Violent (EF4 or EF5) tornadoes were responsible for half the tornado-related deaths in the U.S. from 2000 to 2019. [4] In total, 117 structures were destroyed and 50 more sustained major damage from the storm in Monroe County alone, before the tornado continued into Itawamba County. These storms produced a few tornadoes across Tallahatchie, Tishomingo, and Chickasaw, and Monroe counties during the early morning hours on the 27th. Regional Impacts This storm produced 4 tornadoes over Craighead county. Itclaimed more than 300 lives, injured 2,775 and was responsible for $12 billion in total damage, making it the costliest tornado outbreak in U.S. history. 2011 had the second-most EF5/F5 tornadoes of any year with six. Mississippi Highway 25 traverses Smithville, connecting the town with Fulton to the north and Amory to the south. (WCBI) - It's been almost one week since an EF 4 tornado claimed the lives of 23 people in Lee County, Alabama. This included some long-track EF3 tornadoes, an intensity somewhat rare for early-morning squall lines. Satellite A photograph from Phil Campbell, Alabama, leveled by an EF5 tornado,landed in Lenoir City, Tennessee, some 220 miles away. No wonder there were so many long-track, violent tornadoes. The first fatality from the tornado occurred in this area as a bed and breakfast was obliterated and swept from its foundation, with debris from the structure scattered long distances downwind. Note: There are some images/videos in our summaries that were licensed to us to be used only on this website. One focuses on the Smithville, MS side. It lifted up her house, turned it like a spinning coin and then set it down again several feet from the foundation. The 2011 Smithville, Mississippi tornado was an extremely violent EF5 wedge tornado that devastated areas of rural Mississippi, including the town of Smithville, Mississippi during the afternoon of April 27, 2011, resulting in catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities. A special report on all of the extreme weather and climate conditions of April 2011 will be released by early summer 2011. But this house and that house yonder were not so lucky. Multiple locations were found. 27 tornado count differs from that shown in map above. There are two summaries detailing the event. Warnings, however, are issued when severe weather is imminent or already occurring. Smithville is located on lands purchased from Chickasaw chief Che-lah-cha-chubby in 1836. These storms produced wind damage and large hail. He took off his two T-shirts and draped them over their bodies. Around 5:20 a.m. CDT, a tornado intensified quickly as it tracked into the city of just over 2,000 residents. Powerful tornadoes struck outside of Alabama as well. 0-3 km significant tornado parameter (STP) at 10 p.m. EDT on April 27, 2011. Such a storm has the capacity to collapse a concrete building. A jacket from Hackleburg, Alabama, was found 68 miles away. She died. This article is available now! Not on April 27. To make use of these warnings yourself, pay attention to the severe weather alerts issued over your radio, television, weather radio, and cellular devices. His mother, just out of the shower, was covered in a quilt. [9] The tornado weakened as it continued through rural areas northeast of town and moved into Itawamba County, where it uprooted numerous trees and power lines and caused roof damage to a house before exiting the county. Of those 21, 11 were rated as strong (EF2, EF3) tornadoes and had fairly long path lengths. Even during the crisis, amid so many tornadoes, the National Weather Service maintained an average warning lead time of 24 minutes, allowing many peopleto escape or prepare for the disaster. This total path was over 600 miles longer than the April 3-4, 1974, Super Outbreak.". Forecast Discussion Note: Exact tornado path may not be straight and/or continuous. The coordinates on the NWS Memphis website put it at 3.35 miles to the WSW of Smithville. Local Data Observations (The table is arranged based on EF scale rating). Northern Lights Dance Over National Park In Alaska, New York City Sees First Inch-Plus Snowfall Of The Season, Cold Or Flu? Winter Weather One brick residence was swept away along this segment of the path as well, and part of its concrete foundation slab was pulled up and slightly dislodged, with extensive ground scouring and debarking of trees noted on the property. If you would like to use an image/video in your project or blog, please contact us and we will grant permission if possible. Mels Diner, where people settle in for a slice of homemade cake, is a pile of rubble. National Weather Service - Dr. Greg Forbes. StormReady Mr. Estis died that evening when his heart gave out. The April 25-28, 2011, Super Outbreak was one of the worst tornado outbreaks in