NWS Jackson,MS, Feb 5, 2004 Severe Weather Outbreak

Public Information Statement

NOUS44 KJAN 070227PNSJANPUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS800 PM CST FRI FEB 6 2004 THREE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEY TEAMS WERE DISPATCHED FROM THE JACKSON OFFICE TO INVESTIGATE SEVERE WEATHER DAMAGE ACROSS THE STATE.  1ST TEAMTHE FIRST TEAM WENT TO NEWTON AND LAUDERDALE COUNTIES AND FOUND TWO WEAK TORNADOES.  THE FIRST TORNADO BEGAN IN SOUTHERN NEWTON COUNTY 6.5 MILES SSE OF NEWTON AND TRAVELED 8 MILES TO THE NE BEFORE LIFTING 2.5 MILES S OF HICKORY.  THIS TORNADO UPROOTED NUMEROUS TREES AND CAUSED MINOR ROOF DAMAGE TO TWO HOUSES.  THIS TORNADO WAS RATED ON THE FUJITA SCALE AS AN F1.THE SECOND TORNADO WAS IN LAUDERDALE COUNTY 1 MILE NW OF COLLINSVILLE.  THIS WAS A WEAK, SHORT TRACK TORNADO THAT WAS ON THE GROUND FOR 1.5 MILES AND WAS 100 YARDS WIDE.  IT BLEW OVER A HOUSE UNDER CONSTRUCTION, DESTROYED A UTILITY SHED, AND CAUSED MINOR DAMAGE TO A HOUSE.  THE BED OF A PICK-UP TRUCK WAS LIFTED AND SET DOWN IN A SMALL UTILITY SHED.  SEVERAL TREES WERE ALSO UPROOTED.  THIS TORNADO WAS ALSO RATED AS AN F1 ON THE FUJITA SCALE.2ND TEAMTHE SECOND TEAM EXAMINED THREE CIRCULATIONS IN SIMPSON...RANKIN...SMITH...AND SCOTT COUNTIES.  THE FIRST CIRCULATION MOVED FROM WESTERN SIMPSON COUNTY INTO SOUTHEAST RANKIN COUNTY.  THE SECOND SHORT-LIVED CIRCULATION OCCURRED BRIEFLY BETWEEN RALEIGH AND BURNS IN SMITH COUNTY.  NO DAMAGE WAS FOUND WITH EITHER OF THESE CIRCULATIONS.THE THIRD CIRCULATION DID PRODUCE UP TO F2 INTENSITY TORNADIC DAMAGE.  THERE WERE A COUPLE OF TREES DOWN FROM STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE IN EXTREME WESTERN SIMPSON COUNTY ABOUT 4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HARRISVILLE.  HOWEVER...IT APPEARS THAT THE TORNADO DID NOT TOUCH DOWN UNTIL IT WAS JUST NORTHWEST / LESS THAN A MILE / FROM THE CENTER OF HARRISVILLE.  THE TORNADO MOVED NORTHEAST ALONG AND JUST NORTH OF HARRISVILLE-BRAXTON ROAD.  THE TORNADO STARTED WITH F0 DAMAGE IN HARRISVILLE...THEN QUICKLY INCREASED TO F1 INTENSITY ABOUT A MILE NORTHEAST OF HARRISVILLE TO ABOUT 2 MILES WEST OF BRAXTON.  A WELL-CONSTRUCTED HOME HAD VISIBLE DAMAGE TO SEVERAL LOCATIONS ON ITS ROOF.  SEVERAL HOMES HAD MINOR ROOF DAMAGE ALONG STAR-BRAXTON ROAD.  THE ROOF OF A SHED WAS TORN OFF IN THIS AREA...WITH WINDOWS BLOWN OUT.  ANOTHER HOUSE HAD WINDOWS BLOWN OUT...AND A TREE WAS BLOWN ONTO A CAR.  HUNDREDS OF TREES WERE UPROOTED OR SNAPPED ALONG THE PATH...INCLUDING 12" PINES AND CEDARS.  SEVERAL 2-3 FOOT DIAMETER TREES WERE SNAPPED CLOSE TO THEIR BASES.  A LARGE TREE FELL ON A HOME 2 WEST OF BRAXTON ALONG THE WESTERN PORTION OF HOLLY GROVE CIRCLE...WHERE A FENCE WAS FLATTENED AND A SMALL BARN WAS DEMOLISHED.  A 12-16" DIAMETER PINE TREE WAS SNAPPED AND ITS TOP BLOWN AT LEAST 50 FEET DOWNWIND. A WHEELBARROW WAS REMOVED FROM A SHED AND THROWN AT LEAST 300 FEET DOWNWIND.  THE ROOF OF A WELL-CONSTRUCTED HOME WAS PEELED BACK.  ROOFING MATERIAL WAS BLOWN HUNDREDS OF FEET DOWNWIND AND WRAPPED AROUND FENCES AND TREES.  THE WORST DAMAGE OCCURRED 1.5 MILES WEST-NORTHWEST OF BRAXTON...ALONG THE EASTERN PORTION OF HOLLY GROVE CIRCLE.  IN THIS AREA ABOUT 70 PERCENT OF A FOREST OF 12-16" PINE TREES WERE SNAPPED ABOUT 15-20 FEET FROM THEIR BASES AND FLATTENED.  THIS IS WHERE LOW END F2 DAMAGE WAS ASSESSED.  SOME OF THE TREES IN THIS AREA WERE SNAPPED BUT STILL ATTACHED TO THEIR TRUNKS AND WERE OBVIOUSLY TWISTED AROUND.  THE PATH WIDTH OF THE WORST DAMAGE WAS 0.1 MILE WITH A TOTAL DAMAGE WIDTH OF 0.2 MILE.  THE TORNADO THEN WEAKENED TO F1 INTENSITY AND CROSSED HIGHWAY 49 AT THE SIMPSON/RANKIN COUNTY LINE WHERE NUMEROUS TREES WERE SNAPPED AND BLOWN ONTO SOUTHBOUND LANES OF THE HIGHWAY.  THE TORNADO TRACKED ANOTHER 1.5 MILES TO SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF CLARA FOOTE ROAD IN RANKIN COUNTY WITH F1 DAMAGE.THE TORNADO TRACKED A TOTAL OF 10 MILES FROM NORTHWEST SIMPSON COUNTY TO SOUTH CENTRAL RANKIN COUNTY.  IT TOUCHED DOWN IN HARRISVILLE AT 1026 AM...ENTERED RANKIN COUNTY AT 1040 AM...THEN DISSIPATED 1.5 MILES NORTHEAST OF PINEY WOODS AT 1042 AM.THE CIRCULATION WAS TRACKED ACROSS SOUTHEAST RANKIN COUNTY...EXTREME NORTHWEST SMITH COUNTY...AND SOUTHWEST SCOTT COUNTY.  HOWEVER...NO DAMAGE WAS FOUND IN THESE AREAS.3RD TEAMTHE THIRD TEAM SURVEYED THE CIRCULATION PATHS THROUGH FRANKLIN...LINCOLN AND COPIAH COUNTIES. THESE PATHS WERE GENERALLY ALONG A LINE FROM MEADVILLE TO CASEYVILLE TO BEAUREGARD TO GEORGETOWN. SCATTERED MINOR TREE DAMAGE WAS FOUND ALONG THE PATHS AND WAS ASSOCIATED WITH STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.$$BUTCH/CAMPBELL/CRAVEN/KRAMAR/GERARD/ENTREMONT