Smithville, Miss., Tornado Rated EF-5; 205-mph Winds

Smithville, Miss., Tornado Rated EF-5; 205-mph Winds

State College, Pa. -- 28 April 2011 -- AccuWeather.com reports large, powerful and long-tracking tornadoes ravaged the South on Wednesday, leaving many communities devastated and at least 300 people are dead, according to CNN.

That number could continue to rise as crews comb through the wreckage.

The National Weather Service office in Memphis, Tenn., declared Friday morning that the violent tornado that ripped through Smithville, Miss., was an EF-5, the highest rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. This is the first EF-5 tornado to hit the U.S. since 2008 and the first to hit Mississippi since 1966.

The Smithville tornado killed at least 14 people. Peak winds were estimated at 205 mph. The twister's path was 2.82 miles long and up to half a mile wide.

Wednesday is the deadliest tornado day in the United States since April 3, 1974, when 308 people lost their lives. April 27, 2011 now ranks second in the nation's deadliest tornado days (since 1950), surpassing the April 11, 1965 outbreak that killed 260 people.

Out of the deaths on Wednesday, at least 213 occurred in Alabama. Mississippi officials report at least 32 people are dead, while 34 lives were lost in Tennessee and 15 in Georgia, according to CNN. Reports say at least one person was killed in Arkansas.

CNN reported that five people were also killed when tornadoes and severe thunderstorms swept through Virginia early Thursday morning.

Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and southern Tennessee suffered the worst of the tornado outbreak.

Most of the 211 tornado sightings reported to the Storm Prediction Center Wednesday came from these states. The actual number of tornadoes that touched down will be lower since numerous twisters remained on the ground for lengthy stretches of time, leading to multiple sightings.

National Weather Service storm survey crews must investigate the destruction before the tally of tornadoes from Wednesday is finalized. These crews will also officially rank each tornado, using the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

One of Wednesday's extremely large tornadoes devastated Tuscaloosa, Ala., home of the University of Alabama, shortly after 6 p.m. EDT with "complete devastation" reported by Tuscaloosa News along 15th Street heading to McFarland.

The city's Mayor Walt Maddox confirmed the deaths of at least 36 people with more than 100 others sustaining injuries.

WSFA.com reported that "this is at least the second tornado in 12 days to touch down in Tuscaloosa." The last time was during the April 15, 2011, outbreak that devastated Mississippi and central and southern parts of Alabama.

Tornadoes also touched down around Birmingham, Ala., with 11 deaths in the city's home county of Jefferson.

Another large twister tore through far northwestern Georgia, just south of Chattanooga, Tenn., damaging cars and tossing tractor trailers near the Ringgold exit off I-75 in Catoosa County.

A nearby three-story Super 8 Motel collapsed, killing at least seven people. WXIA-TV reports that Ringgold Police requested a "mass casualty morgue" to be set up at the destruction site.

An unconfirmed tornado is reportedly to blame for at least five deaths, numerous injuries and structural damage near Camp Creek, Tenn.

Three fatalities have been reported with a tornado that tore through Kemper County, Miss., earlier Wednesday. Mobile homes were damaged and destroyed with a large number of trees down, preventing emergency workers from reaching the area.

Deadly tornadoes on Wednesday were not confined to the south. At least one person was reportedly killed near Nathalie, Va., after an apparent tornado.

Tornadoes even occurred as far north as upstate New York on Wednesday night. One such tornado struck Swartwood, N.Y., damaging six homes to the point they are now deemed uninhabitable.

Wednesday's massive tornado outbreak got under way when a tornado was spotted in Esperanza, Miss., just after 9 a.m. CDT. A twister was sighted later on near Lawrenceburg, Tenn., around 10:40 a.m. CDT.

Another possible tornado touched down one mile north of Decatur, Ala., around 11:30 a.m. CDT, while debris was reported with a tornado near Athens High School in Athens, Ala., around the same time.

Many of the same areas slammed by Wednesday's vicious tornado outbreak were hit just hours earlier by damaging thunderstorms and tornadoes Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Heather Buchman has an explanation of why Wednesday's outbreak was so devastating.
By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist for AccuWeather.com

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