U.S. history. After weakening west of town, the tornado strengthened quickly as it moved into Cordova, carving a one-half-mile wide path of damage rated EF3 in the downtown area. We gathered information for this event from the SPC and NCDC Databases, the April 2011 Storm Data Publication (SDP), the NWS Memphis, NWS Birmingham, and NWS Huntsville Event Pages, before and after damage photographs, and extremely detailed analysis of aerial and satellite imagery and found the following differences: NCDC Storm Events Database Entry-Monroe County (MS), NCDC Storm Events Database Entry-Itawamba County (MS), NCDC Storm Events Database Entry-Franklin County (AL), NCDC Storm Events Database Entry-Marion County (AL), Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). NWS An early-morning squall line in the Tennessee Valley on April 27, 2011, produced an incredible 76 tornadoes in Mississippi, Alabama, east Tennessee, and north Georgia, according to theKnupp et al. The average household size 2.42 and the average family size 3.03. The storm sucked her into her den. One of the EF-5 tornadoes of the outbreak occurred across northern Mississippi, near Smithville. This topped the number of tornadoes witnessed on April 3, 1974 (148), the other Super Outbreak. Because it struck fewer urban and suburban areas than the 2011 Super Outbreak. Aviation This clip was shown during an episode of Weather Geeks on The Weather Channel. The human impacts were horrific, and the damage inconceivable. Hardship happens to you. The April 27, 2011, Smithville, Mississippi, EF5 tornado carried a Ford Explorer roughly one-half mile before colliding it with the town's water tower. We crawled our way out of the building, said Mayor Gregg Kennedy, 49. The tornado scoured the topsoil to a depth of a foot. Here are all of the tornado tracks across the Midsouth for the entire late April 2011 Tornado Outbreak: Here are all of the tornado tracks across the Midsouth for Monday night, April 25th: Here are all of the tornado tracks across the Midsouth for Tuesday evening, April 26th: Here are all of the tornado tracks across the Midsouth for early Wednesday morning, April 27th: Here are all of the tornado tracks across the Midsouth for Wednesday afternoon, April 27th: CURRENT HAZARDS The exchange student from Belgium who was living with the family was in the corner. The National Weather Service - Jackson, Mississippi, storm surveyreport tells the story. The police station, the town hall, the post office, four of six churches: None of them were left standing. View Storm Report By noon on April 27th, all the elements began to come together for an extreme severe weather outbreak. For a quick comparison, the Super Outbreak of April 3-4, 1974 produced 148 tornadoes. Note: The final Apr. [6][1][5][dead link], The tornado then entered Smithville at maximum intensity, producing EF5 damage as it moved through both commercial and residential areas. Information accessed 15 September 2018. The fast-moving tornado then rapidly intensified as it approached town, reaching EF5 intensity. Ruth Estis, who was blind and elderly, was pried from the arms of her husband, Roy Lee Estis, and carried away. The radar was replaced later in 2011 and the church reopened in a new location. Click on a link below to see the latest storm survey information for the indicated Counties. (Weather Geeks (The Weather Channel), James Spann (ABC 33/40)), (Mississippi Emergency Management Agency/NWS-Memphis, Tennessee), Northern Lights Dance Over National Park In Alaska, New York City Sees First Inch-Plus Snowfall Of The Season, Cold Or Flu? Northeast of Philadelphia, Mississippi, a swath of ground was scoured out to a depth of two feet, in some places. Dalrymple Family Foundation historical marker at Smithville Town Hall. 27, 2011. First, a new surface low pressure developed overnight across western Arkansas and was heading towards the Mid-South. NWS Submit a Storm Report The term supercellrefers to a rotating thunderstorm that is persistent, on a timescale much longer than a single, ordinary thunderstorm you may see, for instance, in the summer over the Southeast. A pair of additional tornado warnings for the NWS-Huntsville's area of responsibility were issued by the NWS office in Jackson, Mississippi, while Huntsville employees themselves took shelter. -A home's concrete slab was pulled out of the ground, with large part missing in the center. Smithville, a spot of a town of about 1,000 where first names suffice and Bibles lie within reach, endured a direct hit from Wednesday's tornado in Mississippi. Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. Education He is giving you something better.. Please Contact Us. There was no doubt in my mind that we were all going to die, Mr. Hathcock said. Map of tornado tracks from the April 25-28, 2011 Super Outbreak, color-coded by intensity (EF0: aqua; EF1: light green; EF2: yellow; EF3: orange; EF4: red; EF5: pink). The three fatalities occurred in northwest Kemper County when a strapped down doublewide mobile home was thrown a distance of approximately 300 yards into a treeline, and then obliterated with the debris and framing scattered many hundreds of yards down the path. Overview of the Hackleburg-Harvest-Huntland AL-TN Tornadoes of April 27, 2011, Little Yazoo, MS, F4 Tornado February 21, 1971, Franklin, IN F3 Tornado October 11, 1954. The mangled remains of the SUV that impacted the water tower was found in a ditch at the edge of this wooded area. [5][dead link][10][6], The tornado then continued across the Alabama state line into Marion County, where it caused EF1 damage to outbuildings and mobile homes near Bexar. An earlier ending time via radar data was found at 4:21 pm CDT. Additionally, this marks the first time since statistics have been kept that two EF5 tornadoes have been recorded on the same day in Mississippi, with the tornado in Smithville also rated as an EF5. A semi truck was torn apart with the only remaining piece found 1.4 miles away. It is a premium article. Severe, Forecasts Tornado Track Maps: Here is the map for the entire tornado track: . While Alabama was hit the hardest, the system had significant effects on Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, Mississippi, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Texas, and Oklahoma, in addition to generally lighter consequences on some of the surrounding states. Up the street, Caroline Boyd, 66, saw the funnel cloud from her window and ran to her hallway. But just paces away, neighbors could not hold on. Additionally, high low level moisture returned to the area in the wake of the morning complex and combined with morning sunshine to cause a very unstable airmass. He called in the cloud sighting and phoned the mayor, who was at the town hall with two employees, and then hurried to the tiny police station. Supercell thunderstorms began to form along this dry line by noon. [7] The town is situated along the east bank of Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in northern Monroe County. The significant tornado parameter (STP) uses a combination of both wind shear and instability in lowest levels to diagnose the tornado risk. The radome and radar from WAFF-TV was gone from its tower, and the nearby Bethel Church of Christ was destroyed on Apr. A comprehensive study of lofted tornado debris in 2012 from the April 27, 2011, Super Outbreak was the first such study to utilize social media. The recovery of the Delta is slowly coming about, but a vast variety of problems still affect businesses, private properties and those who work and reside there. About Us. Smithville, MS EF-5 Tornado . Sign Up for the Morning Brief - a weekday newsletter infused with your forecast, fun facts, articles and bite-sized nuggets to energize your day. Notes: 1) Tornadoes are rated based on the worst damage along its track, which is almost always not representative of all the damage along its path. Infrared satellite loop from April 27-28, 2011, showing the tornado outbreak across the South and East. HWY 25 southwest of Smithville, MS The parent supercell spawning the Tuscaloosa and west Birmingham EF4 tornadoes on April 27, 2011, was tracked on radar for over seven hours from its formation in Newton County, Mississippi, to Macon County, North Carolina, after which it finally fizzled. Wireless Alerts "The individual tornado paths from the April 25-28, 2011, Super Outbreak added up to an almost unfathomable 3,200 path miles, by far the greatest of any U.S. outbreak. The total of 362 tornadoes that spawned during this four-day period not only surpassed the previous record for all of April by nearly 100, but also accounted for almost half of the 751 confirmed tornadoes during the month. The SPC/NCDC/SDP/NWS Huntsville list 4:23 pm CDT as the end time. How Winter Fashion Has Changed in 100 Years (PHOTOS), Eerie Vintage Photos of People Battling the Flu, Democratic Republic of the Congo | Franais, State of Vatican City (Holy See) | Italiano, deadliest tornado since the Moore, Oklahoma, EF5 tornado. NWS Fire Perhaps the most indelible live coverage of this Super Outbreak was the split screen shown on ABC 33/40 in Birmingham, Alabama, showing both a live cam of a wedge tornado roaring through Tuscaloosa, Alabama, as meteorologist James Spann was showing the classic hook echo and debris ball (indicating of tornado-lofted debris) on radar. Please see their terms and conditions. Local Data Four of those were in the April 27 Super Outbreak in Alabama and Mississippi. [2] An area of low pressure consolidated over Texas on April26 and traveled east while the aforementioned shortwave