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A devastating EF-4 tornado ripped 54 miles across Mississippi on Friday night, decimating the small town of Rolling Fork and killing at least 13 people.
The Rolling Fork tornado was among an outbreak of deadly twisters and severe weather that spanned several southeastern states. At least 21 people were killed, and entire towns were destroyed.
Even as Mississippi and Alabama mourn their lost and assess the damage, the region was bracing for another round of storms in what has become a higher-than-average year for tornadoes: 296 had been reported as of Sunday.
A visual overview of the weekend storms:
Tornado outbreak
These are the tornadoes reported by the National Weather Service:
Rolling Fork
The tornado was on the ground in Mississippi for an hour and 10 minutes, beginning in northern Issaquena County and ending in northern Holmes County. In a preliminary survey, the weather service said the tornado had peak winds of 170 mph and was three quarters of a mile wide at one point.
Chickasaw/Itawamba
An EF-3 tornado killed two people as it traveled 37 miles through Chickasaw and Monroe counties in Mississippi and Itawamba County, Alabama, with peak winds estimated at 155 mph and a maximum width at one point of 1,600 yards. The most significant damage was reported south of New Wren and in Amory.
Union County
An EF-1 tornado in Union County, Mississippi, traveled about three quarters of a mile and injured one person.
Pope and Southeast Panola
An EF-1 tornado traveled almost 8½ miles in Panola County, Mississippi. A second EF-1 tornado in the county produced winds of up to 110 mph and traveled slightly over 6 miles.
Burgess
An EF-1 tornado traveled about 4 miles, with maximum winds of 100 mph in Burgess, Mississippi.
Troup
A tornado survey is underway for this Georgia county on the border with Alabama for a twister that tracked more than 5 miles.
Baldwin
A survey for this tornado that ripped through part of Milledgeville, Georgia is planned for March 28, depending on the status of the Troup tornado.
Before-and-after images of Rolling Fork, Miss.
Damage to the town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, is revealed in this interactive before-and after slider. Highway 61 runs vertically through the town.
The images below show damage to homes and retail buildings along Walnut Street. A water tower appears to have been destroyed.
These images show damage to post office (center) and county clerks office (red roof) near the intersection of Walnut and Chestnut.
Destroyed homes at the intersection of Walnut and Mulberry are visible below.
Damage can also be seen along Blues Highway. An Ace Hardware store and a lumber yard are at the top of the image.
More visual stories:
Traditional “tornado alley” expanding:Southern states seeing more twisters
Tornado warning:The threat of deadly twisters is expanding in the South
Contributing: Shawn J. Sullivan
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