SPC Stats
Path length: 11.5 miles
Width: 250 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 25
Rating: F3
County: Jones
An estimated F3 tornado moved northeast through parts of Jones County and the town of Laurel during the evening of December 28, 1954. It had a path of about ten miles per the Climatological Data National Summary (CDNS) and a width of 250 yards. Twenty-five people were injured.
The tornado crossed through 20 blocks of northwestern Laurel. Per CDNS, 20 homes and two other buildings were destroyed. Eight-seven homes and six other buildings had varying degrees of damage. Numerous trees were uprooted and telephone and power lines were downed.
Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes documented this event. He noted less damage. “Three homes were destroyed, four were unroofed, two were twisted, and 12 were otherwise damaged.”
Tornado Path
SPC coordinates: Start: 31.63 / -89.18 End: 31.77 / -89.07
Corrected Coordinates based on CDNS:
Start: 31.652599/-89.207315 End: 31.754457/-89.087001
Note: Exact tornado path may not be straight and/or continuous.
Newspaper Clippings
Discrepancies:
We gathered information for this event from the SPC & NCDC Databases, the December 1954 Climatological Data National Summary (CDNS) and Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes and found the following differences:
Path Length:
- SPC/NCDC have a 11.5 mile path length.
- Grazulis and CDNS have a length at 10 miles.
Sources:
December 1954 Climatological Data National Summary
Grazulis, Thomas P. (1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VT: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. Page 983.
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