A National Weather Service survey team has determined that the storm damage in northern Leake and southern Attala counties on Wednesday was caused by an EF-2 tornado. Here are the details:
THIS STRONG TORNADO STARTED IN THE SINGLETON
COMMUNITY ALONG MINSHEW ROAD AND TRACKED NE
INTO SOUTHERN ATTALA COUNTY BEFORE
DISSIPATING. THE TORNADO GREW AND
INTENSIFIED QUICKLY ALONG CORINTH AND
FAULKNER ROADS. THOUSANDS OF TREES WERE
UPROOTED OR SNAPPED AND SEVERAL HOMES HAD
MINOR DAMAGE. A FEW SHEDS WERE DESTROYED AND
MANY POWER LINES WERE DOWNED. THE TORNADO
PEAKED IN INTENSITY AS IT CROSSED SINGLETON
ROAD AND HIGHWAY 35. SIGNIFICANT TREE DAMAGE
OCCURRED IN THIS AREA. MULTIPLE HOMES AND
BUILDINGS SUSTAINED VARYING DEGREES OF
DAMAGE. MANY POWER LINES WERE DOWN HERE AS
WELL. THE TORNADO THEN CROSSED BIG SPRINGS
AND DAUGHERTY ROADS WHERE SUBSTANTIAL TREE
DAMAGE CONTINUED. SOME HOMES ALSO SUSTAINED
MOSTLY MINOR DAMAGE. THE TORNADO WEAKENED
SOME AS IT APPROACHED THE COUNTY LINE. THREE
HOMES SUSTAINED MODERATE ROOF DAMAGE AND A
COUPLE SHEDS WERE DESTROYED. THE TORNADO
CONTINUED INTO SOUTHERN ATTALA COUNTY AND
STEADILY DECREASED IN INTENSITY. DAMAGE
CONSISTED MOSTLY OF TREE DAMAGE AND POWER
LINES DOWN. THE TORNADO DISSIPATED AFTER
CROSSING CENTER ROAD. THIS TORNADO WAS QUITE
WIDE (1200 YDS, ROUGHLY 0.7 MILES) AND WAS
ON THE GROUND FOR 10.6 MILES. MAXIMUM WINDS
WERE AROUND 115 MPH.
