Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi · 2016
EF1 tornado, Baxterville to Oak Grove, Mississippi, February 23, 2016
From Baxterville to Oak Grove, this EF1 tornado ran 1.4 miles across Lamar County on February 23, 2016, touching down at 4:29 PM CST and reaching 75 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 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 23, 2016
- Touchdown
- 4:29 PM CST (22:29 UTC)
- Lifted
- 4:31 PM CST (22:31 UTC)
- On the ground
- 2 minutes
- Path length
- 1.4 miles (2.3 km)
- Path width
- 75 yards (69 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $10,000
- County
- Lamar County
- Touchdown point
- 31.227, -89.423
- Lift-off point
- 31.244, -89.410
- Record number
- 1602231629-01
What the Weather Service recorded
Showers and thunderstorms occurred across the region in association with a potent low pressure system. Some of these storms produced tornadoes, strong damaging wind gusts, and hail.
The tornado began just southwest of Sones Road where it snapped a few limbs. The tornado continued northeast across Martin Bird Lane. The tornado was at its strongest at this point where it destroyed a double-wide mobile home. The debris from the mobile home was thrown nearly 125 yards from its original point. A car was also rolled approximately 75 yards. Two power poles were snapped along with a few trees at this location also. This location is where the fatality occurred. The tornado continued northeast across Beach Road where it snapped a few more trees. The tornado then continued northeast along Doc Johnson Road snapping a few trees along the way. This tornado damaged an outbuilding and also took the roof off of a chicken house along Doc Johnson Road. The tornado ended near Haden Road where it snapped a few more trees. Maximum estimated winds were 115 mph.
This tornado began just southwest of Jake Johnson Road where it snapped a few trees. It continued northeast along old US 11 and ended just north of East Anderson Road, snapping a few trees and causing some minor roof damage along the way. Maximum estimated winds were 90 mph.
The deaths
1 direct deaths are recorded for this tornado, each with what Storm Data knows of it.
| Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 73 | M | Mobile/Trailer Home | Direct |
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
38 minutes of warning. NWS JAN issued a tornado warning for this county at 21:51 UTC, 38 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 22:45 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 20:15 UTC and running to 01:43 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18:00 UTC | 10:21 UTC | Wind Advisory | JAN |
| 19:49 UTC | 20:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN |
| 20:15 UTC | 01:43 UTC | Tornado Watch | JAN |
| 21:45 UTC | 23:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN |
| 21:51 UTC | 22:45 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 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 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.
Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), 12:00Z
10.5 hours before the tornado, 113 km from the path. February 23, 2016.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 42 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -33 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 6 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 667 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 40 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 21 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 118 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 129 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.2 K/km
The surface observations
