Since 1950, 59 tornadoes have been rated EF5/F5, an average of less than one per year, according to NOAA's Storm Prediction Center. Not on April 27. Significant April 2011 Tornado Outbreaks: . Despite the deadly toll, we'll never truly know how many lives were saved by timely National Weather Service warnings, and the considerable effort of the media to communicate those warnings. Powerful tornadoes struck outside of Alabama as well. The disaster is one that many here in Mississippi can relate to.. Surface Observations Graphical An official website of the United States government. Values of this parameter were virtually off the chart, compared to a more typical severe weather scenario. The National Weather Service - Jackson, Mississippi, storm surveyreport tells the story. The mangled remains of the SUV that impacted the water tower was found in a ditch at the edge of this wooded area. Here are all of the tornado tracks across the Midsouth. Loss of life during this historic event was staggering. Local The average lead time for tornado warnings April 27 among those six NWS offices was found to be from 20-22 minutes. The Cox family lost its father, Jessie, to the tornado, while directly next door his sons house sat untouched, one of the few. The radar was replaced later in 2011 and the church reopened in a new location. The number of F/EF5 tornadoes in the U.S. by year from 1950-2020. 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. Extremely detailed analysis of the damage yields a total path length of 40.49 miles. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, HWY 44 near Ferguson, AR to Coahoma, MS along Old HWY 61. The first event started on Monday the 25th across northeast Texas and spread across the Mid-South and into portions of Louisiana. [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. Tropical Weather Both the radar and radome encasing the radar were blown off and destroyed, leaving just the tower standing. The frequency has ranged from several tornadoes rated this magnitude in a single year to multi-year periods with none. Multiple episodes of tornadic activity ensued with two waves of mesoscale convective systems in the morning hours followed by a widespread outbreak of supercells from Mississippi to North Carolina during the afternoon into the evening. Which City Is the Worst for Fall Allergies This Year? [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. SMITHVILLE - In the three-day span from April 25 to April 28, 2011, some 350 tornadoes broke out across the southern United States. His best friend held the 2-year-old. Although tornadoes of any intensity can be deadly, higher-endtwisters have historically killed a larger percentage of people. EF5 damage to a large, well-built, anchored house in Smithvile, Mississippi. And, the event as a whole killed more people than any outbreak since 1936, when 454 individuals died. Smithville, MS, took a direct hit from an EF5 wedge-shaped tornado on April 27, 2011. [2], Activity on April27 was precipitated by a 995mbar (hPa; 29.39inHg) surface low situated over Kentucky and a deep, negatively tilted (aligned northwest to southeast) trough over Arkansas and Louisiana. 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). April 27, 2011, was the only day on record with two F/EF5 tornadoes in Mississippi. [2] The multi-day outbreak culminated on April27 with the most violent day of tornadic activity since the 1974 Super Outbreak. The .gov means its official. Please select one of the following: Situational Awareness for Everyone (SAFE) Page, Latest Public Information Statement (PNS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A special report on all of the extreme weather and climate conditions of April 2011 will be released by early summer 2011. Violent (EF4 or EF5) tornadoes were responsible for half the tornado-related deaths in the U.S. from 2000 to 2019. This allowed the atmosphere to recharge and become unstable again. The Town of Smithville is served by the Monroe County School District.[10]. 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. [4] Briefing Page A semi-truck was thrown 300yd (270m) and destroyed in this area, and an RV was thrown 250yd (230m) and partially embedded into the ground nearby. The supercell thunderstorms marched across Northern Mississippi and clipped Hardin county, Tennessee, producing a preliminary total of 8 tornadoes. 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). Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. Of the 207 tornadoes April 27, 15 were rated violent tornadoes, either EF4 or EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. Nine Ways To Tell The Difference. Please try another search. We apologize for any inconvenience. Observed Precipitation All NOAA. Pray, pray, pray! shouted his mother, Marcie Pearce, as the tornado hit the house. 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. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Spot Forecast Request Graphical The other violent tornado to impact the Jackson, MS forecast area occurred across Smith, Jasper, and Clarke Counties. The population density 602.1 people per square mile (233.2/km2). Questions or comments about this summary? Radar The coordinates on the NWS Memphis website put it at 3.35 miles to the WSW of Smithville. Then I bent over and I cried like a baby. Severe, Forecasts Outlooks The city hall, the post office, four churches, several businesses, the water system, and the police station were all destroyed as the tornado moved through town. 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). There are two summaries detailing the event. Tornado in Smithville, MS, 4/27/2011 (Motion-tracked) 1,219 views Jan 7, 2022 27 Dislike Share Save Tornado Video Library 272 subscribers Rating: EF5 Max wind: 205 mph Casualties: 23. The combination of instability (warm, humid air near the surface overlaid by cold, dry air aloft) and wind shear in the atmosphere, particularly at low levels crucial for the spawning of tornadoeswas quite simply in another realm on April 27, 2011. The worst storms finally pushed out of the Mid-South by 5:30 pm on April 27th. The atmosphere reloaded quickly Wednesday morning and became increasingly favorable for more severe storms. 