2023 Rolling Fork–Silver City tornado

On the evening of March 24, 2023, a large, violent and destructive multi-vortex wedge tornado struck the communities of Rolling Fork and Silver City, Mississippi, killing 17 people and injuring at least 165 others.Forecasters initially thought that strong forcing of ascent across Arkansas would lead to an organized squall line capable of both tornadoes and damaging winds, whereas more discrete supercells would be possible farther south,[9] particularly along north–south oriented confluence bands in the open warm sector.The tornado then rapidly grew in size and strength as it approached Rolling Fork from the southwest, snapping and uprooting many trees in a wooded area at EF2 intensity, including some that sustained debarking.[23] As it reached the southwestern outskirts of Rolling Fork, the tornado moved directly through the Indian Bayou subdivision along Pinkins Road at low-end EF4 intensity, where every single home (about 15 in all) was leveled, and a few were swept away.Violent contextual damage was also noted as large hardwood trees near the residences were severely debarked, some were stripped of their branches, cars were thrown into fields and destroyed, and debris was strewn long distances.Low-end EF4 damage continued as the tornado crossed MS 826, where a brick house was flattened, and many trees were debarked and left with only stubs of branches remaining.[24] As the tornado entered Rolling Fork at the southwest side of town, it weakened but remained intense as it produced widespread EF2 to EF3 damage as it moved through residential areas.Some of the most violent damage occurred in the northeastern part of town, where a flower shop housed in a well-built brick building was leveled at high-end EF4 strength, with its concrete foundation slab partially swept clean of debris.The survey team also noted that the tornado may have reached EF5 intensity here based on the damage to the shop, but the neighboring building, which was a small salon, was only leveled and not swept away and received a high-end EF3 rating with winds of 165 mph (266 km/h).[28] Several nearby homes were also obliterated at high-end EF4 strength with winds up to 190 mph (310 km/h) while large metal-framed buildings, including a Family Dollar store along US 61/MS 14, were flattened as well.Chuck's Dairy Bar had a pickup truck thrown into it and was destroyed, but several people survived at that location by taking shelter in the business's walk-in cooler, the only part of the building left intact after the tornado's passage.Many vehicles were thrown through the air and left badly mangled, numerous large trees in and around Rolling Fork were denuded and debarked, and a few of them were stripped clean of all bark.When it crossed Matthews Boulevard near a catfish farm, several utility poles were snapped off at the base or pulled out of the ground, and some were left covered in up to 1–2 in (2.5–5.1 cm) of mud.[25][26] Maintaining low-end EF3 strength, the tornado then crossed into Humphreys County and continued northeastward, where a home suffered partial destruction of its roof and garage.The tornado then briefly strengthened to high-end EF3 strength as it leveled a small brick home along Seven Mile Road, and overturned a nearby grain loader.Four manufactured homes were destroyed in the center of town, a church along US 49W sustained roof damage, a large number of old hardwood trees were snapped or uprooted, and power lines were downed.The tornado produced a final small area of significant damage, snapping or uprooting large tree trunks at EF2 intensity in the Morgan Brake National Wildlife Refuge.[34] In March 2024, Logan Poole, a meteorologist and damage surveyor with the National Weather Service in Jackson, Mississippi gave an interview regarding the tornado and why it was rated EF4 rather than EF5.And, the best answer to that is what didn't give it the 200 mark...The Green Apple Florist, essentially a single family home that was modified to built to be a floral shop and it is slabbed to the ground and swept clean.[25][36][37] Rolling Fork's funeral director and mayor, Eldridge Walker, said on March 27 that search-and-rescue efforts were "pretty close" to finished and authorities believed that everyone had been accounted for.[40] The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) contracted with the Red Cross to provide survivors with meals and lodging in hotel rooms for up to six months.
The Storm Prediction Center ’s Severe Weather Outlook for March 24, 2023
An observed sounding from Jackson, Mississippi , launched less than an hour before the EF4 tornado began
A meso-gamma mesoscale discussion issued by the Storm Prediction Center while the EF4 tornado was ongoing
A home along Pinkins Road, completely leveled at low-end EF4 intensity
Track and intensity map of the tornado through Rolling Fork.
Key
EF0 65–85 mph
EF1 86–110 mph
EF2 111–135 mph
EF3 136–165 mph
EF4 166–200 mph
⎯ Center of the tornado
High-end EF4 damage to a flower shop along Walnut Street in Rolling Fork
Low-end EF4 tree damage and a school bus that was thrown into the trees southeast of Anguilla
Widespread EF2 damage in Silver City
Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Governor Reeves touring the damage in Rolling Fork on March 26
Enhanced Fujita scaleTornado outbreak of March 24–27, 2023Tornadoes of 2023multi-vortextornadoRolling ForkSilver City, Mississippitornado outbreakNational Weather ServiceStorm Prediction Centertroughsupercellhigh-pressure arealow-pressure areawarm frontadvectiondewpointsLouisianaArkansasMississippiconvective available potential energysquall linewarm sectorobserved soundingJackson, Mississippiwind shearWikisourcetornado emergencyMidnightSilver Citymeso-gamma mesoscale discussionDoppler radarMobile home/Trailer homePermanent homeIssaquena CountyMayersvilleMississippi RiverSharkey CountyMS 826Family DollarAnguillaHumphreys CountyMS 149US 49WBelzoniHolmes CountyUS 49ETchulaMorgan Brake National Wildlife RefugeEF5 droughtNational Severe Storms LaboratoryUniversity of OklahomaAmerican Meteorological SocietyUniversity of Mississippi Medical CenterRed CrossRyan Hall, Y'allSecretaryAlejandro MayorkasMississippi Insurance DepartmentTORNADO ActGovernor of MississippiTate ReevesJoe BidenWeather of 2023List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaksList of F4 and EF4 tornadoesList of F4 and EF4 tornadoes (2020–present)List of United States tornadoes in March 2023List of Storm Prediction Center meso-gamma mesoscale discussionsList of case studies on tornadoes (2020–present)National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationNational Centers for Environmental InformationStoryMapCopernicus PublicationsYouTubeAssociated PressBulletin of the American Meteorological SocietyClarion LedgerWABC-TVMississippi TodayWayback MachineThe Washington PostTornado outbreaks of 2023January 12Pasadena–Deer Park, TXFebruary 26–27March 1–3March 24–27March 31 – April 1Little Rock, ARWynne–Parkin, ARDavis Junction–Belvidere, ILRobinson, IL/Sullivan, INApril 19–20June 14–19June 20–26August 4–8JerseyDecember 9–10meteorological events in 2023Storm DanielCyclone FreddyWestern North America heat waveCyclone MochaNorth India floodsAfghanistan cold snapPakistan floodsTyphoon DoksuriPhilippine floodsSão Paulo floods and landslidesTornado outbreak of March 31 – April 1Tornado outbreak of March 24–272022–23 Western United States floodsFebruary storm complexEarly-March storm complexJuly Northeast floodsHurricane IdaliaJanuary 31–February 2 ice stormTornado outbreak of June 20–26Tornado outbreak of January 12