Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi · 2024
EF2 tornado, Lake Como to Paulding, Mississippi, December 28, 2024
From Lake Como to Paulding, this EF2 tornado ran 9.1 miles across Jasper County on December 28, 2024, touching down at 8:12 PM CST and reaching 900 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $500,000 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
- December 28, 2024
- Touchdown
- 8:12 PM CST (02:12 UTC)
- Lifted
- 8:22 PM CST (02:22 UTC)
- On the ground
- 10 minutes
- Path length
- 9.1 miles (14.6 km)
- Path width
- 900 yards (823 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $500,000
- County
- Jasper County
- Touchdown point
- 31.961, -89.213
- Lift-off point
- 32.028, -89.081
- Record number
- 2412282012-01
The damage survey
28 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS JAN, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF2. The highest wind the damage implies is 115 mph.
- Few consolidated pine snaps
- Roof ripped off shed. Nearby home shingle damage.
- Lead debris and a few branches. End point
- Flashing and gutters blown off home, several pine snaps, shed roof blown off.
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
On December 28th, an outbreak of severe weather took place. Initially, a few isolated supercells storms developed and produced some tornadoes. As this occurred, a line of storms also developed and eventually pushed eastward across our region. Widespread damaging winds occurred with the line along with numerous tornadoes. This particular convective system was extremely efficient at producing tornadoes. This resulted in a record number of tornadoes for the month of December. The total across our forecast area was 43. The previous December record was 24 back in 2022.
This tornado began near Lake Como where damage to vegetation and a shed was noted, where tin had been ripped off and scattered near County Road 23 and Road 528. The tornado progressed northeastward just north of Road 528 where a home had some flashing and gutters removed with several snapped pines nearby. Crossing County Roads 273 and 27, the tornado downed a tree onto a mobile home and tossed a carport a few dozen yards. As it intensified to its maximum estimate intensity of EF-2, the tornado destroyed numerous chicken houses near County Road 29 and tossed pieces of the houses over a quarter mile. Numerous pines were snapped with mostly minor to moderate roof damage to nearby homes. The tornado weakened quickly to the northeast and dissipated near Country Road 18 where only minor damage to vegetation was noted. The maximum wind speed was 115 mph.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
16 minutes of warning. NWS JAN issued a tornado warning for this county at 01:56 UTC, 16 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 03:00 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 00:43 UTC and running to 04:10 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:43 UTC | 04:10 UTC | Tornado Watch | JAN |
| 01:56 UTC | 03:00 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 00:58 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.
Jackson, MS (KJAN), 00:00Z
2.2 hours before the tornado, 95 km from the path. December 29, 2024.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 630 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -10 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 538 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 503 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 55 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 45 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 505 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 591 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 2.0
- Supercell composite
- 10.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.3 K/km
Jackson, MS (KJAN), 12:00Z
9.8 hours after it, 95 km from the path. December 29, 2024.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- 0 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 9 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 552 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 51 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 32 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -88 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -45 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.3 K/km
The surface observations
