Clockwise from top: The tornado taken near Holly Bluff after crossing the Mississippi River. The town sign for Yazoo City, Mississippi, along with the ruins of a large brick building. Doppler radar imagery of the tornado near peak intensity with a debris ball evident on reflectivity.
During the morning hours of April 24,2010,a massive,long-tracked,and devastating tornado,sometimes referred to as the Yazoo City tornado,[1] inflicted significant to major destruction to several cities and communities across Louisiana and Mississippi,including to southern parts of Yazoo City,resulting in 10 fatalities and injuring 146 people during its 152.66mi (245.68km) path. The tornado was the first violent tornado of the tornado outbreak of April 22–25,2010,and the deadliest tornado of the outbreak.
The intense supercell produced the tornado a few miles east of Tallulah and almost immediately intensified to EF3 strength,maintaining that intensity before crossing the Mississippi River. The tornado briefly weakened before strengthening back to EF3 intensity. The tornado intensified further to low-end EF4 south Yazoo City. Several homes and businesses were demolished and heavy deforestation occurred. The tornado soon weakened to high-end EF3 intensity and maintained that strength before restrengthening to low-end EF4 intensity few miles southwest of Durant. Following this period of restrengthening,the tornado weakened,fluctuating between EF1 and EF2 strength before strengthening back to high-end EF3 intensity in southern Choctaw County.
The tornado rapidly weakened before lifting north of Sturgis. This long-track and devastating tornado became the fourth longest in Mississippi history,and was,at the time,the largest tornado in the state's history. Alongside that,the tornado was the first violent tornado to happen in Mississippi during April since 1978.[2][3] After the tornado,Governor of Mississippi,Haley Barbour,declared a state of emergency for the counties affected by the tornado,with him visiting the devastated areas few days later. Several organizations and local non-profits,including The Salvation Army,arrived in areas devastated by the tornado,especially in Yazoo City,helping in the relief and recovery efforts.
Meteorological setup
On April 20,Storm Prediction Center highlighted a Day 5 risk for the lower Mississippi River basin region for April 24,with an environment that corresponds with the Day 4 risk forecasted for April 23;a favorable kinematic and thermodynamic environment possibly near or ahead of an advancing front. While large hail and damaging winds was expected,a moist boundary layer and strong wind shear indicated potential tornadic activities.[4] On April 22,the SPC issued a slight risk,with a 30% hatched risk issued. A large upper-level trough was forecasted to slowly move across the central United States and center over Illinois,with strong southwesterly flow aloft forecasted to spread across the Mississippi Valley into the Gulf Coast Region. Within the area south of the Ohio Valley,a moist and destabilizing airmass combined with strong wind field spreading across the region suggesting severe weather potential. Low-level and deep layer shear was forecasted to support tornadic supercells,with surface dewpoints expected to be up to mid-60s/low-70s.[5]
High risk for severe weather being issued by the Storm Prediction Center
On April 24,an energetic upper-level storm system strengthened as it moved from Texas to the southern Great Lakes Region. A cold front moved eastward across the middle and lower Mississippi River Valley before heading into the Ohio River Valley. It stretched into the Mid-South portion of the United States. In front of the cold front,a warm,moist,and unstable air mass spread northward from the lower Mississippi River Valley and northern Gulf Coast States into the middle Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys. There were already thunderstorms that had formed during the morning hours,and the conditions would only become more numerous throughout the day. This set the stage for a significant severe weather outbreak with the potential for strong and violent tornadoes,large hail,and damaging winds.[6] As a result,the Storm Prediction Center issued a rare high risk of severe weather for portions of Mississippi,Alabama,Tennessee,and Kentucky,the first such issuance since April 26,2009.[7] Four "particularly dangerous situation" tornado watches were issued that day for areas of Missouri,Kentucky,Illinois,Arkansas,Louisiana,Mississippi,Tennessee,and Alabama.[8][9][10][11]
Tornado summary
Louisiana
Omega Chemical Plant suffering complete destruction at EF3 intensity.
