In the early evening hours of February 23,2019,a large and intense tornado moved through the city of Columbus,located in Lowndes County,Mississippi. The tornado,which received a rating of EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale,killed one person and injured 19 others during its 16-minute lifespan. The tornado was on the ground for 10 miles (16km),and produced extensive damage to trees and man-made structures. The tornado was the first to kill at least one person during the 2019 tornado season,and was one of 33 EF3-rated tornadoes in the United States that year.
The tornado first touched down at 6:15 pm CDT,producing EF0 and EF-rated damage to trees as it crossed the Oak Slush Creek into downtown Columbus. It reached EF2 intensity for the first time on North 8th Avenue,beginning to deroof homes and uproot trees as it moved to the northeast. The Sims Community Center sustained a direct hit by the tornado and was destroyed;outbuildings on the property collapsed inward. The tornado reached its peak strength as it impacted a building on Tuscaloosa Road where one of four people in the structure was killed. The building itself was completely destroyed,with damage at the location receiving an EF3 rating. It continued to produce EF1 and EF2-rated damage as it tracked to the east before lifting north of Eubanks Road at 6:31 pm CDT. The tornado was on the ground for 16 minutes,from just west of Columbus to northeast of the city.
2019 as a whole was a record-breaking year for tornadoes in Mississippi,with 114 tornadoes striking the state.[1][2]
Advanced forecasting
On February 20,in the Day 4 severe weather outlook,the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) outlined a 15% risk of severe weather across East Texas,Arkansas,North Louisiana,North Mississippi,North Alabama,Tennessee,the Missouri Bootheel,Southern Illinois,Southern Indiana and large portions of Kentucky.[3] The following day,the SPC outlined an "enhanced",level 3-out-of-5 risk for portions of Arkansas,Mississippi,Alabama,Tennessee and small portions of Southern Indiana and Southern Illinois. The enhanced risk was driven by a 30% "hatched" risk of overall severe weather.[4] The text produce included with the risk noted that "More discrete storms,including supercells,may eventually develop as far south as the lower Mississippi Valley through portions of the southern Appalachians by late Saturday night".[4]
The Day 1 "Public Severe Weather Outlook" issued by the Storm Prediction Center on February 233
The enhancer risk outlined in the Day 2 convective outlook was made smaller,no longer covering much of the Midwestern United States. The risk did still cover parts of Arkansas and Mississippi;a later update of the Day 2 outlook expanded the enhanced risk downward and upward,reaching into Tennessee and down into Central Mississippi.[5] The Day 1 convective outlook,outlined on the morning of February 23,saw the initial removal of the enhanced risk area,being replaced with a "slight",level 2-out-of-5 risk for portions of Mississippi,Louisiana and Arkansas.[6] Five hours later,the SPC upgraded the sight risk to a "moderate",level 4-out-of-5 risk,driven by a 15% risk of a tornado happening within 25 miles of a given point,known as a "hatched" risk.[7] Late in the day,Columbus was included in the moderate risk area.[8]
Tornado summary
The tornado first touched down at 6:15 pm CDT just west of Columbus,across the Tombigbee River.[9] It immediately broke branches off hardwood trees immediately after touching down before crossing the river,where it reached EF1 intensity for the first time.[9] The tornado began to uproot trees as it crossed South 8th Avenue,before uplifting the roof of a home. EF0 damage was inflicted to a warehouse building on the corner of South 8th Street and South 4th Street;the tornado curved slightly north as it impacted the building. On South 7th Avenue,the tornado collapsed sheet metal doors at EF0 intensity and continued uprooting trees at EF1 intensity.[9] The tornado continued to rip through dowtown at EF1 intensity,snapping tree branches and bending at least one cell phone tower on the corner of South 10th Street and College Street. It damaged roofs and uplifted roof decking as it crossed over Main Street in downtown Columbus,before reaching EF2 intensity for the first time on North 8th Avenue.[9]
Here,the tornado collapsed the exterior walls of a single-story home,and completely deroofed a small office building. More EF2 damage was inflicted to a restaurant on Railroad Street,with the building's roof being torn off the structure.[9] The tornado then impacted the Sims Community Center,destroying the building and heavily damaging outbuildings on the property. Wind speeds as the tornado impacted the community center were estimated to have been as high as 125 miles per hour (201km/h). It snapped wooden power poles on Mose Street and continued to produce EF2 damage to homes on North 11th Avenue and Shady Street,before collapsing a steel building on Waterworks Road.[9]
The tornado weakened to EF1 intensity after crossing the Luxapallila Creek,damaging power poles and uprooting trees before rapidly intensifying,reaching EF3 intensity for the first time,destroying a brick-constructed restaurant and killing an occupant on the corner of Tuscaloosa Road and Gardner Road.[10] On Conway Drive,the tornado destroyed a large retail building at EF2 intensity;trees aside the nearby Mississippi Highway 50 were uprooted at EF1 intensity.[9] The tornado collapsed the chimney of a home on Shelton Avenue,located to the west of U.S. Route 82,before continuing to uproot trees at EF1 intensity on Harris Road. It maintained EF1 intensity through area south and southeast of Steens before lifting at 6:31 pm CDT north of Eubanks Road. The tornado was on the ground for 16 minutes,killing one person and injuring 19 others.[10][11][12][9]
Aftermath
EF3 damage to a retail building where the single fatality occurred
Damage and casualties
Monetary losses from the tornado totaled an estimated $4 million (2020 USD).[13] In addition to monetary losses the tornado damaged 275 homes and an estimated 28 buisnesses,[14] including the First Pentecostal Church of Columbus,which was built in 1979.[15][16]
The tornado was the first to kill at least one person during 2019.[17][18][19] 41-year-old Ashley Glynell Pounds was struck by the tornado when it was near or at its peak intensity;[20] the house she sheltered in was completely destroyed by the tornado. She was transported to a hospital but died while surgery was underway.[18][21] She was one of four people who were in the building at the time of the tornado.[22] The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency assisted with initial damage assessment and recovery efforts.[23] A shelter was opened by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in the Townsend Community Center,located on 15th Street.[23]
Around a year after the tornado,debris still remained on the streets of Columbus.[24] In 2023,the Hunt High School campus,heavily damaged by the tornado,[25] was rebuilt.[26]
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