Laurel (LUL), 36 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00:15 UTC | 67.6 | 64.4 | 150° 12 kt | 18 | 1009.5 | |
| 00:35 UTC | 67.5 | 64.2 | 160° 9 kt | 1009.8 | ||
| 00:55 UTC | 66.7 | 64 | 150° 11 kt | 16 | 1008.8 | |
| 01:15 UTC | 67 | 64.4 | 160° 9 kt | 1009.1 | ||
| 01:35 UTC | 67.3 | 64.6 | 160° 9 kt | 14 | 1009.1 | |
| 01:55 UTC | 68 | 65.3 | 170° 9 kt | 16 | 1009.5 | |
| 02:15 UTC | 68 | 65.7 | 160° 11 kt | 1010.2 | ||
| 02:35 UTC | 67 | 63.7 | 310° 18 kt | 1011.9 | ||
| 02:55 UTC | 60 | 59 | 290° 9 kt | 1011.9 | +RA BR | |
| 03:15 UTC | 60 | 59 | 280° 8 kt | 1012.5 | -RA | |
| 03:35 UTC | 60 | 58.5 | 310° 7 kt | 1012.2 | -RA | |
| 03:55 UTC | 59.7 | 58 | 30° 3 kt | 1011.2 | RA |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Jackson/Brandon,MS radar (KDGX), 85 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 02:11 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01:34 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 W Magee | Simpson, MS | A Sonic awning was damaged along with a sign off HWY 49. |
| 01:35 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Wsw Mount Olive | Covington, MS | Trees blocking the road. Reported by the EM. |
| 01:39 UTC | TORNADO | 3 E Saratoga | Smith, MS | This EF1 tornado began over far southwestern Smith County, snapping and uprooting numerous trees along its path as it crossed CR 51, MS Highway 35, and CR 47. Large portions of roof were removed from two chicken houses a |
| 01:54 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 N Homewood | Scott, MS | Report from mPING of wind damage similar to trees uprooted or snapped, or a roof blown off. |
| 01:55 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 W Taylorsville | Smith, MS | Several trees down near Taylorsville. Mobile homes damaged. Relayed via social media. |
| 02:08 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Sse Bay Springs | Jasper, MS | An EF-0 tornado touched down west of MS Highway 17 were it caused a narrow corridor of convergently felled pine trees. The tornado moved eastward just north of County Road 17253. The tornado was brief - only on the groun |
| 02:09 UTC | TORNADO | 6 Ssw Lawrence | Newton, MS | An EF-0 tornado touched down along Gordy Road south and of Moffett Road where it damaged a barn and continued east. The tornado caused minor tree damage and lifted after crossing County Road 505. Path length 0.65 mi, max |
| 02:10 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Sse Antioch | Jasper, MS | Tree on a house on Hwy 528. Reported by EM. |
| 02:12 UTC | TORNADO | 5 Ese Bay Springs | Jasper, MS | This EF2 tornado began near Lake Como where damage to vegetation and a shed was noted, where tin had been ripped off and scattered near County Road 23 and Road 528. The tornado progressed northeastward just north of Road |
| 02:19 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Wsw Liberty | Newton, MS | An EF-1 tornado touched down near the intersection of MS Highway 15 and Newton Calhoun Road and caused damage to mostly trees as it moved northeast. Many trees were uprooted or snapped along the path, and several barns a |
| 02:25 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Moselle | Jones, MS | Corrects previous tstm wnd dmg report from Moselle. Trees and power lines. Damage video available via social media. |
| 02:27 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Hickory | Newton, MS | Social media picture of large tree limb falling on and causing damage to Friendship Baptist Church. |
| 02:27 UTC | TORNADO | 1 W Hickory | Newton, MS | An EF-0 tornado touched down on the west side of Hickory and crossed US Highway 80 moving northeast. A few buildings were damaged, and minor tree damage occurred. The tornado lifted after it crossed MS Highway 503. Path |
| 02:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 4 Nnw Macedonia | Jones, MS | Trees down. |
| 02:33 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Chunky | Newton, MS | Roof blown off home, shed destroyed and numerous trees down. Reported by media. |
| 02:34 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Wnw Chunky | Newton, MS | An EF-1 tornado touched down west of Mount Pleasant Church Road and moved north of Chunky. A home lost its roof, a shed was damaged, and numerous trees were damaged or uprooted along its track. The tornado crossed Inters |
| 02:36 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Nnw Pachuta | Jasper, MS | This EF 1 tornado began along HWY 18 in the community of Orange where it damaged a shed by uplifting the tin roof and caused minor damage to trees. A brief second circulation was also noted on the north side where it bro |