The tornado touched down in Madison Parish,few miles west of Tallulah. The tornado quickly intensified to low-end EF3 intensity,downing a couple high-tension power poles along I-20 and carving cycloidal marks and flipping a tractor trailer and injuring the truck driver. The tornado continued travelling northeast through rural areas,carving more cycloidal marks onto fields and snapping trees and power poles along U.S. Route 80. The tornado intensified to mid-range EF3 strength crossing Willow Bayou Road. Several homes were heavily damaged,several vehicles and tractors were damaged and trees were snapped.[12] Maintaining EF3 intensity,The tornado crossed Parker Road,causing intense ground scarring. Couple of framed homes sustained moderate roof damage and a double-wide mobile home was leveled. The tornado continued at low-end EF3 intensity,crossing Willow Bayou Road again. An electrical transmission tower was bent and snapped,a mobile home was destroyed,several homes experienced complete loss of their exterior walls,a home was completely unroofed,and several trees were snapped or uprooted.[13]
The tornado maintained EF3 intensity,continuing to carve cycloidal marks in open fields. Crossing Highway 65 and Levee Road,the tornado passes just south of the community of Omega,where a chemical plant was destroyed,a few rail cars were rolled off their track,and a crane was completely crumpled by the tornado along with severe damage to storage tanks and grain silos. Soon the tornado crossed the Mississippi River into Mississippi.[12][13]
Mississippi
High-end EF2 damage to home leveled near Eagle Bend,Mississippi.
The tornado weakened back down to mid-range EF2 intensity entering Warren County. Numerous hardwood trees were snapped or uprooted east of the Mississippi River. The tornado briefly crossed Eagle Lake before impacting a neighborhood west of Eagle Bend at high-end EF2 intensity. A home was mostly leveled along Sea Island Drive. Several substandard homes were heavily damaged or destroyed,a couple of homes were unroofed,and several trees were snapped. The tornado briefly entering back into Louisiana before re-entering back into Mississippi,moving into Issaquena County.[14][13] The tornado made a sharp northward turn,weakening down to EF1 intensity,snapping several hardwood trees before strengthening slightly to low-end EF2 intensity south of Cypress Lake. The tornado traversed U.S. Route 61 south of Valley Park,intensifying to high-end EF2 intensity,snapping and uprooting a prolific amount of trees in the Delta National Forest and destroying an outbuilding along the highway,cutting through the extreme southeastern portion of Sharkey County.[15][16]
The tornado entered Yazoo County,weakening down to EF1 intensity,mainly uprooting trees before restrengthening back to mid-range EF2 intensity. A home along Satartia Road sustained significant roof damage and a utility building near the home was demolished.[13][17] The tornado slightly weakened to high-end EF1 intensity,snapping several trees along Lake George. The tornado tore through the southern parts of Panther Swamp National Wildfire Refuge,intensifying to high-end EF2 damage. Several trees were snapped and razed. The tornado weakened slightly to low-end EF2 intensity,snapping multiple trees along Yazoo River and inflicting minimal roof damage to a home. The tornado crossed Highway 3 north of Satartia,with estimated windspeeds up to 120mph (190km/h). Numerous trees were snapped and uprooted,a couple of outbuilding were demolished,several homes along the highway sustained moderate roof damage.[13]
Around the same time,an intense tornado debris signature was evident on doppler radar alongside an intense velocity couplet,these signature led to an issuance of a tornado emergency for Yazoo City at 12:11 p.m CDT.[18] The tornado crossed Judkins Road at high-end EF2 intensity. Several trees were snapped,two mobile homes were dislodge from their units and were rolled,a framed home had most of their roof ripped away,a couple of homes sustained moderate roof damage and a single-wide mobile home was destroyed. A 31-year-old mother here was killed after shielding her three grandchildren underneath a mattress,who survived the tornado.[19] The tornado weakened slightly to EF1 intensity crossing Ridge Road. Dozens of homes experienced minor to moderate structural damage. The tornado crossed Center Ridge Road,intensifying to high-end EF2 strength. Multiple trees were snapped,a one-story brick home was mostly unroofed,and two other homes sustained severe roof damage.[13] The tornado weakened to mid-range EF2 intensity,crossing Woodland Road. A couple of homes suffered significant roof damage,with a few other homes experiencing moderate roof damage,and an outbuilding sustained major roof damage. The tornado reached a peak width of 3,080yd (2,820m) along the intersection of Highway 49 and Highway 16,becoming the largest tornado on record in Mississippi,until the record was beaten by the Bassfield tornado almost ten years later.[20]
The Hillcrest Baptist Church was completely destroyed at low-end EF4 intensity.
