Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our newsletters. Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Yale Climate Connections Dozens of lives were lost in Mississippi on Friday night, March 24, from a compact, fast-evolving tornado outbreak that struck a highly vulnerable area after dark. The bulk of death and destruction resulted from a single supercell thunderstorm that plowed across the breadth of northern Mississippi and Alabama with one or more long-track tornadoes. More severe weather is possible across the South on both Saturday and Sunday, March 24-25, although the conditions will not be as favorable for intense tornadoes on these days as they were on Friday. Friday’s outbreak was well predicted by the NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center, or SPC (see our March 24 post), and tornado warnings were issued along the path of the prolonged supercell. However, the main supercell’s rapid motion (more than 50 mph) and its after-dark timing amplified the danger. The hardest-hit places in Mississippi included Amory, Winona, and particularly Rolling Fork, a town of about 1,900 people that was largely destroyed. First light revealing the destruction in Rolling Fork, MS #MSwx pic.twitter.com/9q5QX2wF4F First Light of Rolling Fork Mississippi after a Violent #Tornado last night. #mswx @SevereStudios @MyRadarWX pic.twitter.com/NG0YcI3TQn Manufactured homes, which are especially vulnerable in tornadoes, appear to have been hard hit in the outbreak. As of 2021, such structures in Mississippi made up nearly 60% of all new single-family homes, the largest percentage for any U.S. state. Many of these homes sit in clusters - and in rural areas, on small acreages - that may lack nearby shelter access. Geotag of drone image shared by @wx_Frankie in Rolling Fork, MS. What used to be a mobile/manufactured home park.https://t.co/fHYzbNQAIV... |