| 02:37 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Pachuta | Clarke, MS | Social media report of tree downed along Hwy 18 W, about mile and a half from Interstate 59. |
| 02:43 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Wsw Collinsville | Lauderdale, MS | Social media picture of tree downed on Sharp Road. |
| 02:45 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Wsw Enterprise | Clarke, MS | Trees down around Enterprise. |
| 02:45 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Stonewall | Clarke, MS | Social media report of tree downed on Hwy 513. |
| 02:47 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 Sse Nellieburg | Lauderdale, MS | Social media report of tree down on Old 8th Street Rd near Whippoorwill Rd. |
| 02:48 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Sse Basic City | Clarke, MS | Social media report of tree downed at the intersection of Hwy 514 and CR350 east of Enterprise. |
| 02:50 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 W Quitman | Clarke, MS | Corrects previous tstm wnd dmg report from 1 W Quitman. Numerous trees down including along Betty Circle and Long Boulevard, where a tree fell on a home. |
| 02:50 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 W Quitman | Clarke, MS | Corrects previous tstm wnd dmg report from 1 W Quitman. Numerous trees down including along Betty Circle and Long Boulevard, where a tree fell on a home. Powerlines downed near Clarke County Co-Op. |
| 02:50 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 W Quitman | Clarke, MS | Numerous trees down. |
| 02:50 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 W Bailey | Lauderdale, MS | Social media report of tree down on Pine Springs Road. |
| 02:54 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Quitman | Clarke, MS | Social media video of downed powerlines on Bailey Avenue. |
| 02:55 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 Ese Basic City | Clarke, MS | Social media picture of tree downed on CR 480. |
| 02:55 UTC | TORNADO | 4 E Basic City | Clarke, MS | This very brief EF1 tornado touched down near County Road 482 where it uprooted several softwood trees. It also did minor damage to siding and shingles. It dissipated shortly after on Minchew Lane. Path length 0.4 mile. |
| 02:57 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Sw Marion | Lauderdale, MS | Social media report of powerlines down on both lanes along Hwy 39 near Alliance Health Center. |
| 03:00 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 E Clarkdale | Lauderdale, MS | Social media report of tree down at the intersection of Zero Rd and Mt Hored Rd. |
| 03:01 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Wsw Causeyville | Lauderdale, MS | This EF1 tornado began near Fisher Rd near the Causeyville community, uprooting trees as it moved northeastward. It continued across Causeyville Rd, Vimville Causeyville Rd, Rob Sims Rd, and Russell Camp Rd before crossi |
| 03:03 UTC | TORNADO | 7 Nnw Mannassa | Clarke, MS | This EF-1 tornado began near the intersection of County Rd 140 and Highway 18. As it continued to move northeast, caused minor tree damage before intensifying as it crossed County Rd 450 where multiple softwood trees wer |
| 03:04 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Nw Causeyville | Lauderdale, MS | Social media picture of tree downed on Causeyville Rd. |
| 03:06 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Nne Causeyville | Lauderdale, MS | Social media picture of downed powerline on Rob Sims Rd. |
| 03:06 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Vimville | Lauderdale, MS | Social media report of tree down near Southeast Lauderdale High School. |
| 03:07 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 Nne Causeyville | Lauderdale, MS | Social media report of tree downed at the intersection of Russell Camp Rd and Gene Carr Rd. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2024 tornado in MississippiEvery tornado in Mississippi since 1950Warnings in force in Mississippi nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of December 28, 2024
76 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 28 | 8:22 AM CST | EF1 | Beauregard Parish, LA | 1.5 | 100 | $5,000 | ||
| December 28 | 10:35 AM CST | EF1 | Waller, TX | 10.9 | 150 | |||
