Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi · 2018

EF1 tornado, Vestry to North Biloxi Arpt, Mississippi, April 14, 2018

From Vestry to North Biloxi Arpt, this EF1 tornado ran 1.6 miles across Jackson County on April 14, 2018, touching down at 6:07 PM CDT and reaching 75 yards wide. It killed nobody.

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.

  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.

The record

Rating
EF1
Date
April 14, 2018
Touchdown
6:07 PM CDT (23:07 UTC)
Lifted
6:10 PM CDT (23:10 UTC)
On the ground
3 minutes
Path length
1.6 miles (2.6 km)
Path width
75 yards (69 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Jackson County
Touchdown point
30.441, -88.867
Lift-off point
30.452, -88.843
Record number
1804141707-01

The damage survey

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

  • Pine trees snapped on a private property. Time estimated from KMOB SRM data
  • Several pine trees 12-15 inch diameter snapped near base.
  • Large oak tree about 14--18 inch diameter snapped on Wire Road. Time estimated from KMOB SRM data
  • Patch of tree damage apparent on high res satellite imagery from April 17, 2018.

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

A deep upper level low pressure and an associated cold front produced a line of thunderstorms that moved across southeast Louisiana, southern Mississippi and the adjacent coastal waters during the morning and afternoon hours of the 14th. Several reports of tornadoes were received from these storms.

A storm survey indicated a narrow path about 30 to 50 yards wide of sporadic oak and pine trees snapped near the base over a 1.7 mile long easterly track. One shed was damaged or destroyed on private property. Estimated maximum winds of 95 mph. Event time was based on NWS Mobile radar.

An EF-1 tornado touched down in the community of St. Martin, just south of Lemoyne Boulevard, and tracked northeast on an intermittent path ending near the intersection of Interstate 10 and Mississippi Highway 609. The most significant damage occurred at a strip shopping center. Plate glass windows were blown out and a portion of the roof was removed along with a portion of the wall. Several cars were overturned and rolled into the parking lot. Maximum winds were estimated at 105 mph with a path width of 75 yards.

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 New Orleans, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Apr 14, 3:55 PM CDT, 2 hours 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 14, 3:55 PM CDT, 2 hours 12 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 14, 5:38 PM CDT, 29 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service New Orleans LA
538 PM CDT Sat Apr 14 2018

GMZ530-532-534-536-538-550-552-555-557-570-572-575-577-LAZ034>037-
039-040-046>050-056>072-MSZ068>071-077-080>082-151045-
Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas-Mississippi Sound-
Lake Borgne-Chandeleur Sound-Breton Sound-
Coastal Waters from Port Fourchon LA to Lower Atchafalaya River
LA out 20 nm-
Coastal waters from the Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River
to Port Fourchon Louisiana out 20 NM-
Coastal Waters from Boothville LA to Southwest Pass of the
Mississippi River out 20 nm-
Coastal waters from Pascagoula Mississippi to Stake Island out
20 NM-
Coastal waters from Port Fourchon Louisiana to Lower Atchafalaya
River LA from 20 to 60 NM-
Coastal waters from Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River to
Port Fourchon Louisiana from 20 to 60 NM-
Coastal Waters from Stake Island LA to Southwest Pass of the
Mississippi River from 20 to 60 nm-
Coastal waters from Pascagoula Mississippi to Stake Island
Louisiana out 20 to 60 NM-Pointe Coupee-West Feliciana-
East Feliciana-St. Helena-Washington-St. Tammany-Iberville-
West Baton Rouge-East Baton Rouge-Ascension-Livingston-Assumption-
St. James-St. John The Baptist-Upper Lafourche-St. Charles-
Upper Jefferson-Orleans-Upper Plaquemines-Upper St. Bernard-
Upper Terrebonne-Lower Terrebonne-Lower Lafourche-Lower Jefferson-
Lower Plaquemines-Lower St. Bernard-Northern Tangipahoa-
Southern Tangipahoa-Wilkinson-Amite-Pike-Walthall-Pearl River-
Hancock-Harrison-Jackson-
538 PM CDT Sat Apr 14 2018

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of Southeast
Louisiana...South Mississippi and the adjacent coastal waters.

.DAY ONE...Tonight

There are several weather related hazards expected tonight.

A Flash Flood Watch is in effect through 1 AM tonight along and
east of a line from McComb Mississippi to Donaldsonville
Louisiana. Rainfall accumulations of 3 to 5 inches with locally
higher amounts in excess of 8 inches possible through this
evening.

A Gale Warning is in effect through tonight for Chandeleur and
Breton Sounds as well as in the coastal waters for winds in
excess of 34 knots and high seas as high as 12 to 15 feet. Small
Craft Advisories will be in effect for the tidal lakes and
Mississippi Sound.