The tornado strengthened significantly,impacting areas along Learsville Road. Two metal building systems were completely leveled at mid-range EF3 intensity,a nearby automobile showroom had significant portions of its roof ripped away,a single-wide mobile home was destroyed,a home experienced moderate structural damage,and an outbuilding was mostly unroofed.[13] The tornado reached peak intensity at low-end EF4 strength with windspeeds up to 170mph (270km/h). Along Bus Station Road,The Hillcrest Baptist Church was completely destroyed,with the steel I-beams bent. Several hardwood trees nearby the church were severely debarked and denuded. A Mississippi Department Of Transportation maintenance building nearby was partially destroyed,with parts of its exterior and interior walls collapsing. A metal storage building adjacent to the maintenance building was destroyed. A 5,000lb (2,300kg) concrete reinforced awning block was torn out of the ground and thrown 100yd (91m) away. An outbuilding nearby was completely destroyed. Half of a funeral home was destroyed,another metal building system experienced total destruction. A Ribeye's Steakhouse sustained significant roof damage and a small outbuilding was destroyed.[13][2]
The tornado slightly weakened to mid-range EF3 intensity,crossing Old Benton Road. A poorly built home was leveled at estimated windspeeds of 155mph (249km/h). A home along the road was mostly leveled,with a few interior walls left standing.[13][2] Multiple homes nearby sustained total loss to their exterior walls,several other homes sustained significant to severe roof loss,a double-wide mobile was destroyed and two other mobile homes were dislodge and rolled off their units. Outbuildings were destroyed,hardwood trees was snapped and debarked. The tornado continued northeast,weakening down to high-end EF2 intensity. A pool house/storage shed experienced major destruction,with most of the building collapsing,and several trees snapped.[13] The tornado traveled through forested areas,where intense forestry damage were noted. A couple of mobile homes were destroyed,a framed home sustained significant roof damage,and another home was heavily damaged. The tornado crossed Powell Road at high-end EF2. A double-wide mobile home was destroyed,several trees were significantly snapped,and a home along Fouche Pit Road sustained significant roof damage.[13][2] At an intersection of Mollett Road and Breakwater Drive,another mobile home was demolished and several trees were snapped and uprooted. For the rest of Yazoo County;more prolific tree damage occurred,with several of them snapping,mobile homes were demolished,and multiple framed homes sustained significant structural damage.[13][2] Throughout Yazoo County,the tornado killed four people and 53 others were injured,all the fatalities occurring in mobile homes. The tornado crossed into Holmes County.[2][21]
Entering Holmes County,the tornado weakened down to low-end EF2 intensity and narrowed down slightly to 2,600yd (2,400m) in width. The tornado traversed through rural areas of Holmes County,causing extensive tree damage before impacting areas around of the community of Ebenezer at high-end EF2 intensity. A church sanctuary north of the community was destroyed,several trees were snapped,and mobile homes were demolished. A 70-year-old man was killed when his mobile home along Ebenezer Road was demolished.[22][21] The tornado strengthened slightly to estimated windspeeds of up to 134mph (216km/h) along Newport Road,demolishing a mobile,inflicting extensive tree damage,and snapping power poles. The tornado makes a sharp eastward turn,intensifying to low-end EF3 strength crossing Springhill Road. A single-wide mobile home was destroyed,with another framed home significantly damage and severe forestry damage. The tornado intensified further after crossing Pickens-Garnett Road,mostly leveling a brick home at estimated windspeeds of 155mph (249km/h). A home nearby had most of its exterior walls collapsed,another home was unroofed and had significant exterior walls,couple of mobile homes were destroyed,and trees were snapped. The tornado intensified to high-end EF3 strength,traversing through areas south of Franklin. A well-built brick home was mostly leveled,leaving a few walls left standing. Several trees nearby were snapped or debarked,an outbuilding was demolished,and numerous powerlines were snapped.[22][13]
Brick home near Franklin,Mississippi leveled at low-end EF4 intensity
