Stats
Path length: 13.57 miles
Width: 440 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 8
Rating: EF3
County: Lafayette
Tornado Path
SPC coordinates: 34.2084 / -89.5653 End: 34.3299 / -89.3785
Corrected coordinates Based on Analysis of Aerial and Satellite Imagery:
Start: 34.201461 / -89.581877 End: 34.364388 / -89.333105
Note: Exact tornado path may not be straight and/or continuous.
Summary
The farthest northwest EF3 tornado in the Super Outbreak, this obscure event caused major destruction in areas south and east of Oxford. The hardest-hit area was the community of Pine Flat.
This tornado began 4.9 miles south of Taylor at 1:36 pm CDT. It moved northeast, leaving a trail of uprooted trees. By the time it crossed Pleasant Ridge Road 2.7 miles after starting, the twister was 1,000 yards (0.57 miles) wide and growing.
The tornado plowed through several miles of forest and then strengthened as it crossed into the community of Pine Flat. It reached a maximum width here of 1,940 yards (1.1 miles). Several neighborhoods were heavily impacted, with a few homes losing their roofs and exterior walls. Trees just beyond the community were partially debarked, and cars were hurled and smashed. The tornado also scraped by the Pine Flat United Methodist Church, which escaped with only minor damage.
Based on the extensive blowdown of forest, the tornado remained relatively stable in terms of size and intensity for another five miles. Just after crossing County Road 334, it began to shrink and weaken. The tornado was two-thirds of a mile wide when it hit several structures along I-278, eight miles ESE of Oxford. The roof was ripped off a brick home, and an exterior wall collapsed. A few other residences were damaged.
The weakening vortex only snapped and uprooted trees over the remaining 4.2 miles of its life. It would dissipate at 1:57 pm CDT 10.6 miles east of Oxford, after a 21 minute and 18.2 mile track. 17 homes were destroyed, and roughly another 100 sustained some form of damage. The total cost was estimated at around $1.5 million. There were eight injuries but no fatalities.
While this tornado tracked through the southern and eastern edges of Oxford, most of the damage was concentrated in the Pine Flat Community. Of those who lost everything from the event, a few decided to relocate from Pine Flat after the disaster. However, most chose to stay and rebuild.
The Pine Flat United Methodist Church survived the event with only minor damage. In the days and weeks after the tornado, it was a rallying point for those impacted. Gene Bramlett was the pastor of this church. In an article from the Oxford Eagle, he stated, “People just started turning up to the church and whoever needed what, we tried to get it. There were no solid plans. No real logistics to it or any real supplies. But it all fell into place. People started stepping up to become leaders. Food was prepared at the church, even when we didn’t have electric. People brought clothing and other relief supplies. We had one rule… whatever someone needed, if you had it, you gave it to them and if we didn’t have it, we found it.”
Images
Video
Discrepancies:
We gathered information for this event from the SPC and NCDC Databases, the April 2011 Storm Data Publication (SDP), the NWS Memphis Event Page, and analysis of aerial and satellite imagery and found the following differences:
Path Length:
- The SPC/NCDC/SDP list a path length of 13.57 miles.
- The NWS Memphis lists a path length of 13.69 miles.
- Analysis of the damage indicates an 18.2 mile track.
Path Width:
- The SPC/NCDC/SDP/NWS Memphis list a maximum width of 440 yards (1/4 of a mile).
- Analysis of the damage indicates a maximum width of 1,940 yards (1.1 miles).
A before and after GIF using 2010 and 2011 Landsat imagery in Google Earth. Even with the exclusion of minor rear flank downdraft (RFD) damage along the southern side of the track, the maximum width of the tornado shown in the orange polygon (1,940 yards) far exceeds the 440 yards listed by official sources.
Sources:
April 2011 Storm Data Publication
NCDC Storm Events Database Entry-Lafayette County
Taking Shelter from the Storm; Building a Safe Room for your Home or Small Business
North Central MS Medical Reserve Corps
ADDINGTON, M 2012, ‘Residents rebuild after storm – Looking Back: Deadly day recalled one year later – Tornado Recovery’, Oxford Eagle, The (MS), 25 Apr, p. 1, (online NewsBank).
Schnugg, A 2016, “Pine Flat Remains a Strong Community.” The Oxford Eagle, 10 Jan. Newspapers.com. www.oxfordeagle.com/2016/01/10/pine-flat-remains-a-strong-community/
Castens, E 2011, ‘Lafayette County: Storms affect more than 300 structures’, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal (Tupelo, MS), 3 May, (online NewsBank).
Questions or comments about this summary? Contact us here!
0 Comments