A Tornado Watch is in effect for Harrison and Jackson Counties in
Mississippi as well as the adjacent coastal waters until 7 pm.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday

Small craft advisories will be in effect for strong northerly
winds and rough seas Sunday.

Flood warnings are in effect for several rivers across southeast
Louisiana and southern Mississippi. Please refer to the latest
flood warnings and statements for the latest information.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is requested through this evening. Please
report any severe weather and flooding reports promptly to the
National Weather Service office in Slidell...985 649 0429
extension 4.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 14, 4:16 PM CDT, 1 hour 51 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Apr 14, 4:27 PM CDT, 1 hour 40 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Apr 14, 4:46 PM CDT, 1 hour 21 minutes before
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Local storm report, Apr 14, 4:56 PM CDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
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Local storm report, Apr 14, 5:47 PM CDT, 20 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Apr 14, 5:53 PM CDT, 14 minutes before
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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

11.1 hours before the tornado, 84 km from the path. April 14, 2018.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2018-04-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1802 joules per kilogram, CIN -36, lifted condensation level 534 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
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.
HodographHodograph, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2018-04-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 222 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 37 knots.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
1802 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-36 J/kg
Surface CAPE
3101 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
534 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
222 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
293 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.6
Supercell composite
12.6
0-3 km lapse rate
5.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), 00:00Z

0.9 hours after it, 84 km from the path. April 15, 2018.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Slidell Radar S, LA at 00:00Z on 2018-04-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -33503, lifted condensation level 859 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
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.
HodographHodograph, Slidell Radar S, LA at 00:00Z on 2018-04-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -253 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 59 knots.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-33503 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
859 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
59 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-253 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-353 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
3.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Keesler Afb/Biloxi (BIX), 8 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
00:00 UTC

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

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 64 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 23:04 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 2018 tornado in MississippiEvery tornado in Mississippi since 1950Warnings in force in Mississippi nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of April 14, 2018

38 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 141:11 AM CDTEF1Claiborne Parish, LA6.81,000$15,000
April 141:47 AM CDTEF2Bienville Parish, LA5.4210$125,000
April 141:51 AM CDTEF1Union, AR7.1800$125,000
April 142:00 AM CDTEF1Lincoln Parish, LA6.5470$1.4 million
April 142:03 AM CDTEF1Union, AR5.11,200$70,000
April 142:14 AM CDTEF1Lincoln Parish, LA4.6865
April 142:24 AM CDTEF1Lincoln Parish, LA7.31,545$90,000
April 142:42 AM CDTEF1Ashley, AR2.7600$110,000
April 142:53 AM CDTEF1Ashley, AR4.0300$60,000
April 143:21 AM CDTEF1Morehouse Parish, LA3.2200$120,000
April 143:22 AM CDTEF2Chicot, AR8.9700$600,000
April 143:33 AM CDTEF0West Carroll Parish, LA2.4200$75,000
April 143:36 AM CDTEF0West Carroll Parish, LA4.4200$50,000
April 144:48 AM CDTEF1Lafayette, MS0.8150$200,000
April 144:49 AM CDTEF0Lafayette, MS0.540$100,000
April 146:03 AM CDTEF1Saint Landry Parish, LA1.3580$100,000
April 146:37 AM CDTEF2Lafayette Parish, LA4.1650$750,000
April 147:42 AM CDTEF0East Feliciana Parish, LA1.450
April 147:44 AM CDTEF1Rankin, MS6.250$35,000
April 147:45 AM CDTEF1East Feliciana Parish, LA1.7100
April 147:47 AM CDTEF1East Feliciana Parish, LA2.775
April 147:47 AM CDTEF1East Feliciana Parish, LA1.3100
April 148:11 AM CDTEF0East Baton Rouge Parish, LA2.850
April 148:20 AM CDTEF0Saint Helena Parish, LA0.420
April 148:35 AM CDTEF0Saint Helena Parish, LA6.2120
April 148:37 AM CDTEF0Tangipahoa Parish, LA0.725
April 148:45 AM CDTEF0Livingston Parish, LA2.6100
April 148:50 AM CDTEF0Livingston Parish, LA1.150
April 149:13 AM CDTEF0St. Mary Parish, LA0.340$500,000
April 149:23 AM CDTEF1Winston, MS0.8150$55,000
April 1410:07 AM CDTEF1Lamar, MS6.1200$15,000
April 1410:08 AM CDTEF0Oktibbeha, MS2.2200$15,000
April 1410:43 AM CDTEF2Lauderdale, MS8.57802$500,000
April 1411:30 AM CDTEF0Pearl River, MS0.225
April 1411:48 AM CDTEF0Pearl River, MS4.630
April 142:13 PM CDTEF0Harrison, MS0.675
April 146:18 PM CDTEF1Jackson, MS1.950
April 146:25 PM CDTEF0Jackson, MS2.850

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.