EF2 tornado in Hinds County, Mississippi

This tornado first touched down in Midway Estates just to the west of Midway Road. Initially the tornado knocked down a few trees and caused minor shingle damage to roofs. The tornado tracked northeast crossing Tank Road, Green Gable Road, and Lebanon-Pinegrove Road. The damage was predominantly downed trees and minor structural damage. The tornado then moved nearly parallel to Interstate 55 and passed through Byram. Numerous structures were damaged, dozens of billboards were blown out, a tanker truck was overturned, numerous power poles were snapped and numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. The tornado was the most intense at this point with winds estimated to be around 120 mph. In addition, the maximum path width of 1/2 mile occurred in Byram. The tornado then crossed the Pearl River into Rankin County. The tornado was on the ground for almost 14 miles in Hinds County with a total path length of 26 miles through both Hinds and Rankin Counties.

A potent storm system brought a prolonged outbreak of severe thunderstorms to the Lower Mississippi Valley region from the afternoon hours of New Years Eve lasting through the morning hours of New Years Day. This rare combination of high instability and wind shear is mainly what supported the large outbreak and multiple strong tornadoes. National Weather Service storm survey teams found 11 total tornadoes which occurred during this event. Of the 11, two were EF-3 with two more EF-2. Six were EF-1 with one EF-0. Damaging straight line winds also brought numerous trees and large limbs down across the area. Large hail also occurred during the event with reports ranging from quarter to golf ball size. In addition, flash flooding was a significant issue across the area. Roads were flooded in several locations, some vehicles were submerged in flood waters, and a few evacuations took place as a result of rising flood waters.