These storms produced wind damage and large hail. View Storm Report Between April 25 and 28, hundreds of tornadoes violently struck the southeastern United States, resulting in roughly $12billion in damages (2021 dollars) and leaving an estimated 321 people dead. This storm produced 4 tornadoes over Craighead county. The per capita income for the town $14,030. Graphical About Us. 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. Hazard Outlook, CURRENT CONDITIONS NOAA Weather Radio 27, 2011. It's quite common for violent (EF4 or EF5) tornadoes to transport debris tens of miles downstream, mainly paper such as canceled checks and photos. More impressively, this line produced many tornadoes and is responsible for 21 of the total tornadoes for this event. Experiences of Smithville, Mississippi Residents with the 27 April 2011 Tornado Volume 36 Number 2 ~ December 2012 95 it is still not recommended, especially in the Southeast where tornado visibility is reduced (Ashley 2007). Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. This event initially started out as supercells producing large hail and tornadoes across northeast Texas and portions of Arkansas before evolving into a squall line. In fact, the first EF-5 of the outbreak developed near Smithville, Mississippi. Briefing Page The storms formed into a bow echo, similar to the squall line that moved across the Mid-South on April 4, 2011. It is a premium article. [1] In total, 92.5 miles of destruction is viewed in this documentary.An enormous thanks to the Tornado Talk team for allowing me to use some of their brilliantly well research information and exclusive imagery. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters, U.S. Drought: Weekly Report for February 21, 2023, U.S. Drought: Weekly Report for February 14, 2023, U.S. Drought: Weekly Report for February 7, 2023. Local Data Jackson, Mississippi234 Weather Service Dr.Flowood, MS 39232601-936-2189Comments? Until April 2011, three years had passed without a single EF-5 tornadothe strongest rating on the Enhanced Fujita scale, associated with winds in excess of 200 mph. Smithville is located on lands purchased from Chickasaw chief Che-lah-cha-chubby in 1836. The radar was directly in the path of this wedge tornado as it tracked into Limestone County. Aerial imagery taken May 4, 2011. The previous EF4 tornado occurred on April 29, 2017 in Canton, Texas. Estimated $12 Billion In Damage. The radar was replaced later in 2011 and the church reopened in a new location. Extremely detailed analysis of treefall patterns indicates a start point 6.12 miles SW of Smithville. Aviation Local AHPS, CLIMATE AND PAST WEATHER 2 in the definitive April 27 outbreak BAMS paper from Knupp, et al. 137 other people were injured. Hydrology, CLIMATE AND PAST WEATHER Probabilistic In addition, the EF4 in early March in Alabama killed 23 people, making it the deadliest tornado since the Moore, Oklahoma, EF5 tornado in 2013. Supercell thunderstorms began to form along this dry line by noon. Nationwide Pickle Funeral Home was reduced to a bare slab as the tornado exited at the northeast side of the city, with the debris scattered and wind-rowed into an adjacent wooded area. Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. With a special, battery-powered receiver that can be acquired from most hardware stores or online, you can tune into this 24/7 radio stationeven in the middle of a power outage. The town was incorporated in 1845. . Click title to go to page! According to the NWS Memphis, it was 35.1 miles. (Photo by Carmen K. Sisson/Cloudybright) Sunday morning . Tornado tracks, Enhanced Fujita scale ratings and county fatalities on Apr. [3], On April 27, 2011, at approximately 3:45 p.m. CDT, an EF5 tornado struck the town with winds which were estimated to have peaked at 205mph (330km/h). -A home's concrete slab was pulled out of the ground, with large part missing in the center. Severe, Forecasts Click on a link below to see the latest storm survey information for the indicated Counties. StormReady Weather-Ready Nation Males had a median income of $30,294 versus $23,958 for females. The significant tornado parameter (STP) uses a combination of both wind shear and instability in lowest levels to diagnose the tornado risk. As the storm crossed Davis Road South, the ground was deeply scoured in a nearby field, leaving a trench in the ground that was still visible in aerial photographs taken more than a year later. Extreme damage at a residence along Highway 25 near Smithville, with part of the foundation slab pulled up and dislodged slightly. Typically, any high values of one are at least somewhat tempered by lower values of another. She recalled: I felt it sucking me in, and stuff was hitting me in the back of the head.. The second event occurred from Tuesday afternoon into the early morning hours of April 26-27. National Weather Service Fed by a nearby waterway, the tornado churned right along the main street, Highway 25, chewing up houses and businesses, and shaking up the town like a child with a snow globe. This is a before (left) and after (right) picture of the Smithville, Mississippi area. Some metal storage buildings and 14 mobile homes were obliterated nearby, with metal framing from some of the mobile homes thrown and twisted into pieces. [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. Satellite Then I bent over and I cried like a baby. The frequency has ranged from several tornadoes rated this magnitude in a single year to multi-year periods with none. Would you like to see more summaries like this one? Additional supercell thunderstorms formed well ahead of the dry line in the warm, very moist, unstable, and highly sheared environment present across Mississippi and Alabama. The Cox family lost its father, Jessie, to the tornado, while directly next door his sons house sat untouched, one of the few. One of the most violent tornadoes in recorded human history tore through several communities in Mississippi and Alabama. It lifted up her house, turned it like a spinning coin and then set it down again several feet from the foundation. This tornado was rated EF5 and tracked for 29 miles into Noxubee County. 