After weakening back down to mid-range EF2 intensity,the tornado became violent for the second time. A brick home along Horton Road was leveled. A single-wide mobile home nearby was demolished and several trees were snapped or uprooted. The tornado crossed I-55 south of Durant,weakening back to an low-end EF2 intensity,snapping trees and several vehicles were blown off the highway before exiting Holmes County.[13][22][23] The tornado then entered Attala County,weakening down to EF1 intensity,snapping or uprooting several hardwood and softwood trees,before strengthening back to EF2 intensity,numerous trees were snapped. The tornado intensified slightly after passing south of Possumneck at mid-range EF2 intensity;unroofing significant portions of a home,snapping trees,and power lines.[24][13] The tornado weakened to high-end EF1 strength;snapping and uprooting several trees,demolishing outbuilding,and inflicting moderate roof damage. The tornado briefly intensified to mid-range EF2 strength in Hesterville,causing significant roof damage to a couple of homes. The tornado went through rural forested area at high-end EF1 intensity. The tornado intensified to low-end EF2 strength,snapping wooden power poles and softwood trees after crossing Natchez Trace Parkway. The tornado weakened to EF1 intensity before strengthening back to mid-range EF2 status south of French Camp,inflicting major damage to a small home along County Road 2133.[13]
High-end EF3 damage to well-built home near French Camp,Mississippi.
Entering Choctaw County,the tornado maintained mid-range EF2 intensity,mainly snapping and uprooting trees. Along Highway 413,east of French Camp,the tornado rapidly intensified to a high-end EF3 strength with estimated wind speeds between 165mph (266km/h). A well-built home was almost completely demolished,with a few interior walls left standing. A Crossroads Grocery was completely destroyed,the cinderblock structure collapsed. The owner,his wife,and four other people sheltered in the store's freezer when the tornado struck,everyone survived with minor injuries. A steel storage fuel tank was uprooted from the ground and threw into the store and rest against the door of the freezer.[13][25] Two well-built homes had most of their exterior walls collapse,multiple of homes had significant roof damage,and several trees snapped. The tornado weakened slightly to mid-range EF3 intensity crossing Stewart Weir Road,mostly leveling the exterior walls of a one story home. A communication tower collapsed,a single-wide mobile home was destroyed,an outbuilding was demolished,and the Millsprings Church and its buildings sustained considerable roof damage. The tornado crossed the intersection of White and Prewitt Cemetery Road,demolishing several mobile homes at mid-range EF2 intensity,inflicting significant roof damage to a home,and significant timber damage.[13]
The tornado impacted a neighborhood along Pisgah and Dotson Roads at mid-range EF3 intensity,inflicting severe devastation to the neighborhood. Dozens mobile homes and conventional foundation homes were completely demolished and multiple vehicles were thrown into the tree line. Two poorly-built homes were leveled,a one-story home was mostly leveled,with a few interior walls left standing,a poorly-constructed home was shifted off its foundation,and several trees were significant snapped. Five people were killed in this neighborhood.[26] Afterwards,the tornado weakened to an EF2 intensity,causing heavy tree damage. The tornado struck the community of Chester at high-end EF1 intensity,destroying outbuilding and inflicting moderate damage to the Chester Baptist Church and homes.[13] The tornado crossed Pensacola Road,intensifying to mid-range EF2 strength,ripping away most of a roof from a brick home and snapping trees. The tornado make an eastward turn,downing metal poles along Ecoplex Road. The tornado crossed M.S. 9 at low-end EF2 intensity,snapping numerous trees along the highway. The tornado traveled a few more miles through Oktibbeha County as a weakening tornado. The tornado dissipated few miles north of Sturgis. In total,The tornado traveled 152.66mi (245.68km) and had a peak width of 3,080yd (2,820m),making it the largest in Mississippi at the time. The tornado was also the fourth-longest tracked on record in Mississippi.[27][28][26]
Impacts &aftermath
List of fatalities directly attributed to the tornado[29][2][13][26]
