EF0 tornado in Rankin County, Mississippi

This tornado touched down to the northeast of Highway 49 in Florence. It began down just to the west of Briarhill Road and south of Gunter Road, where a tornado debris signature was observed by radar. In this area, many large limbs were snapped and some trees were uprooted along Gunter Road. It continued northeast before crossing Monterey Road, where a tree fell on a powerline. It then took a more easterly turn over Highway 469 before crossing Basswood Lane and again over Monterey Road. It continued across a wooded area before causing some high end EF0 tree damage along Star Road. The tornado continued eastward over the Robinhood subdivision where numerous large limbs were snapped and trees were uprooted. A few trees fell on powerlines, breaking a couple of powerpoles. In addition, rear-flank downdraft straight-line winds, around 75-85 mph ahead and south of the tornadic circulation, caused widespread wind damage. In this area, numerous trees were downed and large limbs broken. The tornado then crossed the area of Shell Oil Road, Cannon Road and Highway 18, causing minor EF0 tree damage, with a tree downed right along the highway. The tornado then crossed east of Highway 18, over Morrow Road, where minor tree damage occurred. The tornado lifted shortly thereafter crossing Morrow Road, where only minor straight-line wind damage was observed to a few trees along Johns Shiloh Road and Shiloh Road. The maximum estimated winds were 85 mph.

An upper level storm system moved across the region overnight on April 22nd into 23rd. Abundant moisture and wind energy was in place to bring severe thunderstorms to the region. Damaging winds occurred along with some tornadoes. Flash flooding also occurred with efficient rainfall rates and heavy rainfall. As the cold front moved through the region later during the afternoon of the 23rd, a few more storms developed during peak daytime heating and brought some hail and damaging winds to portions of eastern Mississippi.