Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi · 2025
EF1 tornado, Shivers to Jaynesville, Mississippi, January 5, 2025
From Shivers to Jaynesville, this EF1 tornado ran 4.0 miles across Simpson and Jefferson Davis counties on January 5, 2025, touching down at 8:32 PM CST and reaching 300 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $41,000 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
- January 5, 2025
- Touchdown
- 8:32 PM CST (02:32 UTC)
- Lifted
- 8:38 PM CST (02:38 UTC)
- On the ground
- 6 minutes
- Path length
- 4.0 miles (6.5 km)
- Path width
- 300 yards (274 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $41,000
- Counties
- Simpson and Jefferson Davis counties
- Touchdown point
- 31.738, -89.932
- Lift-off point
- 31.770, -89.875
- Record number
- 2501052032-01
The damage survey
12 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 100 mph.
- trees down on Will Barber Rd
- trees down on Silver Swamp Rd
- abandoned structure damaged at 272 Sonat Rd
- Older convenience store best represented as single family home with 2/4 sides surrounded by large porch was shifted on its foundation, aided by the weakly ground-secured porch being uplifted. Portion of older/weak roof removed on corner/gable.
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 potent weather system moved across the region on January 5th and produced a round of severe storms across the region into the early morning hours of the 6th. These storms produced damaging winds and tornadoes.
This weak tornado touched down just south of Sills Ferry Road. Along its path, it blew down weak and dead trees, did minor roof damage to a house, and tossed a trampoline. It continued to do weak tree damage before it dissipated just over the Simpson County line.
This tornado touched down near the community of Gwinville. Along its path, it uprooted softwood trees and broke large branches. An abandoned building was damaged. An old gas station was shifted off its foundation and porch was uplifted, with its gabled roof having caught the wind. Another single family home had its porch uplifted. it continued to do tree damage before it dissipated just over the Simpson County line near HWY 13.
This tornado touched down near the community of Gwinville. Along its path, it uprooted softwood trees and broke large branches. An abandoned building was damaged. An old gas station was shifted off its foundation and porch was uplifted, with its gabled roof having caught the wind. Another single family home had its porch uplifted. it continued to do tree damage before it dissipated just over the Simpson County line near HWY 13.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
No tornado warning for this county appears in the archive as in force at the moment the tornado touched down. One was issued for the county at another hour that day.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 19:38 UTC and running to 03:41 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:00 UTC | 02:00 UTC | Wind Advisory | JAN |
| 19:38 UTC | 03:41 UTC | Tornado Watch | JAN |
| 02:45 UTC | 02:52 UTC | Tornado Warning | JAN |
| 03:03 UTC | 03:23 UTC | Tornado Warning | JAN |
| 06:25 UTC | 15:00 UTC | Cold Weather Advisory | 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 Slight Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 00:34 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
2.5 hours before the tornado, 65 km from the path. January 6, 2025.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 58 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -5 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 289 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 721 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 45 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 23 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 166 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 211 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.3
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.2 K/km
Jackson, MS (KJAN), 12:00Z
9.5 hours after it, 65 km from the path. January 6, 2025.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -1 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 9 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 744 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 97 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 19 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -156 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 81 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 0.4 K/km
The surface observations
Brookhaven (1R7), 51 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00:35 UTC | 69.8 | 64.4 | 170° 15 kt | 23 | 1009.1 | |
| 00:55 UTC | 68 | 64.4 | 180° 12 kt | 22 | 1009.5 | |
| 01:15 UTC | 68 | 66.2 | 170° 7 kt | 13 | 1009.1 | BR |
| 01:35 UTC | 66.2 | 66.2 | 150° 6 kt | 12 | 1008.5 | BR |
| 01:55 UTC | 64.4 | 64.4 | 290° 16 kt | 28 | 1010.2 | BR |
| 02:15 UTC | 55.4 | 53.6 | 280° 12 kt | 24 | 1011.2 | BR |
| 02:35 UTC | 53.6 | 53.6 | 280° 9 kt | 15 | 1011.9 | |
| 02:55 UTC | 53.6 | 51.8 | 290° 7 kt | 1011.9 | BR | |
| 03:15 UTC | 51.8 | 51.8 | 290° 7 kt | 1012.2 | ||
| 03:35 UTC | 53.6 | 51.8 | 270° 8 kt | 1012.5 | BR | |
| 03:55 UTC | 51.8 | 51.8 | 260° 6 kt | 13 | 1013.2 | |
| 04:15 UTC | 51.8 | 51.8 | 240° 8 kt | 1013.9 |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Jackson/Brandon,MS radar (KDGX), 59 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 02:33 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01:10 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Ne Brandon | Rankin, MS | Report from mPING of wind damage similar to 1-inch tree limbs broken or shingles blown off a house. |
| 01:11 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Ese Brandon | Rankin, MS | This tornado touched down just north of Shilo Road and tracked NE for 11 miles before dissipating just past Leesburg Road. Much of the damage along the path was damaged trees along with uproots and snapped trees, some po |
| 02:18 UTC | TORNADO | 4 E Oma | Lawrence, MS | This weak tornado touched down just south of Sills Ferry Road. Along its path, it blew down weak and dead trees, did minor roof damage to a house, and tossed a trampoline. It continued to do weak tree damage before dissi |
| 02:31 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Wsw Gwinville | Jefferson Davis, MS | This tornado touched down near the community of Gwinville. Along its path, it uprooted softwood trees and broke large branches. An abandoned building was damaged. An old gas station was shifted off its foundation and por |
| 02:47 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Gwinville | Jefferson Davis, MS | Emergency manager reported trees and power lines down near SONAT Rd in the Will Barber area. |
| 02:52 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Wnw Shady Grove | Smith, MS | This tornado began along County Road 108 northwest of Shady Grove where a home suffered generally minor damage to gutters and flashing and a couple of trees were downed. The tornado moved northeast where it intensified a |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2025 tornado in MississippiEvery tornado in Mississippi since 1950Warnings in force in Mississippi nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of January 5, 2025
11 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 5 | 2:04 PM CST | EF1 | Lincoln, AR | 1.2 | 300 | |||
| January 5 | 2:19 PM CST | EF2 | Union Parish, LA | 9.0 | 650 | $105,000 | ||
| January 5 | 3:42 PM CST | EF1 | West Carroll Parish, LA | 2.2 | 100 | $30,000 | ||
| January 5 | 7:08 PM CST | EF1 | Monroe, MS | 0.7 | 120 | $10,000 | ||
| January 5 | 7:11 PM CST | EF1 | Rankin, MS | 11.1 | 150 | $160,000 | ||
| January 5 | 7:40 PM CST | EF0 | Franklin, AL | 2.4 | 158 | |||
| January 5 | 7:41 PM CST | EF1 | Winston, MS | 4.3 | 250 | $40,000 | ||
| January 5 | 8:11 PM CST | EF2 | Noxubee, MS | 3.4 | 500 | $150,000 | ||
| January 5 | 8:18 PM CST | EF0 | Lawrence, MS | 6.0 | 75 | $16,000 | ||
| January 5 | 8:52 PM CST | EF1 | Smith, MS | 6.2 | 300 | $70,000 | ||
| January 5 | 8:53 PM CST | EF1 | Pickens, AL | 6.9 | 300 |
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.