Fri. Nov 22nd, 2024
Occasional Digest - a story for you

A devastating EF-4 tornado ripped 54 miles across Mississippi on Friday night, decimating the small town of Rolling Fork and killing at least 13 people.

The Rolling Fork tornado was among an outbreak of deadly twisters and severe weather that spanned several southeastern states. At least 21 people were killed, and entire towns were destroyed. 

Even as Mississippi and Alabama mourn their lost and assess the damage, the region was bracing for another round of storms in what has become a higher-than-average year for tornadoes: 296 had been reported as of Sunday.

A visual overview of the weekend storms: 

Tornado outbreak

These are the tornadoes reported by the National Weather Service:

Rolling Fork 

The tornado was on the ground in Mississippi for an hour and 10 minutes, beginning in northern Issaquena County and ending in northern Holmes County. In a preliminary survey, the weather service said the tornado had peak winds of 170 mph and was three quarters of a mile wide at one point. 

Chickasaw/Itawamba 

An EF-3 tornado killed two people Friday as it traveled 37 miles through Chickasaw and Monroe counties in Mississippi and Itawamba County, Alabama, with peak winds estimated at 155 mph and a maximum width at one point of 1,600 yards. The most significant damage was reported south of New Wren and in Amory.

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