| December 28 | 12:05 PM CST | EF3 | Montgomery, TX | 10.3 | 1,675 | 10 | ||
| December 28 | 12:53 PM CST | EF2 | Brazoria, TX | 8.9 | 300 | 1 | 5 | |
| December 28 | 1:37 PM CST | EF1 | Galveston, TX | 7.4 | 850 | |||
| December 28 | 2:26 PM CST | EF3 | Chambers, TX to LA | 67.9 | 880 | 2 | $500,000 | |
| December 28 | 2:55 PM CST | EF1 | Amite, MS | 3.1 | 50 | $5,000 | ||
| December 28 | 3:13 PM CST | EF3 | Franklin, MS | 26.0 | 1,500 | 4 | $1.3 million | |
| December 28 | 3:20 PM CST | EF1 | Vernon Parish, LA | 6.3 | 100 | $5,000 | ||
| December 28 | 3:27 PM CST | EF0 | Vernon Parish, LA | 3.3 | 50 | $10,000 | ||
| December 28 | 3:49 PM CST | EF1 | Vernon Parish, LA | 1.2 | 50 | $5,000 | ||
| December 28 | 4:16 PM CST | EF1 | Madison Parish, LA | 16.2 | 280 | $250,000 | ||
| December 28 | 4:19 PM CST | EF1 | Richland Parish, LA | 5.6 | 130 | $30,000 | ||
| December 28 | 4:28 PM CST | EF1 | Madison Parish, LA | 1.8 | 200 | $5,000 | ||
| December 28 | 4:49 PM CST | EF1 | East Carroll Parish, LA to MS | 17.9 | 300 | $70,000 | ||
| December 28 | 5:06 PM CST | EF1 | Evangeline Parish, LA | 15.4 | 200 | $5,000 | ||
| December 28 | 5:12 PM CST | EF1 | Concordia Parish, LA | 0.4 | 80 | $10,000 | ||
| December 28 | 5:17 PM CST | Unrated | Cameron Parish, LA | 4.3 | 1 | |||
| December 28 | 5:34 PM CST | EF1 | Lincoln, MS | 9.9 | 400 | $25,000 | ||
| December 28 | 5:37 PM CST | EF1 | Jefferson, MS | 9.3 | 750 | $35,000 | ||
| December 28 | 5:40 PM CST | EF0 | Pointe Coupee Parish, LA | 1.9 | 50 | $1,000 | ||
| December 28 | 5:42 PM CST | EF1 | Wilkinson, MS | 11.4 | 50 | $5,000 | ||
| December 28 | 5:46 PM CST | EF0 | Wilkinson, MS | 4.9 | 25 | $2,000 | ||
| December 28 | 5:54 PM CST | EF1 | Claiborne, MS | 4.9 | 300 | $70,000 | ||
| December 28 | 5:55 PM CST | EF1 | Jefferson, MS | 11.1 | 400 | $45,000 | ||
| December 28 | 5:58 PM CST | EF1 | Warren, MS | 4.5 | 500 | $15,000 | ||
| December 28 | 6:00 PM CST | EF0 | Wilkinson, MS | 3.6 | 75 | $1,000 | ||
| December 28 | 6:10 PM CST | EF0 | Warren, MS | 4.1 | 250 | $17,000 | ||
| December 28 | 6:19 PM CST | EF1 | Hinds, MS | 9.4 | 350 | $10,000 | ||
| December 28 | 6:24 PM CST | EF1 | Simpson, MS | 4.6 | 350 | $15,000 | ||
| December 28 | 6:25 PM CST | EF0 | Lincoln, MS | 2.7 | 315 | $10,000 | ||
| December 28 | 6:25 PM CST | EF1 | Hinds, MS | 23.6 | 570 | $105,000 | ||
| December 28 | 6:26 PM CST | EF1 | Lincoln, MS | 6.8 | 300 | $30,000 | ||
| December 28 | 6:28 PM CST | EF1 | Yazoo, MS | 1.2 | 250 | $10,000 | ||
| December 28 | 6:36 PM CST | EF1 | Copiah, MS | 13.0 | 1,500 | $50,000 | ||
| December 28 | 6:38 PM CST | EF1 | Copiah, MS | 2.7 | 500 | $20,000 | ||
| December 28 | 6:41 PM CST | EF1 | Amite, MS | 0.4 | 25 | $3,000 | ||
| December 28 | 6:42 PM CST | EF1 | Amite, MS | 8.6 | 100 | $5,000 | ||
| December 28 | 6:48 PM CST | EF1 | Pike, MS | 6.4 | 75 | $10,000 | ||
| December 28 | 6:49 PM CST | EF1 | Copiah, MS | 11.9 | 1,200 | $62,000 | ||
| December 28 | 6:51 PM CST | EF0 | East Baton Rouge Parish, LA | 2.8 | 50 | $3,000 | ||
| December 28 | 6:58 PM CST | EF1 | Yazoo, MS | 7.3 | 800 | $35,000 | ||
| December 28 | 7:04 PM CST | EF1 | Rankin, MS | 37.5 | 880 | $1.7 million | ||
| December 28 | 7:15 PM CST | EF1 | Jefferson Davis, MS | 0.3 | 200 | $35,000 | ||
| December 28 | 7:17 PM CST | EF1 | Simpson, MS | 10.5 | 800 | $500,000 | ||
| December 28 | 7:39 PM CST | EF1 | Smith, MS | 3.4 | 200 | $30,000 | ||
| December 28 | 7:42 PM CST | EF0 | Smith, MS | 0.6 | 75 | $3,000 | ||
| December 28 | 7:46 PM CST | EF1 | Smith, MS | 13.0 | 700 | $200,000 | ||
| December 28 | 8:09 PM CST | EF0 | Jasper, MS | 1.0 | 50 | $2,000 | ||
| December 28 | 8:09 PM CST | EF0 | Newton, MS | 2.2 | 100 | $5,000 | ||
| December 28 | 8:18 PM CST | EF1 | Newton, MS | 4.5 | 700 | $25,000 | ||
| December 28 | 8:28 PM CST | EF0 | Newton, MS | 0.5 | 165 | $5,000 | ||
| December 28 | 8:34 PM CST | EF1 | Newton, MS | 2.6 | 650 | $40,000 | ||
| December 28 | 8:36 PM CST | EF1 | Jasper, MS | 11.8 | 500 | $87,000 | ||
| December 28 | 8:47 PM CST | EF1 | Saint Tammany Parish, LA | 1.2 | 50 | $35,000 | ||
| December 28 | 8:49 PM CST | EF1 | Oktibbeha, MS | 2.1 | 300 | $80,000 | ||
| December 28 | 8:56 PM CST | EF1 | Clarke, MS | 0.4 | 80 | $15,000 | ||
| December 28 | 8:59 PM CST | EF0 | Clay, MS | 4.6 | 200 | $40,000 | ||
| December 28 | 9:01 PM CST | EF1 | Lauderdale, MS | 9.0 | 630 | $500,000 | ||
| December 28 | 9:01 PM CST | EF1 | Lauderdale, MS | 9.9 | 700 | $15,000 |
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.