Data shows third tornado tracked more than 20 miles

Published 9:39 am Tuesday, April 16, 2019

The National Weather Service released data on the third of three tornadoes that ripped through Warren County Saturday evening.

In their report, data shows the tornado, which started at 4:57 p.m. east of U.S. Highway 61 North on Sherman Avenue, ended nearly an hour later 20.37 miles away in Yazoo County.

At it’s peak, the tornado reached winds of 115 miles per hour, which rated it as an EF2 tornado.

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The maximum width of the tornado appears to have been 700 yards, according to the National Weather Service’s survey team’s data.

In the report, the team said the storm snapped small hardwood trees on Sherman Avenue, before uprooting trees on the backside of River Region Medical Center.

The tornado moved east-northeast on Hwy. 61, breaking tree limbs and snapping trees along Brister Road, Boy Scout Road and Oak Ridge Road.

Large trees were uprooted and fell on homes in the Openwood neighborhood.

On Henry Road and Tucker Road, east of Oak Ridge Road, several power poles were snapped at their base, where the survey team said the tornado appeared to be at its strongest.

The tornado then shifted to the northeast toward northeast Warren County, uprooting and snapping trees. Several of which fell on power lines.

The data shows the storm then crossed into southern Yazoo County, where it snapped trees along Oak Grove Church Road.

It finally lifted at 5:43 p.m., after 20.37 miles, at Holloman Road.

Each of the three tornadoes now surveyed by the National Weather Service registered as an EF2 tornado, which is considered a strong tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The scale goes up to EF2, which is for tornadoes with winds in excess of 200 miles per hour.

Combined, the two tornadoes were on the ground for just over an hour and tracked a total of 27.68 miles.

About Tim Reeves

Tim Reeves, and his wife Stephanie, are the parents of three children, Sarah Cameron, Clayton and Fin, who all attend school in the Vicksburg Warren School District. The family are members of First Baptist Church Vicksburg. Tim is involved in a number of civic and volunteer organizations including the United Way of West Central Mississippi and serves on the City of Vicksburg's Riverfront Redevelopment Committee.

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