EF2 Tornado — Lawrence, Mississippi

2012-12-25 · near Lamberts Store, Lawrence, Mississippi

Event narrative

The tornado touched down in a wooded area near Trace Road producing mostly tree and minor roof damage to the homes in the area. As it moved to the northeast, the width increased to near 0.25 miles near Ford-Calcote and James Fox Roads producing significant tree damage. As it continued northeast crossing Conley Peavey Road, a carport awning was removed and part of a barn was destroyed, along with more heavy tree damage. As it approached Highway 84, the width decreased to around 1/10 if a mile and the tornado increased in intensity. It was at this time that the tornado was most intense (EF-2) resulting in several mobile homes and travel trailers being lofted and ultimately destroyed. A small business had substantial roof damage with two walls being blown out. An abandoned brick gas station had its roof removed and windows blown out, with the awning support poles bent and awning roof blown away. As the tornado approached Highway 27 northwest of Monticello, more tree damage was noted while it collapsed a patio roof on a house on Friendship Lane just north of Monticello. Minor tree damage occurred along the remainder of the track. Maximum winds were estimated at 120 mph.

Wider weather episode

A regional severe weather outbreak unfolded during Christmas Day 2012 as a result of an anomalously strong and southward positioned trough axis over the southern plains and lower Mississippi River valley. Very strong cyclonically curved winds in the mid-levels of the atmosphere near 115 mph and a rapidly deepening surface low over Louisiana and Mississippi aided in strong low-level wind shear and destabilization for severe thunderstorm development. Early Christmas morning, a large elevated rain and thunderstorm shield overspread the entire ArkLaMiss region. A warm front pushed north through southern Louisiana and Mississippi through late morning and through the afternoon while a quickly advancing cold front and developing squall line were occurring across portions of Texas and Louisiana. A Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) Tornado Watch was issued for all of southern Louisiana and Mississippi late Christmas morning for the expected potency of the rotating thunderstorms. Supercells began to develop ahead of the squall line across southern Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama south of the warm front during the afternoon. With such ample wind and speed shear, strong tornadoes developed that afternoon. The most notable tornadoes in NWS Jackson's area were two EF2 tornadoes in Lawrence and southern Forrest counties that destroyed several mobile homes and campers, snapped power poles, and uprooted or snapped hundreds of trees. Luckily, no fatalities occurred in association with the tornadoes. The tornado damage in Forrest County was part of a 61 mile long tornado that began in Pearl River County Mississippi, where EF-3 damage occurred, and ended in western Greene County. Numerous trees were reported down across much of central Mississippi from the advancing squall line and its damaging straight-line winds. Flash flooding also occurred across many areas leading to road closures. The severe weather and cold front finally cleared Mississippi by early Christmas evening.

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Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 420473. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.