Monday: Candlestick Park Tornado
Overview
On March 3, 1966, one of the most devastating
tornadoes in Mississippi history occurred. This tornado would
come to be known as the “Candlestick Park” tornado,
named after a shopping center in south Jackson which was totally
destroyed by the tornado.
This tornado initially developed near the old
Adams community, several miles south southwest of Raymond in
Hinds County, at about 4 pm on March 3rd. It moved east northeast,
moving across the rural areas along Dry Grove Road, Midway Road
and Springridge Road. Along with heavily damaging homes and
farms, the tornado also destroyed at least one large radio/TV
antenna tower structure in this area. The tornado then moved
into the Jackson city limits, destroying the Candlestick Park
shopping center and a number of homes and businesses in this
same area, which is along Cooper Road near Cany Creek. Pictures
from the Candlestick Park area show businesses and homes leveled
to the ground, and eyewitnesses reported cars thrown more than
a half of a mile and pavement scoured off of the ground. All
of this is indicative of violent (F4 or F5) tornado damage.
After moving through this area, the tornado passed across the
Pearl River into Rankin County. Nineteen people were killed
in Hinds County, most at Candlestick Park or nearby.
Once in Rankin County, the tornado mainly passed
through what was then a very rural area. The tornado did cause
very heavy damage to an industrial area near Flowood, in the
Flowood Drive area. The tornado then crossed the Cooper and
Luckney Roads area, before heading out into eastern Rankin County.
Much of the most intense damage in Rankin County, as well as
casualties, occurred in the areas west and southwest of the
Leesburg community, which is in northeastern Rankin County.
Six people were killed in these areas.
The tornado then moved into Scott County, where
the tornado’s worst devastation appears to have taken
place. The destruction was particularly catastrophic in the
area north of Branch and near Forkville in northwest Scott county.
Pictures and video from this area show houses destroyed to the
foundation, large swaths of trees totally annihilated, and chicken
houses obliterated. Eyewitnesses again reported road pavement
scoured out by the force of the tornado. The tornado continued
east-northeast, with additional heavy damage near the Midway
community in north-central Scott county. Before moving out of
Scott County, the tornado would kill 26 people in this county
alone.
After causing the destruction in Scott County,
the tornado moved into Leake County, crossing the county line
along Highway 35 south of Walnut Grove. The tornado moved closer
to due northeast through southeastern Leake County. Six people
were killed in the area between the Madden and Salem communities
as more than 40 homes and buildings were totally destroyed.
Significant tornado damage continued into southwest Neshoba
County, where nearly a dozen homes were heavily damaged or destroyed,
and the historic Carolina church, which was more than 100 years
old, was completely leveled to the ground. One person was killed
near the Dowdville community.
Reports indicate that the tornado weakened and
may not have had a continuous path after this point, although
official records do indicate a single track through the remainder
of Neshoba County, and into Kemper and Noxubee counties. The
tornado did produce an additional path of F2 damage in Pickens
and Tuscaloosa counties in Alabama, and one person was killed
in Pickens County. The official track for the tornado shows
a continuous, 202.5 mile track from Hinds County, Mississippi
to Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. The tornado dissipated about
745 pm near Tuscaloosa.
When all was said and done, the “Candlestick
Park” tornado would go down in history as the deadliest,
most damaging, and longest track (202.5 miles) tornado in central
Mississippi during the 20th century, and as one of only two
documented F5 (the most violent on the Fujita scale) tornadoes
to strike Mississippi in the 20th century. A total of 58 people
were killed (57 in Mississippi; 1 in Alabama) and over 500 were
injured. It is one of only two tornadoes in the United States
since 1960 to kill more than 50 people.
Tomorrow, we will look at the socioeconomic changes
that have occurred in central Mississippi in the 40 years since
1966, and what might happen if a similar intensity tornado struck
the Jackson metropolitan area today.
Tuesday's Topic
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