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. Storm motions were fast, generally in the 45 to 70 mph range, according to the NWS assessment, which left much less time to take action. Most residents have moved in with relatives and friends in other towns. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. We also examine the actions taken upon receiving the warning information. Hazard Outlook, CURRENT CONDITIONS Briefing Page 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 Smithville High School softball team has won the 1A state championship in 2008, 2011, and 2012. A watch means that there is potential for dangerous weather to affect your 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. The same EF5 tornado that scoured the ground near Philadelphia, Mississippi, claimed its three lives in an unfathomable way. (Credit: @JamesSt03713090 / Twitter) Recommended Stories Sacramento Bee How much rain and snow fell in. This marks the first EF5 tornado in Mississippi since the Candlestick Park tornado on May 3, 1966. 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. [2] Smithville is the birthplace of Rod Brasfield, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. An oak tree fell next to it and anchored the house, keeping the wind from hauling Mrs. Boyd and her home away. 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 National Weather Service classified the Wednesday afternoon twister that hit Smithville as an EF-5, the strongest rating for tornado damage. Overall, the tornado destroyed 117 structures in Smithville and damaged 50 others, killing 16 people. These are life-saving announcements and its critical to understand their instructions. . Some of the damage left behind by the most violent tornadoes stunned even experienced meteorologists. The Hackleburg/Phil Campbell EF5 tornado was on the ground for132 miles. The first of four EF5 tornadoeson April 27, 2011, raked through east-central Mississippi, leaving some incredible damage in its wake. Continuing northeast, the tornado re-intensified as it struck the rural community of Shottsville at high-end EF3 intensity, where homes and mobile homes were destroyed, hundreds of trees were snapped and debarked, and seven more people were killed. Mississippi Highway 25 traverses Smithville, connecting the town with Fulton to the north and Amory to the south. Zooming to the neighborhood level will not show the precise path. Extremely detailed analysis of treefall patterns indicates a start point 6.12 miles SW of Smithville. Please note: Due to scheduled maintenance, many NCEI systems will be unavailable Wednesday, March 1st, 3:30 PM ET - 7:30 PM ET. The tornado produced additional high-end EF3 damage as it continued north of Hamilton, where several mobile homes and frame homes were destroyed, including one frame home at the bottom of a ravine that was swept clean from its foundation (though lack of road access prevented close inspection of the home's construction, precluding a potential higher rating at that location). Second, a cold front was moving across central Arkansas. To make use of these warnings yourself, pay attention to the severe weather alerts issued over your radio, television, weather radio, and cellular devices. More Satellite, FORECASTS This total path was over 600 miles longer than the April 3-4, 1974, Super Outbreak.". 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). Prior to the spring of 2011, the record number of tornadoes in a single month was 542, set in May 2004, while the record for April was only 267. Before (left) and after in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, representing damage from April 2011 supertornado outbreak. Local AHPS, CLIMATE AND PAST WEATHER 2011 had the second-most EF5/F5 tornadoes of any year with six. We crawled our way out of the building, said Mayor Gregg Kennedy, 49. Please be respectful of copyright. This is the longest-streak without an EF5/F5 tornado since records began in 1950. * 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 April U.S. tornado counts from 2011 through 2019. Newspaper clips are embedded via newspapers.com. He is giving you something better.. The other two touched down during May in Joplin, Missouri, and El Reno/Piedmont, Oklahoma. This included some long-track EF3 tornadoes, an intensity somewhat rare for early-morning squall lines. In April 1974, an even more powerful outbreak took place, producing more intense tornadoesEF-3s to EF-5sthan the 2011 Super Outbreak. "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. Smithville High School won two 1A football state championships in 1993 and 1998. Here is the map for the entire tornado track: Here is the map for the local portion of the tornado track: Click here to see the portion of the track in the area served by NWS Birmingham, AL. The 200-plus mph winds wiped numerous well-built . This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM. - Dr. Greg Forbes. This line of storms had multiple stages of evolution and moved across several states before dissipating. Climate Prediction An earlier ending time via radar data was found at 4:21 pm CDT. 2011 tornado [ edit] 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 205 mph (330 km/h). Columbus AFB, Climate [11] Several additional homes were damaged and a chicken house was destroyed as the tornado approached Franklin County. Debris cleanup in Tuscaloosa alone cost $100 million. Hydrology, CLIMATE AND PAST WEATHER Regional Impacts 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. This clip was shown during an episode of Weather Geeks on The Weather Channel. Doppler radar lead the way to improving severe weather nowcasting, including increasing lead times for tornadoes. 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. The Knupp et al. A NOAA Weather Radio is another critical source for emergency information. Twenty-three people were killed by the tornado that went . Warnings, however, are issued when severe weather is imminent or already occurring. Alone, the state accounted for 69 of the tornadoes and fell victim to the events costliest tornado. 