A tornado outbreak occurred on

Saint Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (), is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Chris ...

in the

Deep South The Deep South or the Lower South is a cultural and geographic subregion of the Southern United States. The term is used to describe the states which were most economically dependent on Plantation complexes in the Southern United States, plant ...

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

and

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

were greatly affected, with numerous tornadoes being confirmed, including four that were rated EF2. Six people were injured by four different tornadoes across Alabama during the outbreak. A non-tornadic fatality also occurred due to a car crash near

Natchez, Mississippi Natchez ( ) is the only city in and the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,520 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia, Louisiana, Natchez was ...

. The outbreak began the day before, with a couple tornadoes in Mississippi, and continued over the next two days. The storm moved eastward and affected portions of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

the Carolinas The Carolinas, also known simply as Carolina, are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia to the southwest. The Atlantic Ocean ...

, and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

on March 18, spawning more tornadoes and causing wind damage before the storms pushed offshore that night. In total, 51 tornadoes were confirmed during the event, including 25 in Alabama, making it the sixth-largest tornado event in the state's history, and is sometimes locally referred to as the Saint Patrick's Day tornado outbreak of 2021. The same areas would be hit again by a more significant and destructive tornado outbreak sequence one week later. The

extratropical cyclone Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...

responsible for the tornado outbreak also resulted in a severe late-season

blizzard A blizzard is a severe Winter storm, snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow th ...

in parts of the

Southern Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include the mix ...

, particularly in the

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

panhandles. Zero visibility was reported in much of the area for hours in a row on the morning of March 17, due to extremely heavy snowfall rates as well as wind gusts over .

Meteorological synopsis

On March 16, an enhanced risk for severe weather was issued for northeastern Texas Panhandle northeastward into south central

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

for the possibility of very large hail. Slight and marginal risk areas, however, covered a much larger area, covering most of the

and eastward into

. This included a large 5% tornado risk stretching from the eastern Texas Panhandle into western

Widespread strong to severe thunderstorms affected areas from

and Kansas to

. In southern Mississippi, a cluster of storms bought wind, hail, and tornado damage to Copiah and Simpson Counties. Another cluster of supercells and multi-cell clusters formed in the Texas Panhandle and moved northeastward through western and northern

. A tornado was reported on the south side of

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

, although it was later determined to be a gustnado instead. As the night progressed, a squall line developed in Western Texas and steadily organized as it moved eastward overnight producing more severe weather. The main day of the outbreak was March 17. It was forecasted well in advance; on March 13, the

Storm Prediction Center The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) is a US government agency that is part of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), operating under the control of the National Weather Service (NWS), which in turn is part of the National Oceani ...

highlighted a large area of severe potential, including all of Mississippi. By March 14, the entire state and the surrounding areas were contained within a 30% risk contour. Two days later, the SPC upgraded portions of

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, Mississippi,

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, and Alabama to a Moderate risk for severe weather, including a 15% risk area for tornadoes. Early on March 17, the SPC issued a high risk, the first such outlook in two years, for portions of Mississippi, Alabama, and

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. By 12:30 p.m CDT, the high risk area included a 45% risk area for tornadoes across a small portion of the Mississippi–Alabama state line. Throughout the day, the Storm Prediction Center issued three

particularly dangerous situation A PDS tornado watch issued on December 14, 2022. In weather forecasting in the United States, "particularly dangerous situation" (PDS) is the wording used by the National Weather Service and the Storm Prediction Center to convey special urgency in ...

