Twin States Weather Blog

F2 in Newton County

**Here's the official statement from the NWS in Jackson regarding the tornado that struck Newton County Saturday night**

...STRONG TORNADO DAMAGE SURVEYED IN NEWTON MISSISSIPPI...

F2 TORNADO FOR FIRST 1/4 MILE...THEN F0 DAMAGE FOR LAST 1/2 MILE OF TRACK. TOTAL PATH LENGTH 3/4 MILE...MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH 100 YARDS.

AT ABOUT 734 PM CDT SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 24TH...A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT THE LAZY BOY FACTORY 3 MILES NORTHEAST OF DOWNTOWN NEWTON OR ABOUT 1 MILE NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20 ALONG HIGHWAY 15. THE TORNADO MOVED NORTH-NORTHWEST AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY STARTED WEAKENING/LIFTING UNTIL IT FINALLY DISSIPATED ABOUT THREE-QUARTER OF A MILE (0.75 MILE) AWAY...JUST NORTH OF RISER-CREEK ROAD WEST OF THE RAILROAD TRACKS.

THE TORNADO PRODUCED F2 DAMAGE ON THE FUJITA SCALE WITH WINDS ESTIMATED AT 120 MPH FOR THE FIRST QUARTER MILE OF THE PATH. A LARGE PART OF THE WELL CONSTRUCTED ROOF OF THE 40 FOOT HIGH LAZY BOY PLANT WAS TORN OFF AND LARGE PIECES OF METAL WERE FOUND AS FAR AS 1/3 MILE TO THE NORTH-NORTHWEST. TWO LARGE DELIVERY DOORS WHERE BLOWN OUT OF THE WEST SIDE OF THE BUILDING. THE IRON GIRDERS WITHIN THE BUILDING WERE BENT AT ABOUT A 10 DEGREE ANGLE...WITH SOME FAILURE OF THE ROOF NEAR THE CENTER AND OBVIOUS BUCKLING OF THE STRUCTURE ON THE WEST SIDE. SMALLER DEBRIS SUCH AS INSULATION WAS FOUND IN A 300 YARD SWATH AS FAR AS 4.5 MILES NORTH-NORTHWEST OF THE PLANT ALONG THE NORTHEAST SHORES OF TURKEY CREEK LAKE. IN FACT...A 2 FOOT BY 4 FOOT SECTION OF METAL ROOFING MATERIAL WAS FOUND AT THE BASE OF THE DAM...4 MILES NORTH-NORTHWEST OF THE LAZY BOY PLANT.

A HALF TON CHEVY PICKUP TRUCK PARKED NEXT TO THE PLANT WAS LIFTED AT LEAST 40 FEET INTO THE AIR...SLAMMED AGAINST AN IRON LADDER...THEN DROPPED BACK ON THE GROUND ABOUT 10 FEET FROM WHERE IT WAS ORIGINALLY PARKED. THE IRON LADDER WAS BENT FROM THIS COLLISION. A LARGE AMOUNT OF INSULATION MATERIAL FROM THE ROOF WAS WRAPPED AROUND THE FRONT AXLE OF THE TRUCK...LIKELY BEING BLOWN UNDER THE CHASSIS WHILE THE TRUCK WAS TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED ALOFT. THE TRUCK WAS PARTIALLY CRUSHED AND THE WINDSHIELD SMASHED IN.

A HOUSE SITTING ON A HILL JUST TO THE NORTH OF THE PLANT WAS NARROWLY MISSED BY THE HIGHEST WINDS...BUT A LARGE PART OF THE WELL CONSTRUCTED HOUSE LOST SHINGLES. THE HOUSE WAS BATTERED BY DEBRIS FROM THE LAZY BOY PLANT AND FROM A THREE RAIL FENCED NEARBY. BOARDS FROM THE FENCE OF 1 X 6 DIMENSION AND A FEW POSTS WERE RIPPED OFF BY THE HIGH WINDS AND LAUNCHED ABOUT 75 FEET AT THE HOUSE...BREAKING A WINDOW AND DAMAGING PART OF THE FASCIA. SEVERAL TREES WERE SNAPPED JUST WEST OF THE HOUSE. THE HOUSE IS ABOUT 400-500 FEET NORTH OF THE PLANT...AND SEVERAL LARGE PIECES OF ROOFING METAL WERE LOCATED IN THE YARD AND IN TREES AROUND THE HOUSE. ONCE PIECE OF METAL WAS BLOWN UNDER THE CAR PORT AND DAMAGED THE FRONT OF A VEHICLE.

A T-POST THAT WAS LAYING FLAT ON THE GROUND JUST WEST OF THE HOUSE WAS PICKED UP AND HURLED AS A MISSILE ABOUT 100 FEET HORIZONTALLY AND ABOUT 25 FEET VERTICALLY. IT WAS THEN IMPALED INTO A UTILITY POLE AND BENT AT A 90 DEGREE ANGLE. THE TOPS OF TREES UP TO 300 FEET NORTHWEST OF THE HOUSE WERE SHEARED OFF ABOUT HALF WAY UP. THEREAFTER...THE DAMAGE DOWNSTREAM ALONG THE PATH WAS LIMITED TO SEVERAL SNAPPED/UPROOTED TREES.

IT APPEARS THAT THE HIGHEST WINDS WERE JUST ABOVE THE SURFACE. THE ELEVATED NATURE OF THE LAZY BOY FACTORY AND THE DAMAGE JUST WEST OF THE HOUSE ON THE HILL CONFIRMS THIS. AS THE CIRCULATION MOVED JUST NORTHWEST OF THE HOUSE AND ENCOUNTERED A DECREASE IN ELEVATION...THE DAMAGE QUICKLY DECREASED. HOWEVER...THE DEBRIS WAS LOFTED RATHER HIGH INTO THE CIRCULATION AND THEN DEPOSIT FOR AT LEAST 4.5 MILES NORTH-NORTHWEST OF THE ORIGINAL TOUCHDOWN.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE NEWTON COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGER...CITY OF NEWTON EMERGENCY MANAGER...NEWTON FIRE CHIEF...AND THE LAZY BOY PLANT FOR THEIR INVALUABLE ASSISTANCE IN SURVEYING THE DAMAGE.

$$

CRAVEN

posted by WTOK Weather Staff @ 6:09 PM