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 2011 Smithville EF5 tornado is one of the strongest tornadoes in recorded history, and this video aims to cover every second of the storm, from genesis t. Air Quality, RIVERS AND LAKES It is a premium article. This storm produced 4 tornadoes over Craighead county. A strong southwesterly surface jet intersected these systems at a 60 angle, an ageostrophic flow that led to storm-relative helicity values in excess of 500m2s2indicative of extreme wind shear and a very high potential for rotating updrafts within supercells. Fire These storms produced wind damage and large hail. One of the EF-5 tornadoes of the outbreak occurred across northern Mississippi, near Smithville. Please Contact Us. Tropical Weather Very few tornadoes have been given the most violent EF5/F5 rating since 1950. These power lines west of Huntsville, Alabama, were destroyed by an EF5 tornado on April 27, 2011. Alabama and Oklahoma lead the way with seven "5-rated" tornadoes, followed closely by Texas, Iowa and Kansas with six such tornadoes each. Before photo courtesy of Google Earth and after photo taken April 29, 2011, from NOAAs King Air Aircraft, courtesy of the National Geodetic Survey. It then moved over Alabama, Georgia, and eventually into North Carolina, generating many additional tornadoes along the way. Which City Is the Worst for Fall Allergies This Year? The 20-year average U.S. tornado total from 1999-2018 (189 tornadoes) is shown by the horizontal thin white line. 27 tornado count differs from that shown in map above. Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. Over 300 transmission towers were mangled on April 27, 2011. There were 404 housing units at an average density of 275.8 per square mile (106.8/km2). Please select one of the following: Local KNQA Standard Radar (low bandwidth), Local KGWX Standard Radar (low bandwidth), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The NWS Memphis lists 3:44 pm CDT as the time of formation. 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. 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. [5][dead link][6] The tornado began producing remarkably intense damage and swept away multiple homes and structures as it moved northeast, following MS 25. These ingredients, along with lift from a potent upper disturbance, ultimately led to the historic tornado outbreak of April 27, 2011. AMORY, Miss. -An SUV was tossed one-half mile into the town's water tower, then blown another one-quarter mile. Join the tornado history discussion on our. Jackson, Mississippi234 Weather Service Dr.Flowood, MS 39232601-936-2189Comments? Multiple locations were found. The wind shear that was caused by the increasing winds aloft, and turning of the winds from south to westerly, was at rare levels for late April. About Us. After extensive personal research, this video provides one of the most comprehensive documentations possible, utilising dozens of photos, video, eyewitness accounts and professional analyses. Air Quality, RIVERS AND LAKES The previous EF4 tornado occurred on April 29, 2017 in Canton, Texas. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males. The storm sucked her into her den. 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. This marks the first EF5 tornado in Mississippi since the Candlestick Park tornado on May 3, 1966. The 2011 Smithville EF5 tornado is one of the strongest tornadoes in recorded history, and this video aims to cover every second of the storm, from genesis to dissipation. [4] Another 50tornadoes touched down on this day. 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. Monroe County alone has now confirmed 15 deaths, with 14 in Smithville. Crews were still searching for bodies behind the towns school. Nearby towns have jumped in to help, setting up shelters, serving hamburgers, sending in clothes. It lifted up her house, turned it like a spinning coin and then set it down again several feet from the foundation. Take control of your data. A powerful low-pressure system combined with moist and unstable atmospheric conditions to produce this now-infamous tornado outbreak. We know there is a tremendous amount of debris, and the possibility that the waterways surrounding this area contain human remains, Mr. Barbour said. Not only is the Smithville EF5 examined, but the Houston - New Wren EF3 is also examined, peering into the life of the obscure yet violent tornado. Meteorologist and researcher Jon Davies blogged about the rarity of seeing such extreme values of shear and unstable air. Observations The average household size 2.42 and the average family size 3.03. April 27, 2011, likely remains the deadliest day for tornadoes in the last 85 years. The most EF5/F5 tornadoes in a single year werein1974 when theApril 3 super outbreakspawned seven in a 24-hour period. CURRENT HAZARDS His girlfriend he found unscathed in her bathtub. The storms formed into a bow echo, similar to the squall line that moved across the Mid-South on April 4, 2011. As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 882 people, 365 households, and 243 families residing in the town. His mother, just out of the shower, was covered in a quilt. The environmental conditions leading up to the April 2011 Super Outbreak were among the "most conducive to violent tornadoes ever documented". View Storm Report Of those 21, 11 were rated as strong (EF2, EF3) tornadoes and had fairly long path lengths. The first tornado producing storms to move across the Mid-South developed in Southwestern Arkansas during the late afternoon hours of April 25th. About Us. Winter Weather US Dept of Commerce They then use the Enhanced Fujita Scale to estimate the maximum winds in the tornado. We've compiled a list of the most jaw-dropping facets of this outbreak that we'll never forget. Twenty-three were killed, and roughly 61 injured. Its just the way the Lord done it. Note: There are some images/videos in our summaries that were licensed to us to be used only on this website. Science/Training Nineteen states have experienced an EF5/F5 tornado since 1950, as far east as Ohio and as far north as North Dakota. County: Monroe, Itawamba (MS)/ Marion, Franklin (AL), SPC Coordinates: Start: 34.0455/-88.4450 End: 34.3226/-87.8924. But they had little trouble making peace with the tornados path. It just wasnt my time to go. Interesting satellite and radar images from this event. Radar Nearly all of the storms produced tornadoes, with many of them long track and significant.
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