Hattiesburg Municipal (HBG), 16 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20:29 UTC | 66 | 63 | 140° 14 kt | 20 | 1002.7 | +TSRA BR |
| 20:39 UTC | 66 | 63 | 160° 11 kt | 20 | 1002.7 | VCTS +RA BR |
| 20:48 UTC | 66.2 | 62.6 | 150° 11 kt | 1002.4 | +RA BR | |
| 20:53 UTC | 66 | 63 | 160° 10 kt | 1002 | RA BR | |
| 21:53 UTC | 66 | 63 | 130° 11 kt | 999.7 | +RA BR | |
| 22:15 UTC | 66 | 63 | 110° 7 kt | 999 | VCTS +RA BR | |
| 22:20 UTC | 66 | 63 | 110° 7 kt | 998.6 | +TSRA BR | |
| 22:27 UTC | 65 | 63 | 90° 10 kt | 998 | +TSRA BR | |
| 22:43 UTC | 66 | 64 | 150° 26 kt | 31 | 998.6 | +TSRA BR |
| 22:50 UTC | 66.2 | 64.4 | 180° 14 kt | 31 | 998.3 | TSRA BR |
| 22:53 UTC | 68 | 63 | 170° 13 kt | 31 | 998.3 | TSRA |
| 23:00 UTC | 67 | 62 | 220° 5 kt | 998.3 | VCTS -RA | |
| 23:07 UTC | 67 | 62 | 260° 6 kt | 998.6 | VCTS -RA | |
| 23:21 UTC | 66 | 63 | 160° 4 kt | 997.3 | VCTS +RA BR | |
| 23:29 UTC | 66 | 63 | 160° 8 kt | 997.6 | VCTS -RA BR | |
| 23:43 UTC | 65 | 63 | 220° 4 kt | 997.6 | +TSRA BR | |
| 23:47 UTC | 64.4 | 62.6 | 190° 5 kt | 997.6 | +TSRA BR | |
| 23:53 UTC | 65 | 63 | 190° 7 kt | 998.3 | VCTS +RA BR | |
| 00:00 UTC | 65 | 63 | 200° 6 kt | 998.3 | +RA BR | |
| 00:07 UTC | 64 | 62 | 190° 6 kt | 998 | VCTS RA BR | |
| 00:25 UTC | 65 | 62 | 260° 6 kt | 997.6 | -RA BR |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21:54 UTC | TORNADO 1 | 6 Ese Sandy Hook | Marion, MS | THIS TORNADO STARTED IN PEARL RIVER COUNTY AND CROSSED INTO SOUTHWEST MARION COUNTY WHERE IT SNAPPED NUMEROUS SOFTWOOD AND HARDWOOD TREES. THE TORNADO ALSO CAUSED ROOF DAMAGE TO A HUNTING LODGE JUST ACROSS THE COUNTY LIN |
| 21:57 UTC | TORNADO 1 | 8 Sw Poplarville | Pearl River, MS | PRELIMINARY DAMAGE TO TREES AND STRUCTURES CONSISTENT WITH LOW END EF-1. MORE DETAILS WILL BE PROVIDED UPON COMPLETION OF SURVEY. |
| 22:07 UTC | TORNADO 0 | 4 Wsw Baxterville | Lamar, MS | THIS BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN SNAPPED AND UPROOTED SEVERAL TREES JUST SOUTH OF CLEAR CREEK ROAD IN SOUTHWEST LAMAR COUNTY. |
| 22:15 UTC | TORNADO 2 | 5 Ene Baxterville | Lamar, MS | *** 1 FATAL *** EF-2 RATED DAMAGE WITH MAX WIND 115 MPH HAS BEEN FOUND BY THE NWS STORM SURVEY TEAM...DOUBLE WIDE MOBILE HOME WAS DESTROYED ON SONES ROAD WEST OF PURVIS WITH DEBRIS THROWN 125 YDS. ONE FATALITY OCCURRED A |
| 22:17 UTC | TORNADO 2 | 5 Ene Baxterville | Lamar, MS | *** 1 FATAL *** EF-2 RATED DAMAGE WITH PATH WIDTH OF 115 YDS HAS BEEN FOUND BY THE NWS STORM SURVEY TEAM...DOUBLE WIDE MOBILE HOME WAS DESTROYED ON SONES ROAD WEST OF PURVIS WITH DEBRIS THROWN 125 YDS. ONE FATALITY OCCUR |
| 22:17 UTC | TORNADO | 5 Ene Baxterville | Lamar, MS | *** 1 FATAL *** MOBILE HOME WAS DESTROYED ON SONES ROAD WEST OF PURVIS. ONE FATALITY OCCURRED AT THIS LOCATION. TORNADO DEBRIS SIGNATURE OBSERVED IN DUAL-POL RADAR DATA AT THIS LOCATION. |
| 22:22 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Wnw Purvis | Lamar, MS | REPORTS OF DAMAGE AROUND PURVIS OLOH ROAD AND MCRANEY ROAD. TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN. TORNADO DEBRIS SIGNATURE OBSERVED IN DUAL-POL RADAR DATA. |
| 22:29 UTC | TORNADO 1 | 7 Ssw West Hattiesburg | Lamar, MS | EF-1 TORNADO WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF 90 MPH AND A PATH LENGTH OF 1.4 MILES AND WIDTH OF 75 YARDS. NUMEROUS TREES WERE SNAPPED ALONG WITH SOME ROOF AND FENCE DAMAGE. |
| 22:32 UTC | TORNADO 0 | 8 Ese Lumberton | Forrest, MS | TORNADO BEGAN NEAR ENTREKIN ROAD AND ENDED NEAR HIGHWAY 13 SNAPPING A FEW TREES AND A POWER POLE ALONG THE WAY. MAX WINDS OF 75 MPH. PATH LENGTH OF 3.9 MILES AND MAX WIDTH OF 75 YARDS. |
| 22:45 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | New Augusta | Perry, MS | SPOTTER REPORTED FUNNEL CLOUD CROSSING HWY 98 E OF NEW AGUSTA. COULD NOT CONFIRM ON THE GROUND OR NOT. |
