Blaine, MS EF2 Tornado – April 27, 2011

This was the first of many strong twisters in Mississippi on April 27th. It was unusually powerful for a Quasi Linear Convective System (QLCS) and caused significant damage in and around the tiny community of Blaine.

The tornado began at 12:42 am CDT, about 1.9 miles SSE of Boyer. It remained roughly a quarter-mile wide for its entire life. Within that larger vortex, a 50-yard wide core of intense winds flattened and destroyed crops and scoured loose dirt in unplanted fields. The first structural damage occurred along Sunflower Road, about 2.5 miles west of Sunflower. Here, several homes sustained siding and roof damage, with one losing a large portion of its roof. A tree fell onto a car, and an irrigation pivot was blown over. There were also two injuries at this location.

The tornado remained stable in intensity over the next five miles. Little damage was done except for snapped trees and power poles, and a flipped propane tank. Soon after, however, the tornado struck the tiny community of Blaine. A commercial business and three mobile homes were destroyed, one mobile home was damaged, and an antenna was bent about 100 feet off the ground. Another tower was destroyed. The Sunflower County Roads Department barn and two houses also suffered major damage.

1.5 miles northeast of Blaine, a mobile home was obliterated. The frame of the home was completely wrapped around a tree. The resident was trapped in the debris of the trailer and was hospitalized for injuries.

The tornado hit no other structures, but it continued to snap and uproot numerous trees along the path. The twister dissipated 5.7 miles NE of Doddsville at 1:02 am CDT after a 16.7 mile track.