Caledonia, Miss. (Photo: WFO Jackson)
(Jan. 16, 2008) - Students and teachers in a heavily damaged school complex in Caledonia, Miss. had plenty of time to seek shelter before a powerful EF-3 tornado ripped through the buildings on January 10. There were no deaths and only three injuries reported when winds of up to 155 mph nearly destroyed a gymnasium and a vocational tech building.
The National Weather Service forecast office in Jackson issued a Tornado Warning for Lowndes County (includes Caledonia) with a lead time of 41 minutes. That lead time compares with a national average of 13 minutes for Tornado Warnings.
"The performance by the staff in the Jackson forecast office was nothing short of outstanding during this event," said National Weather Service Southern Region Director Bill Proenza. "It is yet another example of the value of having local forecast offices located close to the people they serve."
With initial touchdown just southwest of Caledonia, the Lowndes County Tornado tracked northeast for nine miles, crossing the state line into Lamar County, Ala. It reached its highest rating at the school complex where trees were snapped and uprooted, power lines downed; and, numerous homes, businesses and a church were damaged or destroyed.
A football press box and concession stands were also destroyed, 20 cars were flipped, five buses were damaged and a combine harvester was blown into nearby trees. The winds even picked up a school bus and tossed it on top of a building.
The Caledonia tornado was part of a strong storm system that spawned at least 14 confirmed tornados in Mississippi and Alabama. The tornadoes damaged or destroyed around 200 homes and other structures. There were 20 injuries with these severe storms, and more than 100 reports of wind damage and large hail.
The storm system followed on the heels of a similar tornado outbreak that occurred January 8. The earlier system resulted in five confirmed tornadoes across Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee. It cause one death, two reported injuries and damaged or destroyed approximately 80 homes and structures.
Caledonia, Miss. (Photo: WFO Jackson)