EF1 tornado in Rankin County, Mississippi

This tornado was a part of a meso-vortex which ultimately absorbed the Highway 43 tornado in the vicinity of Thornton Road. From that point, the tornado grew and began to accelerate eastward. Numerous trees and power lines were down in this area along with several chicken houses heavily damaged. The tornado move just south of Diamond D Lake Road where a barn and some chicken houses were damaged along Clubhouse Road. Additional solid tree damage was noted here as well. The tornado then crossed Diamond D Lake Road by the creek and moved east across Woodrow Martin Road. It then dissipated near the county line along Quail HI Road. Maximum estimated winds 105 MPH.

During the daytime hours of April 18th, a developing storm system helped generate a large line of thunderstorms which then moved across the region. From this, a regional outbreak of tornadoes along with widespread wind damage occurred. This line became efficient at producing tornadoes as a meso-scale vortex developed. The combination of multiple environmental features, set the stage for 43 tornadoes to occur over the forecast area. This ranks as 4th most for a single event across the forecast area. In addition to the tornadoes, widespread wind damage occurred as well.