EF4 Tornado — Marshall, Mississippi

2015-12-23 · near Chulahoma, Marshall, Mississippi

Event narrative

The tornado tracked into Marshall County from Tate County. As it moved into Marshall County the tornado heavily damaged several homes along Highway 4. The tornado produced damage to a church and surrounding trees southwest of Holly Springs that approached EF-4. The tornado moved across the southeastern edge of Holly Springs causing EF-2 to EF-3 damage. Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped. About 200 homes were damaged in Marshall County. Two fatalities occurred in Marshall County along with at least 30 injuries. The tornado then tracked into Benton County.

Wider weather episode

Strong surface low pressure tracked from the Plains into the Mississippi River Valley while a strong cold front pushed into the Mid-South on December 23, 2015. A very moist and unstable airmass moved into the area as a warm front lifted north through the region during the early morning hours. A potent upper level disturbance help to trigger thunderstorms along and in advance of the approaching cold front. The necessary ingredients were in place for storm to rapidly intensify. Three tornadoes touched down across North Mississippi including an EF-4 that caused severe damage.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.6131, -89.6691)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 610235. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.