Midwest Chasing

..DAMAGE SURVEYS FOR TORNADOES IN HOLMES…ATTALA
AND CHOCTAW
COUNTIES…

..HOLMES AND ATTALA COUNTIES

BEGINNING POINT: 2 MI WNW OF PICKENS AT 1151 AM CST
ENDING POINT: 2 MI ENE OF GOODMAN AT 1204 PM CST
RATING: EF-3 WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF 140 MPH
PATH LENGTH: 10 MI
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 0.75 MI
CASUALTIES: 3 INJURIES
SUMMARY OF DAMAGE: THE TORNADO STARTED WITH A NARROW PATH OF
SCATTERED DOWNED TREES. THE DAMAGE INTENSIFIED AS IT APPROACHED
HIGHWAY 17. HERE TREE DAMAGE BECAME MUCH MORE INTENSE WITH HUNDREDS
OF TREES SNAPPED AND UPROOTED. ONE HOME HAD A PORTION OF ITS ROOF
RIPPED OFF. THE TORNADO INTENSIFIED AND REACHED ITS MAXIMUM
INTENSITY AND WIDTH BETWEEN HIGHWAY 17 AND US HIGHWAY 51. HUNDREDS
OF TREES WERE SNAPPED AND UPROOTED…SOME OF THEM HARDWOODS THAT
WERE SNAPPED OFF EXCEPT FOR A FEW LARGE LIMBS AND PARTIALLY
DEBARKED. SEVERAL MOBILE HOMES WERE OBLITERATED AND TWO HOMES OF
WOOD FRAME AND CONCRETE BLOCK CONSTRUCTION HAD NEARLY ALL OF THE
OUTER WALLS COLLAPSED ALONG WITH TOTAL ROOF REMOVAL. LARGE MISSILES
WERE GENERATED…INCLUDING A PICKUP TRUCK THAT WAS THROWN NEARLY 150
YARDS. ON THE EAST SIDE OF US HIGHWAY 51…THREE HIGH TENSION STEEL
POWER POLES WERE SNAPPED OFF NEAR THE BASE. AS THE TORNADO CONTINUED
EAST NORTHEAST AND MOVED INTO ATTALA COUNTY…THE PATH NARROWED AND
DAMAGE BECAME LIMITED TO TREE DAMAGE BEFORE DISSIPATION JUST INSIDE
THE ATTALA COUNTY LINE.


..ATTALA AND CHOCTAW COUNTIES

BEGINNING POINT: 3.5 MI W OF ETHEL AT 1228 PM CST
ENDING POINT: 2.5 MI SSE OF ACKERMAN AT 1258 PM CST
RATING: EF-3 WITH MAXIMUM WINDS OF 145 MPH
PATH LENGTH: 24 MI
MAXIMUM WIDTH: 0.5 MI
CASUALTIES: 3 INJURIES
SUMMARY OF DAMAGE: THE TORNADO STARTED WITH A PATH OF TREE DAMAGE
WHICH INTENSIFIED SHORTLY AFTER THE BEGINNING POINT. IN AREAS NEARLY
EVERY TREE WAS SNAPPED OFF OR UPROOTED. THE TORNADO REACHED ITS
WIDEST POINT AS IT CROSSED THE NATCHEZ TRACE PARKWAY…WHERE DOZENS
OF TREES WERE SNAPPED AND UPROOTED. THE TORNADO CAUSED SIGNIFICANT
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO SEVERAL BUILDINGS JUST TO THE SOUTHWEST OF
MCCOOL. ONE CINDER BLOCK CONSTRUCTED BUILDING SUSTAINED NEARLY TOTAL
DESTRUCTION FROM A COMBINATION OF A VERY LARGE HARDWOOD FALLING
ON IT ALONG WITH OTHER WIND DAMAGE. A ROOM ADDITION TO THE BACK OF A
FRAME HOME WAS REMOVED. AFTER THE TORNADO PASSED MCCOOL…IT
NARROWED AND WEAKENED SOMEWHAT…WITH TREE DAMAGE OCCURRING. THE
TORNADO THEN INTENSIFIED AGAIN AS IT PASSED SOUTH OF THE TOWN OF
WEIR. HERE A DAIRY COMPLEX WAS HEAVILY DAMAGED. A WELL CONSTRUCTED
MILKING PARLOR WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED WITH ALL EXTERIOR WALLS
COLLAPSED OR DESTROYED. A LARGE 9000 POUND TRAILER WAS PICKED UP AND
FLIPPED ONTO THE TOP OF A FARM BUILDING. SEVERAL LARGE WOOD AND
METAL LIVESTOCK BUILDINGS WERE TOTALLY DESTROYED. A GRAIN SILO WAS
ALSO DESTROYED. AFTER THE TORNADO PASSED THIS POINT…IT DID NOT
ENCOUNTER ANY ADDITIONAL STRUCTURES…BUT A PATH OF TREE DAMAGE
CONTINUED FOR SEVERAL MILES AFTER THIS BEFORE THE TORNADO DISSIPATED
NEAR CHOCTAW LAKE.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WOULD LIKE TO THANK OFFICIALS FROM MEMA
AND THE AFFECTED COUNTIES’ EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTORS FOR THEIR
ASSISTANCE IN PERFORMING THESE DAMAGE SURVEYS.