South and Midwest Tornadoes

Severe tornadoes and strong thunderstorms, including a deadly EF4 tornado, violently swept through Mississippi and Alabama on March 24th, 2023. Its path was approximately 59 miles with an EF4 tornado having wind gusts between 166 mph and 200 mph (265 kph and 320 kph).

At least 26 people died and dozens were injured. Entire blocks of buildings and homes were flattened. The Mississippi Delta town of Rolling Fork was decimated where a very difficult recovery is underway. Survivors describe that there is nothing left. The supercell that produced the deadly twister also seems to be responsible for creating the tornadoes that caused damage in northwest and north-central Alabama.

Into the weekend, survivors were left in shock digging out of debris and trying to cut through fallen trees. A significant number of Rolling Fork’s population of 2,000 residents lives below the poverty line. Data shows roughly 30 percent of its residents live in mobile homes, which are more vulnerable to tornado damage.

Just one week later, a series of numerous tornadoes (some preliminary reports stated 50) swept across a large portion of the South and Midwest U.S. Thousands were under tornado watches as destruction spanned 11 states and  at 32 people were killed.