Stella Martin, 78 (Yazoo County)
Elizabeth Carpenter, 31 (Yazoo County)
James Harrison, 64 (Yazoo County)
Carlton Gould, 51 (Yazoo County)
Esley Brown, 70 (Holmes County)
Andra Patterson, 3 months (Choctaw County)
Tyanna Jobe, 9 (Choctaw County)
Brittany Jobe, 9 (Choctaw County)
Mary Yates, 58 (Choctaw County)
Bobby Yates, 58 (Choctaw County)
Overall, the tornado caused $36 million in damage in Louisiana and injured 16 people.[12] The tornado did $373.5 million in damage and killed ten and injured 146 people in Mississippi across several counties.[14] In Yazoo City, more than 160 homes received moderate to major damage, with 107 homes destroyed.[30] The tornado damage 849 homes, businesses and agriculture and 283 of them were destroyed.[31] Parts of State Highway 3 in Yazoo County, and State Highways 14 and 17 in Holmes County were closed due to fallen trees and other damage. University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson saw 27 patients, with a couple of them from Yazoo City were airlifted to the hospital, with 14 of the patients being in critical condition.[32]
Linemen working on restoring power
Governor of Mississippi, Haley Barbour, declared a state of emergency for the areas impacted by the tornado across seven counties. Spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), Greg Flynn, claimed that the death toll for the tornado could've been higher, if not for the vigil warning by the National Weather Service and improved response systems placed in after Hurricane Katrina.[33] 40 Mississippi National Guard soldiers patrolled around Yazoo City, with state troopers and other law enforcement officers joining to help.[34] Barbour visited parts of Yazoo County that got devastated and told the Associated Press there was "utter obliteration" in parts of the county that got hit, with him later recounting, "The effects of these storms have left many Mississippians with destroyed businesses and without homes".[27] The state set up a command post along U.S. 49 in Yazoo City, with the state also activating a 25-person rapid response team from Hattiesburg capable in search and rescue operations.[32]
The Salvation Army arrived in Yazoo City, serving 4,500 hot meals for residents impacted by the tornado.[35] Central Mississippi chapter opened a shelter with supplies as well as emergency response vehicles, other places like L.T. Miller Community Center in Yazoo City, opened up as shelters.[36] The Yazoo City Church of Christ administered 184,000 water bottles over the span of a couple days. Another church from Jackson, and churches from other states, including Arkansas and Kentucky arrived to aid in the recovery effort.[37] Housing Assistance Council provided $10,000 in loan to the Esther Stewart Buford Foundation for the purchase of new construction equipment. The foundation made emergency shelter, clothing, and essential supplies to victims of the tornado, with state, county, and local officials joining in the effort to help residents.[38] An emergency volunteer response center was established in Yazoo City by the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service. St. Mary’s Episcopal Church started working relief effort in Holmes County, serving meals in the Ebenezer area to victims and relief workers.[39]
Months after the tornado happened, most of the debris has been cleared out and new power lines were installed.[40] Mississippi Emergency Management Agency offered housing at lower prices to victims, selling refurbished cottages from the Gulf Coast to them.[41] Three months after the tornado, nearly 69.1 million tons of debris were removed across five counties, according to the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Contractors installed new power poles and volunteers helped with home repairs. MEMA reported that Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded nearly $3.3 million in individual assistance, and 849 applications for the aid were submitted. The Small Business Association made $2.4 million in loans, mostly for home repairs.[42] A year after the tornado, 90% of the damaged homes in Yazoo City was repaired and rebuilt.[43] On November 21, 2011, the Hillcrest Baptist Church successfully rebuilt, with the church holding a dedication ceremony for the church's revival. The church was rebuilt debt free due to donation, with the estimated cost of reconstruction being $1.5 million.[44]
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