trough traversed the Mississippi River and Ohio River valleys. The National Weather Service classified the Wednesday afternoon twister that hit Smithville as an EF-5, the strongest rating for tornado damage. Natural Hazard Statistics, Additional Info About half of the deathsfrom 2000 through 2019 were from tornadoes rated EF4 or EF5. In Smithville, an SUV was lofted and thrown a half mile into the water tower, before being carried even further downwind. Rivers/Lakes, Radar A total of 59 tornadoes have been rated this intensity since 1950. [1] The tornado was a part of the 2011 Super Outbreak, the largest tornado outbreak in United States history. The worst storms finally pushed out of the Mid-South by 5:30 pm on April 27th. Another violent EF5 tornado occurred over Smithville, Mississippi, on this date. And then. The outbreak challenged and surpassed the records set by almost all previous tornado events, ranking as one of the deadliest and most expensive meteorological disasters on record. On April 3, 1974, a destructive tornado struck the city of Xenia and town of Wilberforce, Ohio, killing 36 people.The tornado stands as the deadliest individual tornado of the 1974 Super Outbreak.The tornado destroyed a large portion of Xenia, which caused meterologist Dr. Ted Fujita to initially assign a preliminary rating of F6 intensity 1 on the Fujita scale, making it one of only two . Local, Weather Safety Approximately 24 tornadoes, possibly more, caused an estimated 326 fatalities during this tornado outbreak. Tornado is spotted moving through Smithville, Mississippi on Thursday as sirens wail. A historic outbreak of severe weather and tornadoes occurred on April 25-27 across the southern and southeast parts of the country. Threeadditional supercells produced tornadoes, very large hail, and wind damage across Phillips, Coahoma, and Tunica counties during this same time frame. According to the NWS Memphis, it was 35.1 miles. This is now the second deadliest tornado outbreak in US history. According to the National Weather Service assessment, the average path length of the 15 violent tornadoes was 66 miles. The Red Cross is here, as are other emergency services. This tornado continued into Alabama and had a total path length of 92.3 miles. Weather Radio WAFF-TV in Huntsville, Alabama, was showing liveDoppler radar and cam shots of the massive EF5 tornado that earlier devastated the towns Phil Campbell and Hackleburg. Spotter Training WTVA's Coverage of the 2011 Super Outbreak as the EF5 Tornado developed and moved into Smithville, MS. Coverage also includes numerous supercell storms including an EF5 Tornado that mo. The atmosphere reloaded quickly Wednesday morning and became increasingly favorable for more severe storms. Local AHPS You cant question the Lord. Nearby towns have jumped in to help, setting up shelters, serving hamburgers, sending in clothes. Mayor Gregg Kennedy said one person remained missing Saturday in the town of 900, which was mostly flattened. One of the nation's worst tornado outbreaks occurred in late April 2011. When Darwin Hathcock, the police chief, saw the funnel cloud beyond the tree line just a couple of miles away, he knew that his town would not be spared. A powerful low-pressure system combined with moist and unstable atmospheric conditions to produce this now-infamous tornado outbreak. The tornado, which struck about 3:45 p.m., was part of an unprecedented round of tornadic activity that crossed the region and headed into Alabama and Georgia. Severe Weather Please note: Due to scheduled maintenance, many NCEI systems will be unavailable Wednesday, March 1st, 3:30 PM ET - 7:30 PM ET. Olive (MS) team quarterbacked by future NFL great Steve McNair. Pray, pray, pray! shouted his mother, Marcie Pearce, as the tornado hit the house. Ample moisture from the Gulf of Mexico was brought north across the Deep South, leading to daytime high temperatures of 77 to 81F (25 to 27C) and dewpoints of 66 to 72F (19 to 22C). Wind shear was also strong, so the threat for supercells was high. Smithville, a spot of a town of about 1,000 where first names suffice and Bibles lie within reach, endured a direct hit from Wednesdays tornado in Mississippi. 27, 2011. At its peak, this EF-4 was 1.5 milesmore than 26 football fieldswide, and its winds reached 190 mph. Jackson, Mississippi234 Weather Service Dr.Flowood, MS 39232601-936-2189Comments? Was 35.1 miles overnight across western Arkansas and was heading towards the Mid-South this is now second... And tornadoes occurred on April 25-27 across the south Inch-Plus Snowfall of the violent. For the entire tornado Track: pm on April 25-27 across the south and east twister hit. By 5:30 pm on April 3, 1974 ( 148 ), the average path length of the ground with! 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