A destructive series of three tornadoes hit
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
,
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
, and
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
on January 23, 1969. This worst tornado was a violent F4 twister that devastated
Hazlehurst, Mississippi
Hazlehurst is a city in and the county seat of Copiah County, Mississippi, United States, located about south of the state capital Jackson along Interstate 55. The population was 4,009 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan S ...
and caused 32 fatalities.
Confirmed tornadoes
Hazlehurst, Mississippi
At 4:19 a.m. (
CST), radar indicated a strong thunderstorm cell strengthening rapidly southeast of
Jonesville, Louisiana
Jonesville is the largest town in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, United States, at the confluence of the Ouachita, Tensas, and Little rivers. The three rivers become the Black River at Jonesville.
The Jonesville population was 2,265 at the 2010 ...
in
Concordia Parish
Concordia Parish (french: Paroisse de Concordia) borders the Mississippi River in eastern central Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 20,822. The parish seat is Vidalia. The parish was formed in 1807.
Concordia Parish is part ...
. A tornado soon occurred in
Jefferson County, Mississippi
Jefferson County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi; its western border is formed by the Mississippi River. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population was 7,726, making it the third ...
, south-southeast of
Fayette, where some damage was reported. The tornado mainly traveled through sparsely populated areas, excluding the Hazlehurst area. Mainly trees were either debarked or uprooted, but structures in Hazlehurst sustained extensive damage. Several parts of the path were widened, with the widest part being about wide. At another point, the tornado caused ground scouring and downed trees in all directions. Most of the structural damage occurred to outbuildings and farm buildings. The tornado was first noted near the Hazlehurst area at 5:45 a.m. (CST). A number of families in Hazlehurst lived on a hill near a lumber pond. The tornado dumped 18 people into the pond, of which all became missing. Afterwards, the pond was drained to try recovering the missing bodies. In
Shady Grove, several buildings were destroyed. In
Copiah County, 11 people were killed and 140 people were injured. The tornado caused $900,000 (1969 USD) damage in Copiah County. A family in
Simpson County lay down on the floor and were not injured. A bus was parked in front of the home, and its body was blown away. South of
Harrisville, a log house was reduced to rubble. Throughout the rest of the path (until the city of
Puckett), 12 people were found dead. A family near Puckett were trying to escape the tornado, but their car wouldn't start. Instead, they jumped into a ditch and survived as their three-bedroom home was lifted off of its foundation. One of the family members was seriously injured by a falling limb. The tornado also lifted a tenant house into the air. A hog barn was also destroyed, which resulted in the fatalities of four hogs, of 800 which were in there. The tornado caused minor damage to trees before dissipating near
Newton
Newton most commonly refers to:
* Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist
* Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton
Newton may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film
* Newton ( ...
. Overall, 32 people were killed and 241 were injured.
See also
*
List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
These are some notable tornadoes, tornado outbreaks, and tornado outbreak sequences that have occurred in North America.
#''The listing is U.S.-centric, with greater and more consistent information available for U.S. tornadoes. Some North Americ ...
*
Tornado outbreak sequence of Early-December 1953
**
1953 Vicksburg, Mississippi tornado
*
Tornado outbreak of March 3–4, 1966
*
February 1971 Mississippi Delta tornado outbreak
February is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The month has 28 days in common years or 29 in leap years, with the 29th day being called the ''leap day''. It is the first of five months not to have 31 days (th ...
Notes
References
{{reflist
Hazlehurst, Mississippi tornadoes
Tornadoes in Mississippi
Tornadoes in Kentucky
Tornadoes in Tennessee
Hazlehurst, Mississippi tornadoes
Hazlehurst, Mississippi tornadoes