Strong Wind — Oktibbeha, Mississippi

2023-03-03 · Oktibbeha, Mississippi

Event narrative

Several trees and power poles were blown down in Starkville over a 15 minute period due to strong gradient winds that occurred before a line of showers moved into the city.

Wider weather episode

Strong gradient winds developed late in the evening of March 2nd into the morning of the 3rd before a cold front moved through Mississippi. Wind gusts of 45 to 55 mph were measured by several observations sites, and trees were blown down in scattered locations across the state. As the front moved through Mississippi on the morning of March 3rd, a narrow line of showers and thunderstorms developed along the front. As the storms approached the Interstate 55 corridor, they became severe and produced additional wind damage from central Mississippi northeastward through the Golden Triangle region in northeastern Mississippi. Strong wind gusts of up to 40 to 50 mph continued for a few hours in the wake of the frontal passage and caused additional minor wind damage.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1131479. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.