(PDS) tornado watches for areas of Alabama and Mississippi. These included much of central Alabama and Mississippi at 11:35 a.m. CDT; northern Louisiana, many of the remaining counties in Mississippi, and a handful of counties in Arkansas at 11:55 a.m. CDT; and then a second PDS watch for eastern Mississippi and much of Alabama at 6:45 p.m. CDT. There were 10 other tornado watches issued throughout the day as well. The first tornado of the day, rated EF2, touched down west of

Waynesboro, Mississippi Waynesboro () is a city in Wayne County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,043 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Wayne County. History In 1854, the Mobile and Ohio Railroad was built through Wayne County, and Waynesbor ...

just after 12:00 p.m. CDT on March 17, causing major damage to chicken houses and trees. In the Burnsville, Alabama, area another strong EF2 tornado destroyed multiple mobile homes, heavily damaged a frame home, and injured two people. The strongest tornado of the day was a high-end EF2 tornado that damaged or destroyed multiple homes and mobile homes, and also tossed vehicles near

Billingsley, Alabama Billingsley is a village in Autauga County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 125. It is part of the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area. Education facilities * Billingsley High School Geography Billing ...

. Another EF2 tornado struck

Silas Silas or Silvanus (; Greek: Σίλας/Σιλουανός; fl. 1st century AD) was a leading member of the Early Christian community, who according to the New Testament accompanied Paul the Apostle on his second missionary journey. Name and ...

, snapping numerous trees in and around town. Despite the high potential for long-tracked and violent tornadoes, the four EF2 tornadoes were the only strong (EF2+) tornadoes that were confirmed. In all, 33 tornadoes were confirmed that day. More severe and tornadic weather was expected on March 18 along the Atlantic coast from

Southern Maryland Southern Maryland, also referred to as SoMD, is a geographical, cultural and historic region in Maryland composed of the state's southernmost counties on the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. According to the state of Maryland, the region incl ...

and a moderate risk was issued from eastern Georgia to north central

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

on March 17. The moderate risk was downgraded to enhanced on March 18 due to a lack of buoyancy in the atmosphere, but numerous strong to severe thunderstorms still tracked through the area during the afternoon. Dozens of weak tornadoes were confirmed before the storms moved offshore that evening.

Confirmed tornadoes

March 16 event

March 17 event

March 18 event

Impact

Southeastern United States

More than 40,000 homes and businesses were without electricity across Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. Two people were injured when a home was destroyed in Clarke County, Alabama. Four other homes were also destroyed, and some chicken farms. A car crash in Mississippi along U.S. Highway 61 resulted in a non-tornadic fatality. In Mississippi's largest city of

Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

station

WAPT WAPT (channel 16) is a television station in Jackson, Mississippi, United States, affiliated with ABC. The station is owned by Hearst Television and maintains studios and transmitter facilities on Channel 16 Way (off MS 18) in southwest Jackso ...

was knocked off the air due to a 2-hour power outage caused by lightning, that caused alarm systems to go off in the studio.

Southern Plains

In parts of the Southern Plains, the large extratropical cyclone associated with the tornado outbreak also resulted in a severe blizzard early on March 17.

Blizzard Warning A blizzard warning ( SAME code: BZW) is a hazardous weather statement issued by Weather Forecast Offices (WFO) of the National Weather Service (NWS) in the United States, which indicates heavy snowfall accompanied by sustained winds or frequent gu ...

s were issued across most of the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, including the Amarillo area, late on March 16. Zero visibility was reported in much of the area under a Blizzard Warning. Extremely heavy snowfall rates and wind gusts of over resulted in long-duration blizzard conditions as well. Numerous crashes occurred on major roadways, and several highways, including I-40 and US-287 had to be closed.

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County, though most of the southern half of the city extends into Randall County, Texas, Randall County ...

saw almost of snow, and nearby areas saw even more. The blizzard was also followed by a flash freeze overnight on March 17, resulting in a freeze-up of snow-covered roadways and more crashes overnight.

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:2021-03-16 Tornado Outbreak Tornado 03-16 Tornado 03-16 Tornado 03-16 Tornado, 16 Tornadoes in Alabama Tornadoes in Mississippi Tornadoes in Louisiana Tornadoes in Arkansas Tornadoes in Missouri Tornadoes of 2021 Tornado 2021-03-16 Blizzards in the United States Extratropical cyclones F2, EF2 and IF2 tornadoes