Preliminary Rating of Devastating Mississippi Tornado
A mechanic at a Yazoo City, Miss., muffler shop that was leveled by Saturday's tornado recovers tools during cleanup efforts on Sunday, April 25, 2010 (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
After the NWS survey teams had a chance to analyze the damage caused by a severe storm that moved from Tallulah, La., to at least Durant, Miss., producing a deadly tornado on Saturday, a preliminary rating of the long-track tornado was released late Sunday.
Meteorologists call this type of storm that produces long-tracking tornadoes a supercell thunderstorm.
Tornado damage was found along the entire path of the supercell thunderstorm, which was 97 miles. This length will likely increase as more surveys are conducted farther east early this week. Fortunately, it appears that the weather will cooperate for further damage surveys and cleanup efforts early this week.
The maximum width of the tornado damage was found to be 1.75 miles so far. The preliminary rating is an EF4 with maximum winds estimated at 170 mph.
The majority of areas surveyed had EF3 damage with estimated winds of 150 to 165 mph. The two areas that were hit hardest with EF4 damage were in Yazoo City and in Holmes County.
Ten people were killed and nearly three dozen people were injured in the destructive tornado's path. Many homes and businesses were also flattened.
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WeatherWhys®
A large, horrific tornado struck the city of Joplin, Mo., last year on this date. The twister cut a deadly path across the south side of the city, leaving over 159 dead and at least 1,150 injured. The Joplin tornado currently ranks as the 7th deadliest tornado in U.S. history.
This Day In Weather History
New Hampshire (1814)
A tornado crossed Merrimac, Litchfield, Londonderry and North Chester. The same storm produced hailstones that had an 11-inch circumference and weighed 1/2 pound.
Northeast (1989)
More rain in an already wet month. Monthly totals topped 11 inches at New York City, 9 inches at Bridgeport, Conn., and 8 inches at Baltimore (all three totals set records for May).
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