Up the street, Caroline Boyd, 66, saw the funnel cloud from her window and ran to her hallway. Tropical Weather Click on a link below to see the latest storm survey information for the indicated Counties. 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. 0-3 km significant tornado parameter (STP) at 10 p.m. EDT on April 27, 2011. to near Shottsville, AL, From CR 253 south of Tomnolen is Warren County, MS to near HWY 278 northeast of New Wren, CR 378 northwest of Water Valley to CR 273 east of Oxford, CR 864 southwest of Belmont to CR 993 northeast of Belmont, Red Sulphur Road south of Counce to Blue Herron Point near Lake Pickwick, 2 miles south of Bowman, AR along CR 683 to State HWY 18 in Bowman, AR, 4.5 miles northeast of Martin, TN to 2.6 miles southwest of Lynnville, KY, Money Rd southwest of Philipp, MS to Mudline Rd Northwest of Oakland, MS, About 1/4 mile west of CR 253 to CR 254 near the Alcorn/Tippah county line, 1 mile north of Elaine, AR along HWY 44 to one mile east of HWY 61 near Lula, MS, Endville Rd in Endville, MS to CR 3 northeast of Endville, MS, Intersection of Googe St and CR 448 east of Rienzi, MS to near CR 430 northeast of Rienzi, MS, 5 miles south of Jonesboro on either side of HWY 1, 2 miles northeast of Black Oak, AR along CR 513 to 1 mile southwest of Monette, AR along CR 506, Began near the shore of Sardis Lake and ended over the lake, Near Lyles Rd south of Looxahoma, MS to just south of Looxahoma-Tyro Rd east of Looxahoma, MS, From Holmes RD north of HWY 20 in Henderson County to Pecan Tree RD in Natchez Trace State Park north of I-40, From Sweet Lips RD south of Jacks Creek to Roby Road south of HWY 100, From HWY 138 southeast of Cloverport to Teague Road near the town of Toone. The second event occurred from Tuesday afternoon into the early morning hours of April 26-27. 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. Please try another search. StormReady A protruding anchor bolt from slab with base plate ripped away is shown among the rubble of a destroyed home in Smithville, Mississippi, following an EF5 tornado on April 27, 2011. . Crews were still searching for bodies behind the towns school. In all, a total of 22 tornadoes were confirmed across the Mid-South over this 3 day outbreak. On April 27, 2011, an extremely violent EF5 wedge tornado, with estimated winds of up to 205 mph (330 km/h), struck the town of Smithville, Mississippi at 3:47 p.m. CDT (2047 UTC) on April 27, resulting in . Heavy rain again lingered through most of the early to mid morning hours. SMITHVILLE - In the three-day span from April 25 to April 28, 2011, some 350 tornadoes broke out across the southern United States. One storm moved across Crittenden and Shelby counties between 5 and 7 pm. Please Contact Us. A photograph from Phil Campbell, Alabama, levelled by an EF5 tornado on April 27, 2011, was later found in Lenoir City, Tennessee, some 220 miles away. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1km2), of which 1.5 square miles (3.9km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26km2) (8.12%) is water. One of the four EF5 tornadoes on April 27, 2011, raked through the town of Smithville, Mississippi. This line was very efficient in producing wind damage as it pushed east. [2] On April25, a vigorous upper-level shortwave trough that moved into the Southern Plains states. Not on April 27. This scale is an upgraded version of the original Fujita Scale developed in 1971 by Dr. Ted Fujita, a University of Chicago severe storms research scientist. With the storm just 30 seconds away, he yelled for people to come inside and sent them to the sturdiest room. There were 404 housing units at an average density of 275.8 per square mile (106.8/km2). Powerful tornadoes struck outside of Alabama as well. At its peak, this EF-4 was 1.5 milesmore than 26 football fieldswide, and its winds reached 190 mph. The governor said he had rarely seen such destruction and mentioned that the casualty count might still rise. We've compiled a list of the most jaw-dropping facets of this outbreak that we'll never forget. On April 27, another tornado tracked almost fivemiles through Chattanooga, Tennessee, causing eightfatalities and injuring tenothers. Why? Local The number of F/EF5 tornadoes in the U.S. by year from 1950-2020. But this house and that house yonder were not so lucky. Get Prepared 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. Boasting wind speeds of approximately 205 mph, this tornado destroyed 18 homes and resulted in over a dozen deaths. Severe Weather National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Local An earlier starting position determined by treefall analysis combined with radar data gives a start time of 3:40 p.m. CDT. But just paces away, neighbors could not hold on. Graphical Dalrymple Family Foundation historical marker at Smithville Town Hall. Third, a dry line, or a dividing line between moist air and dry air, developed across eastern Arkansas ahead of the cold front. These storms produced a few tornadoes across Tallahatchie, Tishomingo, and Chickasaw, and Monroe counties during the early morning hours on the 27th. Just hours later, a second line of thunderstorms in the late morning hours spawned another seven mainly weak EF0 or EF1 tornadoes in northern Alabama. Here are all of the tornado tracks across the Midsouth. Cordova, Alabama, northwest of Birmingham, was just one unfortunate example. This clip was shown during an episode of Weather Geeks on The Weather Channel. Finally, the most destructive and deadly supercells roared across Mississippi, Alabama, north Georgia, east Tennessee and far southwest Virginia that afternoon and evening. 