| 22:46 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Ne Hattiesburg | Forrest, MS | TREES DOWN ON CORINTH ROAD...ELIZABETH AVENUE...AND NORTH MAIN STREET. POWERLINES DOWN ON ELIZABETH AVENUE. |
| 23:08 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 Ese Richton | Perry, MS | MINOR ROOF DAMAGE TO A HOME ON GAINES BREWER ROAD. A SMALL GREENHOUSE WAS ALSO DAMAGED. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR. |
| 00:01 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 6 W Maxie | Forrest, MS | A CHICKEN PEN WAS DAMAGED. TREES WERE DOWN ON HIGHWAY 13. TREES WERE ALSO DOWN ON HAVARD AND ENTREKIN ROADS. POSSIBLE TORNADO. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2016 tornado in MississippiEvery tornado in Mississippi since 1950Warnings in force in Mississippi nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of February 23, 2016
38 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 23 | 5:53 AM CST | EF0 | Wharton, TX | 2.0 | 30 | |||
| February 23 | 11:11 AM CST | EF0 | Jefferson Parish, LA | 0.6 | 50 | |||
| February 23 | 11:20 AM CST | EF0 | Iberville Parish, LA | 3.3 | 50 | |||
| February 23 | 12:08 PM CST | EF0 | Ascension Parish, LA | 1.6 | 200 | |||
| February 23 | 12:42 PM CST | EF2 | Livingston Parish, LA | 4.3 | 625 | |||
| February 23 | 1:14 PM CST | EF0 | Saint Helena Parish, LA | 0.3 | 50 | |||
| February 23 | 2:37 PM CST | EF1 | St. Mary Parish, LA | 2.6 | 50 | $40,000 | ||
| February 23 | 3:10 PM CST | EF0 | Iberville Parish, LA | 1.0 | 200 | |||
| February 23 | 3:21 PM CST | EF3 | Assumption Parish, LA | 7.8 | 350 | |||
| February 23 | 3:31 PM CST | EF2 | Saint James Parish, LA | 12.9 | 350 | 2 | 75 | |
| February 23 | 3:45 PM CST | EF1 | Lincoln, MS | 0.5 | 75 | $40,000 | ||
| February 23 | 3:49 PM CST | EF1 | Pearl River, MS | 9.5 | 150 | |||
| February 23 | 3:50 PM CST | EF1 | Pearl River, MS | 5.2 | 200 | $25,000 | ||
| February 23 | 4:07 PM CST | EF0 | Lamar, MS | 0.1 | 25 | $5,000 | ||
| February 23 | 4:15 PM CST | EF1 | Saint John the Baptist Parish, LA | 3.1 | 250 | |||
| February 23 | 4:15 PM CST | EF2 | Lamar, MS | 5.6 | 100 | 1 | $105,000 | |
| February 23 | 4:22 PM CST | EF0 | Pickens, AL | 4.8 | 150 | |||
| February 23 | 4:32 PM CST | EF2 | Saint John the Baptist Parish, LA | 4.7 | 250 | 17 | ||
| February 23 | 4:41 PM CST | EF0 | Saint Tammany Parish, LA | 0.4 | 25 | |||
| February 23 | 4:42 PM CST | EF0 | Yazoo, MS | 1.1 | 100 | $25,000 | ||
| February 23 | 4:46 PM CST | EF0 | Simpson, MS | 0.6 | 40 | $13,000 | ||
| February 23 | 5:13 PM CST | EF0 | Saint Tammany Parish, LA | 1.5 | 75 | |||
| February 23 | 5:25 PM CST | EF1 | Greene, MS | 1.5 | 75 | $100,000 | ||
| February 23 | 5:32 PM CST | EF1 | Greene, MS | 0.0 | 75 | $25,000 | ||
| February 23 | 5:45 PM CST | EF1 | Greene, MS | 1.6 | 150 | $200,000 | ||
| February 23 | 6:01 PM CST | EF1 | Marion, AL | 2.2 | 300 | |||
| February 23 | 6:01 PM CST | EF0 | Forrest, MS | 3.9 | 75 | $15,000 | ||
| February 23 | 8:10 PM CST | EF3 | Escambia, FL | 3.0 | 300 | 3 | $22 million | |
| February 23 | 8:17 PM CST | EF1 | Santa Rosa, FL | 2.7 | 100 | $75,000 | ||
| February 23 | 10:15 PM CST | EF0 | Houston, AL | 2.8 | 200 | $50,000 | ||
| February 23 | 10:24 PM CST | EF1 | Dale, AL | 4.8 | 200 | |||
| February 23 | 10:31 PM CST | EF1 | Houston, AL | 1.6 | 350 | $50,000 | ||
| February 23 | 10:34 PM CST | EF1 | Houston, AL | 3.7 | 900 | $75,000 | ||
| February 23 | 10:38 PM CST | EF1 | Henry, AL | 1.1 | 300 | $50,000 | ||
| February 23 | 10:54 PM CST | EF0 | Henry, AL | 0.4 | 100 | |||
| February 23 | 11:02 PM CST | EF1 | Henry, AL | 0.5 | 150 | |||
| February 23 | 12:07 AM EST | EF1 | Early, GA | 2.2 | 350 | |||
| February 23 | 12:55 AM EST | EF1 | Terrell, GA | 5.1 | 200 |
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.