NWS Jackson,MS, Feb 5, 2004 Severe Weather Outbreak

February 5, 2004 Severe Weather
Local Storm Reports

NOUS44 KJAN 070227
PNSJAN

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
800 PM CST FRI FEB 6 2004 

THREE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEY TEAMS WERE DISPATCHED FROM THE 
JACKSON OFFICE TO INVESTIGATE SEVERE WEATHER DAMAGE ACROSS THE 
STATE.  

1ST TEAM

THE FIRST TEAM WENT TO NEWTON AND LAUDERDALE COUNTIES AND FOUND TWO 
WEAK TORNADOES.  THE FIRST TORNADO BEGAN IN SOUTHERN NEWTON COUNTY 
6.5 MILES SSE OF NEWTON AND TRAVELED 8 MILES TO THE NE BEFORE 
LIFTING 2.5 MILES S OF HICKORY.  THIS TORNADO UPROOTED NUMEROUS 
TREES AND CAUSED MINOR ROOF DAMAGE TO TWO HOUSES.  THIS TORNADO WAS 
RATED ON THE FUJITA SCALE AS AN F1.

THE SECOND TORNADO WAS IN LAUDERDALE COUNTY 1 MILE NW OF 
COLLINSVILLE.  THIS WAS A WEAK, SHORT TRACK TORNADO THAT WAS ON 
THE GROUND FOR 1.5 MILES AND WAS 100 YARDS WIDE.  IT BLEW OVER A 
HOUSE UNDER CONSTRUCTION, DESTROYED A UTILITY SHED, AND CAUSED MINOR 
DAMAGE TO A HOUSE.  THE BED OF A PICK-UP TRUCK WAS LIFTED AND SET 
DOWN IN A SMALL UTILITY SHED.  SEVERAL TREES WERE ALSO UPROOTED.  
THIS TORNADO WAS ALSO RATED AS AN F1 ON THE FUJITA SCALE.

2ND TEAM

THE SECOND TEAM EXAMINED THREE CIRCULATIONS IN 
SIMPSON...RANKIN...SMITH...AND SCOTT COUNTIES.  THE FIRST 
CIRCULATION MOVED FROM WESTERN SIMPSON COUNTY INTO SOUTHEAST RANKIN 
COUNTY.  THE SECOND SHORT-LIVED CIRCULATION OCCURRED BRIEFLY BETWEEN 
RALEIGH AND BURNS IN SMITH COUNTY.  NO DAMAGE WAS FOUND WITH EITHER 
OF THESE CIRCULATIONS.

