‘That escalated quickly.’ The stats from the swarm of tornadoes that struck South MS
A storm system that pounded Louisiana and the Mississippi Coast last week also spawned eight tornadoes between Slidell and Kiln, the National Weather Service said Wednesday.
Six of those tornadoes hit Mississippi during severe storms the morning of April 10, but none appeared to cause extensive damage. The confirmation came this week because officials said they needed more time to analyze radar, satellite images and impacts on the ground.
The National Weather Service also confirmed last week an EF1 tornado with 110 mph winds hit northwest Harrison County. Officials found more damage this week in Harrison and Jackson counties but said they need more analysis to determine if tornadoes had struck and would release information soon.
“Well,” the National Weather Service said in a post announcing the tornadoes, “that escalated quickly.”
Tornadoes near Stennis
Two tornadoes struck near the Stennis Space Center on April 10, the National Weather Service said.
An EF1 tornado with 100 mph winds began near Pearl River, Louisiana, then cut across the state line and left a “swath of damage” northeast through Texas Flat Road, according to a damage survey.
The tornado snapped trees, bent a transmission pole and caused tree damage in Hancock County before it lifted west of Kiln on Kiln Picayune Road, the survey said.
The storm barreled 19 miles and stayed on the ground for 25 minutes.
The second tornado to hit near Stennis was an EF0 with 85 mph winds that spun for five miles, the NWS said.
That twister began near the Space Center and barreled east across Texas Flat Road, where it broke branches and snapped trees, according to the damage survey. It lifted five miles southwest of the Kiln and stayed on the ground 7 minutes.
Two tornadoes strike Kiln
The first of two tornadoes that hit Kiln started two miles northwest of the area and stayed on the ground for five minutes.
That storm was an EF1 with 100 mph winds. It spun along U.S. 43 and caused its worst damage to trees near the curve at Cuevas Road, the damage report said.
From there, the storm weakened but caused tree damage near the Silver Creek Acres neighborhood before it dissipated. It stayed on the ground for 3.72 miles, the NWS said.
The second twister that hit Kiln was an EF0 with 85 mph winds and cut 2.79 miles across Hancock County, the NWS said.
It touched down two miles northwest of Kiln. It knocked trees as it moved southeast from Firetower Road toward Old Joe Moran Road before it lifted in a rural area inaccessible by roads, the NWS said. It stayed on the ground for three minutes.
Hancock tornado
A tornado with unknown wind speed hit between the Stennis Space Center and Kiln and stayed on the ground for only four minutes, the NWS said.
It spun 2.8 miles across rural and inaccessible land north of Texas Flat road along Catahoula Creek and Jourdan River before it dissipated, according to the report.
National Weather Service crews who surveyed the area found no damage.
Slidell tornadoes
Two tornadoes struck Slidell on April 10, the National Weather Service said.
The first was an EF2 with 120 mph winds that cut an 11 mile path of destruction through the city. That tornado did not reach Mississippi but destroyed homes, smashed windows and flipped cars in Slidell, causing minor injuries. The city is still picking up debris this week, and Louisiana’s governor issued an emergency declaration.
A second tornado began in Slidell and later crossed the state line near the Stennis Space Center.
That tornado was an EF2 with winds of 90 mph, the National Weather Service said. It began at 10:03 a.m. just south of the interstate in Slidell and carved 11 miles east, intensifying near the Pearl River Wildlife Management area before it dissipated to EF0 scale as it reached the Stennis Space Center.