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. Multiple locations were found. Hazard Outlook, CURRENT CONDITIONS About Us. Tracks of 15 violent - EF4 or EF5 - tornadoes on April 27, 2011. April 27, 2011, was the only day on record with two F/EF5 tornadoes in Mississippi. It is a premium article. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Questions or comments about this summary? His best friend held the 2-year-old. Outlooks Weather Radio Pray, pray, pray! shouted his mother, Marcie Pearce, as the tornado hit the house. Submit a Storm Report One of the most violent tornadoes in recorded human history tore through several communities in Mississippi and Alabama. A powerful low-pressure system combined with moist and unstable atmospheric conditions to produce this now-infamous tornado outbreak. An official website of the United States government. Newspaper clips are embedded via newspapers.com. All NOAA. Extremely detailed analysis of the damage yields a maximum width of 1,260 yards (0.72 miles). [1] The tornado was a part of the 2011 Super Outbreak, the largest tornado outbreak in United States history. On April 27, STP values reached values from 10-12 in eastern Mississippi and Alabama in the afternoon (see Fig. 137 other people were injured. There was death on either side of me., In Mississippi, Little Town Is Staggered by a Tornados Direct Hit, https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/30/us/30smithville.html. NWS Jackson History Statistics created for the second tornado are also featured below. Join the tornado history discussion on our Discord Server! Values of this parameter were virtually off the chart, compared to a more typical severe weather scenario. The NWS-Huntsville, Alabama office issued 90 tornado warnings, alone that day. This is a before (left) and after (right) picture of the Smithville, Mississippi area. (Photo by Carmen K. Sisson/Cloudybright) Sunday morning . A study by the Centers for Disease Control and the Red Cross found 89.5 percent of the deaths in this outbreak were from these violent tornadoes. By midday and early afternoon, several discrete supercell thunderstorms were developing across the forecast area. The environmental conditions leading up to the April 2011 Super Outbreak were among the "most conducive to violent tornadoes ever documented". In the town, the population spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The human impacts were horrific, and the damage inconceivable. We are hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.. The Smithville High School Band has won two state Marching Championships. One supercell, 380 miles, four states. Become a Patron! National Weather Service Scientists attribute at least part of the 2011 Super Outbreaks notoriety to chance. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM. Wireless Alerts 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). All furniture, appliances, and plumbing from homes in the tornado's direct path of were either shredded or missing, and some homes had floor tiles scoured from their foundations. US Dept of Commerce We apologize for any inconvenience. Google Earth - April 12 - 28, 2011 KMZ. Nearby towns have jumped in to help, setting up shelters, serving hamburgers, sending in clothes. The 2011 Hackleburg-Phil Campbell tornado was an extremely deadly, violent, and long-tracked EF5 wedge tornado that devastated several towns in rural northern Alabama, before tearing through the northern suburbs of Huntsville and causing damage in rural portions of southern Tennessee on the afternoon and early evening of April 27, 2011. Local Northeast of Philadelphia, Mississippi, a swath of ground was scoured out to a depth of two feet, in some places. Preliminary local storm reports for April 25th. The tornado stripped a few people of their clothes and covered them in mud. The exchange student from Belgium who was living with the family was in the corner. Survey teams from the NWS field offices across the region confirmed up to 305 tornadoes. Of those 21, 11 were rated as strong (EF2, EF3) tornadoes and had fairly long path lengths. This allowed the atmosphere to recharge and become unstable again. As the storm neared, C. J. Thompson, a junior in high school, had huddled with his family in the hallway of his house. Almost 350 tornadoes tore through the U.S. in a four-day span from April 25-28, 2011. Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. The stationbroadcasts emergency information on everything from natural disasters to oil spills to public safety concerns, such as AMBER alerts. A clip from an ABC 33/40 broadcast on April 27, 2011, showed a live cam of a large tornado tearing through Tuscaloosa, Alabama (lower left), while meteorologist James Spann showed the tornado on radar (upper right). 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. StormReady "I've looked through my own databases of tornado cases over the past decade, and can't find any tornado environment that even approaches this one," Davies wrote. We crawled our way out of the building, said Mayor Gregg Kennedy, 49. Conditions cleared up across the Mid-South during the late morning hours on the 26th. These NWS survey results speak for themselves: -Appliances and plumbing fixtures were found shredded or missing. Tornado Talk, LLC 2022, All Rights Reserved, Hazel Noe, 80 (died of injuries 6 days later), Carla Jones, 37 (died protecting her niece, nephew and son), Maxine Chism, 79 (died of injures 22 days later), RoyEstes, 63 (died of injures the next day), Allan Wideman, 49 (died of injuries 9 days later). There was no indication of ground impacts between the original site of the mobile home and where it ended up to indicate that the mobile home bounced extensively as it traveled. Supercell thunderstorms began to form along this dry line by noon. The damage path was 37.3 miles (60.0km) long and 34 mile (1.2km) wide at its widest point, and it killed a total of 23 people along its path. Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. Tar and chip pavement was torn from a road in town and rolled into piles, intense ground scouring was noted in several areas, and a 1965 Chevrolet pickup truck was thrown from one residence and never found. Satellite Satellite Three-quarters of the town is gone. Second, a cold front was moving across central Arkansas. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. StormReady 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 She recalled: I felt it sucking me in, and stuff was hitting me in the back of the head.. The last EF5 tornado in the U.S. was over eight years ago in Moore, Oklahoma. There was no doubt in my mind that we were all going to die, Mr. Hathcock said. The worst storms finally pushed out of the Mid-South by 5:30 pm on April 27th. [11] The tornado outbreak affected almost onethird of the nation over its four-day span. These ingredients, along with lift from a potent upper disturbance, ultimately led to the historic tornado outbreak of April 27, 2011. A watch means that there is potential for dangerous weather to affect your area. Turned soil from a violent EF5 tornado that destroyed portions of Neshoba, Kemper, Winston, and Noxubee counties in Mississippi on April 27, 2011. Overall, the tornado destroyed 117 structures in Smithville and damaged 50 others, killing 16 people. These storms produced wind damage and large hail. [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). Weather Radio The same EF5 tornado that scoured the ground near Philadelphia, Mississippi, claimed its three lives in an unfathomable way. (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? Education This event included multiple reports of large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes. Submit a Storm Photo Tornado Database Weather Events, LOCAL PROGRAMS Science/Training This marks the first EF5 tornado in Mississippi since the Candlestick Park tornado on May 3, 1966. Anyone can read what you share. And, the event as a whole killed more people than any outbreak since 1936, when 454 individuals died. The previous EF4 tornado occurred on April 29, 2017 in Canton, Texas. On Friday, some returned to their homes to salvage what they could, but many did not know where to start or what to pick up first: a shattered picture frame with a wedding photo, an artificial flower arrangement, a dirty pink teddy bear. The racial makeup of the town is 97.62% White, 1.59% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.23% from other races, and 0.23% from two or more races. Preliminary local storm reports for April 26th. An incredible 343 tornadoes were spawned over just over 72 hours from April 25-28, 2011, according to NOAA. As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 882 people, 365 households, and 243 families residing in the town. The .gov means its official. The median income for a household in the town $32,583, and the median income for a family $38,750. Weather-Ready Nation Learn more joshtv5 10 years ago PokerGO 332K views Streamed 2 days ago New The. Please select one of the following: Situational Awareness for Everyone (SAFE) Page, Latest Public Information Statement (PNS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Radar loop from 7:01 a.m. to 11:03 p.m. CT, April 27, 2011, illustrating the three rounds of severe t-storms in the Deep South and Tennessee Valley. 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