National Weather Service Forecast Office

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
744 PM CST WED NOV 16 2005


...STORM DAMAGE SURVEYS CONDUCTED ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH...


A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVED THROUGH THE MID SOUTH ON TUESDAY. SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED IN THE VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS ACROSS THE
LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. BY EARLY TUESDAY AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS
BECAME RAPIDLY SEVERE WITH SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS EVENTUALLY
BECOMING TORNADIC ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE MID SOUTH. THE SEVERE
WEATHER THREAT DIMINISHED BY MID EVENING AS THE COLD FRONT FINALLY
PASSED EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA.


LISTED BELOW ARE A SERIES OF STORM DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS CONDUCTED BY
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS TENNESSEE FROM THE TUESDAY
AFTERNOON NOVEMBER 15TH 2005 SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK.


...HENRY COUNTY TENNESSEE...

THE FIRST TEAM ASSESSED STORM DAMAGE IN HENRY COUNTY TENNESSEE. THE
STORM DAMAGE WAS THE RESULT OF TORNADIC WINDS OF UP TO 150 MPH. THE
WIND CORRESPONDS TO A F-2 ON THE FUJITA TORNADO INTENSITY SCALE.

THE STORM BRIEFLY PRODUCED TWIN TORNADOES SOUTHWEST OF PARIS AT 235
PM. 30 HOMES WERE DESTROYED AND SEVERAL MANUFACTURING PLANTS
DEMOLISHED. NO FATALITIES OCCURRED ALTHOUGH 13 PEOPLE WERE INJURED.
A TORNADO WARNING WAS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN
MEMPHIS AT 222 PM.

Damage photos from Henry County

...CROCKETT...GIBSON...AND WEAKLEY COUNTIES...


A TEAM INVESTIGATED THE DAMAGE ACROSS NORTHERN CROCKETT...SOUTHWEST
GIBSON...AND SOUTHERN WEAKLEY COUNTIES. THE DAMAGE WAS THE RESULT
OF TWO TORNADOES...BOTH HAVE BEEN RATED AN F-1 ON THE FUJITA SCALE.

THE FIRST TORNADO BEGAN NORTHEAST OF FRIENDSHIP TENNESSEE IN
CROCKETT COUNTY ALONG FRIENDSHIP EATON ROAD AROUND 120 PM. THE
TORNADO TRACKED NORTHEAST PARALLELING THE ROAD BEFORE CROSSING
HIGHWAY 188 NEAR THE CROCKETT GIBSON COUNTY LINE. THE TORNADO
CONTINUED NORTHEAST INTO GIBSON COUNTY AND AFFECTED THE COMMUNITIES
OF CENTER AND DYER. THE TORNADO APPEARED TO HAVE TOUCHED DOWN AND
LIFTED BACK UP SEVERAL TIMES ALONG THE TRACK. THE TOTAL LENGTH OF
THE STORM WAS APPROXIMATELY 15 MILES WITH THE TORNADO BEING 300
YARDS AT ITS WIDEST. ONE HOUSE NORTHEAST OF FRIENDSHIP WAS SHIFTED
OFF OF ITS FOUNDATION. OTHER HOMES SUFFERED SHINGLE DAMAGE. SEVERAL
MOBILES HOMES AND UTILITY SHEDS ALSO RECEIVED MODERATE TO HEAVY
DAMAGE. A TORNADO WARNING WAS ISSUED AT 109 PM.

Damage Photos from Crockett and Gibson Counties
Damage Photos from Weakley County

THE SECOND TORNADO OCCURRED IN THE CITY OF GREENFIELD IN WEAKLEY
COUNTY. THE TORNADO OCCURRED AROUND 155 PM. A HOUSE ON CLAUDE ROAD
SUFFERED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. A MOBILE HOME SUFFERED SLIGHT DAMAGE...
ALONG WITH SEVERAL TREES BEING UPROOTED. A TORNADO WARNING WAS
ISSUED AT 206 PM.

FORTUNATELY...NO INJURIES OCCURRED IN THE THREE COUNTIES.

...LAWRENCE COUNTY ARKANSAS...

ANOTHER ASSESSMENT TEAM SURVEYED LAWRENCE COUNTY ARKANSAS STORM
DAMAGE. THIS DAMAGE WAS THE RESULT OF STRAIGHT LINE WINDS FROM A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM.

STORM DAMAGE BEGAN NEAR CLOVER BEND OR APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF WALNUT RIDGE ARKANSAS. DAMAGE WAS SPORADIC...MAINLY
TREE AND MINOR ROOF DAMAGE...THROUGH THE TOWNS OF HOXIE AND WALNUT
RIDGE BEFORE COMING TO AN END ABOUT THREE MILES SOUTHWEST OF
WHISKERVILLE. A FULLY SECURED TRAILER AT THE END OF THE DAMAGE PATH
NEAR WHISKERVILLE LOST ITS ROOF AND SUSTAINED SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL
DAMAGE. THE WINDS PRODUCED BY THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WERE
ESTIMATED TO BE BETWEEN 60 TO 75 MPH...WITH GUSTS TO 90 MPH.

Damage photos from Lawrence County Arkansas

...ADDITIONAL REMARKS...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WOULD LIKE TO THANK MR. RON WATKINS OF
THE HENRY COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY...MR. JERRELL REASONS
OF THE CROCKETT COUNTY EMA...MR. MIKE CAUDILL OF TEMA...MR. RICKY
GRAVES OF THE GIBSON COUNTY EMA...AND MR. MARK SEAT OF THE WEAKLEY
COUNTY EMA.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO EXTEND ITS GRATITUDE
TO THE CITIZENS OF THE AFFECTED COMMUNITIES. THEIR KINDNESS AND
COOPERATION ALLOWED THE STORM SURVEY TEAMS TO CONDUCT A MORE THOROUGH
ASSESSMENT.

...TORNADIC FUJITA SCALE TABLE...

F0....40-72  MPH
F1....73-112 MPH
F2...113-157 MPH
F3...158-206 MPH
F4...207-260 MPH
F5...261-318 MPH

$$

BELLES/SNIEZAK/INGRAM/CHASKELSON/CAVALLUCCI/BEAMAN/MICKEL