Saturday's Mississippi Tornado Maps & Event Summary

Saturday's powerful tornado that devastated Mississippi is now in the record books. 

After a few days surveying and analyzing the damage path, officials could not find a clear break in the tornado's path.  The 149.25 mile track ranks as the fourth longest tornado path through Mississippi.  The twister began 5 miles west of Tallulah, LA finally dissipating nearly 3 hours and 149.25 miles later 5.5 miles north of Sturgis, MS.  At one point, while tearing a path through Yazoo County, the tornado reached a record width of 1.75 miles with estimated wind speeds near 170 mph, second strongest on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

 
The longest traveling Mississippi tornado, the Candlestick Park F5, covered 203 miles on March 3rd of 1966. 

Saturday's tornadowas the 9th deadliest in Mississippi, taking 10 lives and injuring 146.  The deadliest twister in the state's history left 317 people dead near Natchez on May 6, 1840.

In an average year, about 1,000 tornadoes are reported across the United States, resulting in 80 deaths and over 1,500 injuries.  Tornadoes vary significantly in size and intensity.  An average tornado damage path is about one or two miles, with a width of around 50 yards.

Preliminary Report
Full Report
Enhance Fujita Scale - More Details