THE THIRD CIRCULATION DID PRODUCE UP TO F2 INTENSITY TORNADIC 
DAMAGE.  THERE WERE A COUPLE OF TREES DOWN FROM STRAIGHT LINE WIND 
DAMAGE IN EXTREME WESTERN SIMPSON COUNTY ABOUT 4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF 
HARRISVILLE.  HOWEVER...IT APPEARS THAT THE TORNADO DID NOT TOUCH 
DOWN UNTIL IT WAS JUST NORTHWEST / LESS THAN A MILE / FROM THE 
CENTER OF HARRISVILLE.  THE TORNADO MOVED NORTHEAST ALONG AND JUST 
NORTH OF HARRISVILLE-BRAXTON ROAD.  THE TORNADO STARTED WITH F0 
DAMAGE IN HARRISVILLE...THEN QUICKLY INCREASED TO F1 INTENSITY ABOUT 
A MILE NORTHEAST OF HARRISVILLE TO ABOUT 2 MILES WEST OF BRAXTON.  A 
WELL-CONSTRUCTED HOME HAD VISIBLE DAMAGE TO SEVERAL LOCATIONS ON 
ITS ROOF.  SEVERAL HOMES HAD MINOR ROOF DAMAGE ALONG STAR-BRAXTON 
ROAD.  THE ROOF OF A SHED WAS TORN OFF IN THIS AREA...WITH WINDOWS 
BLOWN OUT.  ANOTHER HOUSE HAD WINDOWS BLOWN OUT...AND A TREE WAS 
BLOWN ONTO A CAR.  HUNDREDS OF TREES WERE UPROOTED OR SNAPPED ALONG 
THE PATH...INCLUDING 12" PINES AND CEDARS.  SEVERAL 2-3 FOOT 
DIAMETER TREES WERE SNAPPED CLOSE TO THEIR BASES.  A LARGE TREE FELL 
ON A HOME 2 WEST OF BRAXTON ALONG THE WESTERN PORTION OF HOLLY GROVE 
CIRCLE...WHERE A FENCE WAS FLATTENED AND A SMALL BARN WAS 
DEMOLISHED.  A 12-16" DIAMETER PINE TREE WAS SNAPPED AND ITS TOP 
BLOWN AT LEAST 50 FEET DOWNWIND. A WHEELBARROW WAS REMOVED FROM A 
SHED AND THROWN AT LEAST 300 FEET DOWNWIND.  THE ROOF OF A 
WELL-CONSTRUCTED HOME WAS PEELED BACK.  ROOFING MATERIAL WAS BLOWN 
HUNDREDS OF FEET DOWNWIND AND WRAPPED AROUND FENCES AND TREES.  THE 
WORST DAMAGE OCCURRED 1.5 MILES WEST-NORTHWEST OF BRAXTON...ALONG 
THE EASTERN PORTION OF HOLLY GROVE CIRCLE.  IN THIS AREA ABOUT 70 
PERCENT OF A FOREST OF 12-16" PINE TREES WERE SNAPPED ABOUT 15-20 
FEET FROM THEIR BASES AND FLATTENED.  THIS IS WHERE LOW END F2 
DAMAGE WAS ASSESSED.  SOME OF THE TREES IN THIS AREA WERE SNAPPED 
BUT STILL ATTACHED TO THEIR TRUNKS AND WERE OBVIOUSLY TWISTED 
AROUND.  THE PATH WIDTH OF THE WORST DAMAGE WAS 0.1 MILE WITH A 
TOTAL DAMAGE WIDTH OF 0.2 MILE.  THE TORNADO THEN WEAKENED TO F1 
INTENSITY AND CROSSED HIGHWAY 49 AT THE SIMPSON/RANKIN COUNTY LINE 
WHERE NUMEROUS TREES WERE SNAPPED AND BLOWN ONTO SOUTHBOUND LANES OF 
THE HIGHWAY.  THE TORNADO TRACKED ANOTHER 1.5 MILES TO SOUTHERN 
PORTIONS OF CLARA FOOTE ROAD IN RANKIN COUNTY WITH F1 DAMAGE.

THE TORNADO TRACKED A TOTAL OF 10 MILES FROM NORTHWEST SIMPSON 
COUNTY TO SOUTH CENTRAL RANKIN COUNTY.  IT TOUCHED DOWN IN 
HARRISVILLE AT 1026 AM...ENTERED RANKIN COUNTY AT 1040 AM...THEN 
DISSIPATED 1.5 MILES NORTHEAST OF PINEY WOODS AT 1042 AM.

THE CIRCULATION WAS TRACKED ACROSS SOUTHEAST RANKIN COUNTY...EXTREME 
NORTHWEST SMITH COUNTY...AND SOUTHWEST SCOTT COUNTY.  HOWEVER...NO 
DAMAGE WAS FOUND IN THESE AREAS.

3RD TEAM

THE THIRD TEAM SURVEYED THE CIRCULATION PATHS THROUGH 
FRANKLIN...LINCOLN AND COPIAH COUNTIES. THESE PATHS WERE GENERALLY 
ALONG A LINE FROM MEADVILLE TO CASEYVILLE TO BEAUREGARD TO 
GEORGETOWN. SCATTERED MINOR TREE DAMAGE WAS FOUND ALONG THE PATHS 
AND WAS ASSOCIATED WITH STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

$$

BUTCH/CAMPBELL/CRAVEN/KRAMAR/GERARD/ENTREMONT