
TIMING...LATE TONNIGHT AND MONDAY

A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE REGION WITH THUNDERSTORMS AND VERY
STRONG WINDS.

(WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/GRAPHICAST.PHP?SITE=JAN&GC=1)

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY

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 NEEDED FOR PORTIONS OF THE REGION TONIGHT.

MSZ030-031-033-038-039-046-052-058-281915-
CLAY-LOWNDES-OKTIBBEHA-WINSTON-NOXUBEE-KEMPER-LAUDERDALE-CLARKE-
112 PM CST SUN DEC 27 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL
MISSISSIPPI...AND NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND MONDAY

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
THREAT...LIMITED
TIMING...MONDAY EARLY MORNING

NON-THUNDERSTORM WINDS
THREAT...LIMITED
TIMING...MONDAY

A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE REGION WITH THUNDERSTORMS AND STRONG
WINDS.

(WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/GRAPHICAST.PHP?SITE=JAN&GC=1)

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY

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 NEEDED FOR PORTIONS OF THE REGION MONDAY.

LAZ007-015-016-023>026-MSZ047-048-053-054-059>061-281915-
MOREHOUSE-RICHLAND-MADISON LA-FRANKLIN LA-CATAHOULA-TENSAS-
CONCORDIA-WARREN-HINDS-CLAIBORNE-COPIAH-JEFFERSON-ADAMS-
FRANKLIN MS-
112 PM CST SUN DEC 27 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST
LOUISIANA...CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI...SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI...AND
WEST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND MONDAY

TORNADOES
THREAT...LIMITED
TIMING...TONIGHT

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
THREAT...ELEVATED
TIMING...TONIGHT

NON-THUNDERSTORM WINDS
THREAT...ELEVATED
TIMING...TONIGHT

A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE REGION WITH THUNDERSTORMS AND VERY
STRONG WINDS.

(WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/GRAPHICAST.PHP?SITE=JAN&GC=1)

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY

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 NEEDED FOR PORTIONS OF THE REGION TONIGHT.

MSZ043>045-049>051-055>057-062>066-072>074-281915-
MADISON MS-LEAKE-NESHOBA-RANKIN-SCOTT-NEWTON-SIMPSON-SMITH-JASPER-
LINCOLN-LAWRENCE-JEFFERSON DAVIS-COVINGTON-JONES-MARION-LAMAR-
FORREST-
112 PM CST SUN DEC 27 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
MISSISSIPPI...EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI...SOUTH CENTRAL
MISSISSIPPI...AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND MONDAY

TORNADOES
THREAT...LIMITED
TIMING...TONIGHT

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
THREAT...LIMITED
TIMING...TONIGHT

NON-THUNDERSTORM WINDS
THREAT...LIMITED
TIMING...TONIGHT

A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE REGION WITH THUNDERSTORMS AND STRONG
WINDS.

(WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/GRAPHICAST.PHP?SITE=JAN&GC=1)

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY

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 NEEDED FOR PORTIONS OF THE REGION TONIGHT.

&&

...HAZARD LEGEND...

*TORNADOES*
EXTREME...CONFIDENT IN STRONG TORNADOES WITH RATINGS EF2 OR
 GREATER.
SIGNIFICANT...STRONG TORNADOES POSSIBLE WITH RATINGS EF2 OR
 GREATER.
ELEVATED...CONFIDENT IN TORNADOES.
LIMITED...TORNADOES POSSIBLE.

*SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS*
EXTREME...CONFIDENT IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH WIND GUSTS OF
 75 MPH OR GREATER AND/OR 2 INCH DIAMETER OR LARGER HAIL.
SIGNIFICANT...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE WITH WIND GUSTS OF
 75 MPH OR GREATER AND/OR 2 INCH DIAMETER OR LARGER HAIL.
ELEVATED...CONFIDENT IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH WINDS GUSTS OF
 60 MPH OR GREATER AND/OR 1 INCH DIAMETER OR LARGER HAIL.
LIMITED...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE WITH WIND GUSTS OF 60
 MPH OR GREATER AND/OR 1 INCH DIAMETER OR LARGER HAIL.

*NON-THUNDERSTORM WINDS*
EXTREME...SUSTAINED WINDS 50 MPH OR GREATER OR WIND GUSTS 65 MPH
 OR GREATER.
SIGNIFICANT...SUSTAINED WINDS 40-49 MPH OR WIND GUSTS 58-64 MPH.
ELEVATED...SUSTAINED WINDS 30-39 MPH OR WIND GUSTS 45-57 MPH.
LIMITED...SUSTAINED WINDS 20-29 MPH OR WIND GUSTS 30 TO 44 MPH.