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 first tornadoes were produced by this bow echo in Henderson, Carroll, and Weakley counties at around 12 am. Multiple locations were found. Multiple locations were found. the EF4 tornado claimed 65 lives along an 80-mile path, National Weather Service - Jackson, Mississippi, storm survey, massive EF5 tornado that earlier devastated the towns Phil Campbell and Hackleburg. Scientists attribute at least part of the 2011 Super Outbreak's notoriety to chance. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. In all, a total of 22 tornadoes were confirmed across the Mid-South over this 3 day outbreak. The Red Cross is here, as are other emergency services. But, the 1974 system caused fewer deaths and less monetary damage than its more recent counterpart. [2] On April25, a vigorous upper-level shortwave trough that moved into the Southern Plains states. HWY 25 southwest of Smithville, MS 2014 paper. Because it struck fewer urban and suburban areas than the 2011 Super Outbreak. The remains of a Ford Explorer in Smithville, Mississippi. SKYWARN Additional storms formed across southern Arkansas and northern Louisiana during the overnight hours and crossed the Mississippi River by midnight. 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. Hydrology The vehicle then traveled another quarter . Up the street, Caroline Boyd, 66, saw the funnel cloud from her window and ran to her hallway. The most EF5/F5 tornadoes in a single year werein1974 when theApril 3 super outbreakspawned seven in a 24-hour period. The town is named for William Smith, an early settler who established a store at the site around 1840. Nineteen states have experienced an EF5/F5 tornado since 1950, as far east as Ohio and as far north as North Dakota. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The Tennessee Valley Authority's electrical generation and distribution took a massive hit from the 2011 Super Outbreak. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. Sign Up for the Morning Brief - a weekday newsletter infused with your forecast, fun facts, articles and bite-sized nuggets to energize your day. The number of F/EF5 tornadoes in the U.S. by year from 1950-2020. Meteorologist and researcher Jon Davies blogged about the rarity of seeing such extreme values of shear and unstable air. The exchange student from Belgium who was living with the family was in the corner. Corrected coordinates based on ground level, aerial, and satellite imagery, as well as all reliable damage reports: Start: 34.023601/-88.481982 End: 34.326527 /-87.886584, In Smithville, MSBetty Newkirk, 78Celia Jackson, 92 (oldest victim)Courtney Easter, 21Elvin Patterson, 80Jean Manley, 70Hazel Noe, 80 (died of injuries 6 days later)Jesse Cox, 84Jessica Pace, 18 (youngest victim in MS)Carla Jones, 37 (died protecting her niece, nephew and son)Laverne Patterson, 77Lucille Parker, 86Maxine Chism, 79 (died of injures 22 days later)Mildred Elam, 79RoyEstes, 63 (died of injures the next day)RuthEstes, 61Scott Morris, 41, In AlabamaRodney Ables, 51Michelle Brown, 43Tammy Johnson, 52Jacob Ray, 5 (youngest victim)Virginia Revis, 53Allan Wideman, 49 (died of injuries 9 days later)Jeanette Wideman, 52. Satellite National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration By midday and early afternoon, several discrete supercell thunderstorms were developing across the forecast area. 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 watch means that there is potential for dangerous weather to affect your area. NWS Get Prepared Statistics created for the second tornado are also featured below. Less than 12 hours later, another long-track tornado approached the city. Gov. The median income for a household in the town $32,583, and the median income for a family $38,750. NWS Fire Fourteen of the towns other businesses also collapsed; only two survived mostly in one piece, a gas station and an appliance shop. When God sends you hardship, he is not taking something away. The median age 36 years. The tornado scoured the topsoil to a depth of a foot. * LOCATION/TIME OF EVENT: SMITHVILLE AT 344 PM CDT ON APRIL 27 2011 * BEGINNING POINT: 34.0455, -88.44497 * ENDING POINT: 34.3129, -87.9231 * RATING: EF-5 * ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 205 MPH Although tornadoes of any intensity can be deadly, higher-endtwisters have historically killed a larger percentage of people. Graphical Mayor Gregg Kennedy said one person remained missing Saturday in the town of 900, which was mostly flattened. Officially, 207 tornadoes in 15 states were counted on April 27, 2011, a record for any calendar day in the U.S. Dalrymple Family Foundation historical marker at Smithville Town Hall. The tornado moved northeast through Itawamba County before it crossed into . 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. The NWS Memphis lists 3:44 pm CDT as the time of formation. Also seen almost one month later in Joplin, Missouri, this tornado crushed cars into almost unrecognizable balls, similar to what you can do with aluminum foil. Around the back of the house, he saw two small children, babies, he said. 27, 2011. The human impacts were horrific, and the damage inconceivable. Here are the original stats from the SPC. They could not breathe. Copyright TWC Product and Technology LLC 2014, 2023. Please select one of the following: Situational Awareness for Everyone (SAFE) Page, Latest Public Information Statement (PNS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 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