4 tornadoes touched down in Pine Belt Wednesday, according to NWS

JACKSON, Miss. (WDAM) - The National Weather Service has completed its surveys of Wednesday’s severe weather and has confirmed four tornadoes touched down in the Pine Belt.

According to NWS Jackson, Purvis, Oak Grove, Maxie and McLain were the areas reported to have had tornadoes in those areas.

From the survey data collected from NWS, the tornadoes in Maxie and McLain were EF-2 tornadoes, while the Oak Grove tornado was an EF-1, and the Purvis tornado was an EF-0.

Data predicts that each tornado was traveling northeast at different speeds and distances from when they touched down.

Below are NWS’ survey summaries for the Oak Grove and Purvis tornadoes:

• Oak Grove
  • Tornado touched down near the intersection of State Route 589 and Ford Loop and moved northeast causing tree damage. Branches and trunks were snapped along with trees being uprooted. The tornado continued northeast crossing Travertine Drive, where it caused roof damage to a house in the neighborhood. It continued through the intersection of Grand Boulevard and Crestwick Drive, where more tree damage happened before ending between Cameron Road and Summer Place.
  • Estimated Peak Wind: 100 mph
  • Distance: Approximately 2 miles
• Purvis
  • Tornado started on the east side of downtown Purvis near the intersection of U.S. Highway 11 and State Route 589, where a part of a gas station canopy was removed, minor tree damage happened and a sign was blown down. It continued northeast downing trees and snapping large tree branches as it crossed US 11, Sherlock Herring Road, Harold Tucker Road, East Hill Road and White Chapel Road. On East Hill Road, a part of a metal roof was blown off. The tornado lifted as it reached Interstate 59 in western Forrest County, where additional minor tree damage was reported.
  • Estimated Peak Wind: 85 mph
  • Distance: 7 miles

Survey summaries for the Maxie and McLain tornadoes have not been released at this time.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency says 21 counties reported damage from Wednesday’s storms, with Forrest and Wayne counties being two of them.

Damaged homes, downed trees and power outages were all still currently being reported, according to MEMA.

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