...USEFUL WEATHER WEB PAGES (URLS)...

NWS JAN HOME PAGE...
   WWW.WEATHER.GOV/JAN
STAY AWARE, STAY SAFE NWS JAN BRIEFING PAGE...
   WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/JAN/?N=SAFE
FIND NWS JAN ON FACEBOOK...
   WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSJACKSONMS
FOLLOW NWS JAN ON TWITTER...
   @NWSJACKSONMS

...ADDITIONAL URLS FOR SEVERE WEATHER ISSUES...

STORM PREDICTION CENTER (SPC)...
   WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV/
SPC...MESO ANALYSIS...
   WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV/EXPER/MESOANALYSIS/NEW/#
SPC...DAY 1 THROUGH 3 OUTLOOKS...
   WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV/PRODUCTS/OUTLOOK/
SPC...STORM REPORTS...
   WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV/CLIMO/
NWS JAN CURRENT SVR/TOR WATCHES...
   WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/RTIMAGES/JAN/WATCH/TOASVA.PNG

   PLEASE CONVERT ALL WEB ADDRESSES TO LOWER CASE BEFORE ENTERING!

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 28, 2:37 AM CST, 3 hours 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
237 AM CST MON DEC 28 2015

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

0223 AM     TSTM WND DMG     BASTROP                 32.77N 91.91W
12/28/2015                   MOREHOUSE          LA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            TREE DOWN AT THE INTERSECTION OF MCREIGHT AND CHERRY
            RIDGE RD.

&&

CME

Special weather statement, Dec 28, 3:01 AM CST, 2 hours 42 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
301 AM CST MON DEC 28 2015

LAZ008-009-MSZ040-280945-
EAST CARROLL LA-WEST CARROLL LA-ISSAQUENA MS-
301 AM CST MON DEC 28 2015

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT WEST CARROLL...EAST CARROLL
PARISHES IN NORTHEASTERN LOUISIANA AND ISSAQUENA COUNTIES UNTIL 345
AM CST...

AT 300 AM CST...METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING A LINE OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 6 MILES EAST OF JONES TO
WAVERLY...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

WINDS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  MONTICELLO AROUND 310 AM CST.
  ALSATIA...SONDHEIMER AND GASSOWAY AROUND 325 AM CST.
  TRANSYLVANIA AROUND 330 AM CST.
  FITLER AROUND 340 AM CST.

OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THESE STORMS INCLUDE EPPS...FOREST...
KILBOURNE...MAYERSVILLE AND PIONEER.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

HIGH WINDS CAN BRING DOWN TREES AND LARGE LIMBS RESULTING IN SERIOUS
INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE. EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN OUTDOORS
DURING SUCH STRONG WINDS...AND BE ESPECIALLY AWARE OF OLDER TREES.

THESE STORMS MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND
TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS...FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

&&

LAT...LON 3281 9159 3288 9154 3289 9150 3301 9143
      3301 9092 3294 9091 3286 9094 3283 9097
      3266 9096 3266 9079 3265 9079 3256 9111
      3254 9113 3254 9144 3255 9144 3257 9143
      3258 9145 3258 9153
TIME...MOT...LOC 0900Z 236DEG 39KT 3295 9154 3245 9144

BYB

Local storm report, Dec 28, 3:33 AM CST, 2 hours 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
333 AM CST MON DEC 28 2015

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

0245 AM     TSTM WND DMG     ST. JOSEPH              31.92N 91.24W
12/28/2015                   TENSAS             LA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            TREE DOWN ACROSS LEVEE ST...EQUIPMENT ON SCENE TO REMOVE
            THE TREE.

&&

CME

Special weather statement, Dec 28, 3:48 AM CST, 1 hour 55 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
348 AM CST MON DEC 28 2015

ARZ075-MSZ018-019-034-035-040>042-281030-
CHICOT AR-BOLIVAR MS-SHARKEY MS-SUNFLOWER MS-ISSAQUENA MS-
HUMPHREYS MS-YAZOO MS-WASHINGTON MS-
348 AM CST MON DEC 28 2015

...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT NORTHEASTERN CHICOT...
NORTHWESTERN YAZOO...WASHINGTON...SHARKEY...BOLIVAR...SUNFLOWER...
NORTHEASTERN ISSAQUENA AND HUMPHREYS COUNTIES UNTIL 430 AM CST...

AT 348 AM CST...METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING A LINE OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM NEAR ARKANSAS CITY TO NEAR VALLEY
PARK...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH.

WINDS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  JERSEY POINT AROUND 355 AM CST.
  ROSEDALE AROUND 405 AM CST.
  YAZOO CITY AND GUNNISON AROUND 410 AM CST.
  SHELBY AND DEESON AROUND 415 AM CST.

OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THESE STORMS INCLUDE PACE...DUNCAN...
ALLIGATOR...WINSTONVILLE...LOUISE...ARCOLA...MERIGOLD...DODDSVILLE...
BEULAH AND EDEN.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

HIGH WINDS CAN BRING DOWN TREES AND LARGE LIMBS RESULTING IN SERIOUS
INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE. EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN OUTDOORS
DURING SUCH STRONG WINDS...AND BE ESPECIALLY AWARE OF OLDER TREES.

THESE STORMS MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND
TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS...FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

&&

LAT...LON 3412 9066 3399 9066 3399 9045 3327 9045
      3324 9037 3331 9034 3330 9033 3314 9033
      3306 9043 3295 9018 3257 9081 3352 9126
      3360 9113 3370 9122 3368 9103 3377 9115
      3378 9099 3385 9107 3394 9103 3412 9083
TIME...MOT...LOC 0948Z 228DEG 62KT 3366 9126 3266 9078

BYB

Local storm report, Dec 28, 4:21 AM CST, 1 hour 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
421 AM CST MON DEC 28 2015

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

0345 AM     TSTM WND DMG     2 SW BROOKHAVEN         31.57N 90.47W
12/28/2015                   LINCOLN            MS   EMERGENCY MNGR

            REPORT OF A TREE DOWN ON ZETUS ROAD.

&&

DCOX

Special weather statement, Dec 28, 4:27 AM CST, 1 hour 16 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
427 AM CST MON DEC 28 2015

MSZ018-019-025-281115-
BOLIVAR MS-LEFLORE MS-SUNFLOWER MS-
427 AM CST MON DEC 28 2015

...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT BOLIVAR...SUNFLOWER AND
LEFLORE COUNTIES UNTIL 515 AM CST...

AT 426 AM CST...METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING A LINE OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF GUNNISON TO NEAR
BELZONI...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

WINDS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  DEESON AROUND 430 AM CST.
  INVERNESS AROUND 435 AM CST.
  MOORHEAD AROUND 445 AM CST.
  QUITO AROUND 450 AM CST.
  ITTA BENA AROUND 455 AM CST.
  GREENWOOD AROUND 500 AM CST.
  MONEY AND SUNNYSIDE AROUND 505 AM CST.

OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THESE STORMS INCLUDE SCHLATER...PACE...
DUNCAN...ALLIGATOR...WINSTONVILLE...MERIGOLD...DODDSVILLE AND MORGAN
CITY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

HIGH WINDS CAN BRING DOWN TREES AND LARGE LIMBS RESULTING IN SERIOUS
INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE. EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN OUTDOORS
DURING SUCH STRONG WINDS...AND BE ESPECIALLY AWARE OF OLDER TREES.

THESE STORMS MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND
TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS...FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

&&

LAT...LON 3412 9066 3399 9066 3399 9045 3381 9045
      3381 9018 3372 9031 3372 9014 3354 9010
      3324 9041 3333 9045 3327 9066 3398 9105
      3399 9105 3396 9097 3402 9099 3402 9090
      3409 9087 3411 9094 3412 9095
TIME...MOT...LOC 1026Z 214DEG 49KT 3403 9101 3319 9056

BYB

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), 00:00Z

11.7 hours before the tornado, 99 km from the path. December 28, 2015.

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: 1137 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -9 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 1648 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 767 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 44 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 204 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 306 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 1.4
Supercell composite: 8.4
0-3 km lapse rate: 6.1 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Jackson, MS (KJAN), 12:00Z

0.3 hours after it, 99 km from the path. December 28, 2015.

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

Mixed-layer CAPE: 28 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -204 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 96 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 588 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 58 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -30 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 167 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.7
0-3 km lapse rate: 5.0 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Pine Belt Regional Awos (PIB), 20 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), 90 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 11:43 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 2015 tornado in Mississippi Every tornado in Mississippi since 1950 Warnings in force in Mississippi now The forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of December 28, 2015

5 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
December 28	2:53 AM CST	EF1	Livingston Parish, LA	1.9	100
December 28	3:20 AM CST	EF1	Saint John the Baptist Parish, LA	0.6	150
December 28	4:46 AM CST	EF2	Lee, AR	5.8	40	$50,000
December 28	8:30 AM CST	EF1	Santa Rosa, FL	0.8	75	$10,000
December 28	4:58 PM EST	EF0	Union, NC	0.9	75	$50,000

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.