2018 Smithville, Mississippi Tornado

2018 Smithville, Mississippi Tornado

EF3 tornado
The Smithville, Mississippi EF3 near peak intensity.
Date	May 21, 2018
Times	1217-1257
Touchdown location	12:17 PM CDT
Highest winds	>295 mph (474 km/h)
Injuries	198
Fatalities	34
Damage	$35 million (2018 USD)
Areas affected	Smithville, Mississippi
Part of the Tornadoes of 2018 (Hitman) Tornado Outbreak sequence of May 21-26, 2018

The 2018 Smithville, Mississippi Tornado was a large, violent, and multi-vortex EF3-rated tornado hit Smithville, Mississippi and surrounding areas. This EF3 caused 34 fatalities, 198 injuries, and $35 million in damages. The EF3 occurred 7 years and 24 days after an EF5 hit Smithville, leaving 23 dead and 137 injuries from that event. The EF3 had a recorded record width of 2.8 miles.

Even though the tornado had winds speeds at in excess of 295 mph, the NWS office in Jackson stated that even though the tornado had EF5 winds, the worst damage was consistent with high-end EF3 damage. The tornado was apart of an outbreak that caused over 40 other EF3+ tornadoes over a 5 day span.

The tornado first touched down at 12:17 PM CDT 6 miles east of Troy. A house was minorly damaged at EF0 intensity. After traveling for about 30 miles in just 15 minutes, the now EF2 hit Amory, 9 miles southwest of Smithville. As the EF3 with at more than 295 mile winds in a couple sub-vortices neared Smithville, a couple of houses were hit, killing 29 while only causing severe damage. A mobile dopler radar recorded main vortice wind speeds between 150 and 165 mph, other non main vertices were recorded now over 200 mph, indicating not only mainly EF3 winds, other vortices had EF5 intensity, the tornado was quickly dying out.

Another 5 were killed at EF2 intensity when their mobile was completely destroyed. At 12:51 with the record EF3 only 6 minutes before dissipation, the tornado started picking up cars, killing only 2 in the process. At 12:57 after being on the ground for only 40 minutes, the tornado dissipated 6.1 miles west of Splunge.

In all, the EF3 caused 34 fatalities, 198 injuries, and $35 million in damages. The NWS confirmed that the path length was a record 2.8 mile wide tornado. At first, the tornado was given an EF5 rating based on wind speed. After no EF5 damage was found, the tornado was downgraded to an EF3 based on damage. This tornado has been compared to the 2013 El Reno, Oklahoma tornado since that tornado was a then-record 2.6 mile wide EF3 rated with >296 mph winds. Just like this twister, the El Reno tornado was originally given an EF5 before being downgraded to an EF3. The EF3 rating still stands today even though the rating is heavily disputed.

After finding no evidence of EF5 damage due to winds excess of 290 mph, the NWS stated that due to the tornado staying over mostly rural farmland, the worst damage caused was rated high-end EF3. The path reached 18.67 miles and a record 2.8 miles wide.

Gallery

The Smithville, Mississippi high-end EF3 rated tornado.

High-end EF3 damage near Smithville.

The tornado convective outlook for May 21.

Hitman's Notable Tornadoes 1

2012 Los Angeles, California Tornado • 2012 Compton, California Tornado • 2012 Inglewood, California Tornado • 2016 Sherman, Texas Tornado • 2017 Mount Dora, Florida Tornado • 2017 Clermont, Florida Tornado • 2017 Bradenton, Florida Tornado • 2017 Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Seymour, Texas Tornado • 2018 Parkersburg, Iowa Tornado • 2018 Washington, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Loyal Valley, Texas Tornado • 2018 Tescott, Kansas Tornado • 2018 Amber, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Chickasha, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Piedmont-El Reno, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 New Albany, Ohio Tornado • 2018 Tulsa, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Phil Campbell-Hackleburg, Alabama Tornado • 2018 Clermont-Groveland-Four Corners, Florida Tornado • 2018 Littleton-Columbine, Colorado Tornado • 2018 Jarrell, Texas Tornado • 2018 Houston-Pasadena, Texas Tornado • 2018 Cleveland County, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Cleveland County-Grady, County Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Anadarko, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Joplin-Alba, Missouri Tornado • 2018 Eustace-Canton, Texas Tornado • 2018 Olathe, Kansas Tornado • 2018 Gatlinburg, Tennessee Tornado • 2018 Hot Springs, South Dakota Tornado • 2018 Red Rock, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Vilonia, Arkansas Tornado • 2018 Smithville, Mississippi Tornado • 2018 Glazier, Texas Tornado • 2018 Woodward, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Antlers, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Lake Wilson, Minnesota Tornado • 2018 Chandler, Minnesota Tornado • 2018 Kiro, Kansas Tornado • 2018 Monticello, Indiana Tornado • 2018 New Cordell, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Oleta, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Tushka, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Keyes, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Pilger, Nebraska Tornado • 2018 Attica, Indiana Tornado • 2018 Delaware, Ohio Tornado • 2018 Yonkers, New York Tornado • 2018 Dorset, Vermont Tornado • 2018 Haines City, Florida Tornado • 2018 Caddo County-Grady County, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Prague, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Bixby, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Tulsa County, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Webster, South Dakota Tornado • 2018 Binger-Stillwater, Oklahoma Tornado • 2018 Wilco-Dimmitt, Texas Tornado • 2018 Turkey, Texas Tornado • 2019 El Dorado, Kansas Tornado • 2019 Prescott, Arkansas tornado • 2019 Chesterfield, Missouri Tornado • 2019 Manchester, Missouri Tornado • 2019 St. Louis County, Missouri Tornado • 2019 Harper, Kansas Tornado • 2019 Attica-Harper, Kansas Tornado • 2019 Sand Springs, Oklahoma Tornado • 2019 Spiro, Oklahoma Tornado • 2019 Vinita, Oklahoma Tornado • 2019 Salt Lake City, Utah Tornado • 2019 Sterling, Kansas Tornado • 2019 Vian, Oklahoma Tornado • 2019 Parshall, North Dakota Tornado • 2019 Bridge Creek-Moore, Oklahoma Tornado • 2020 Phil Campbell, Alabama Tornado • 2020 Ider, Alabama Tornado • 2020 Philadelphia, Mississippi Tornado • 2020 Double Springs, Alabama Tornado • 2020 Athens, Mississippi Tornado • 2020 Vernon, Alabama Tornado • 2020 Steens, Mississippi Tornado • 2020 Capitol, Montana Tornado • 2020 Washington D.C. Tornado • 2021 Piedmont - Guthrie, Oklahoma Tornado • 2021 Piedmont, Oklahoma tornado • 2021 Gladstone, New Mexico Tornado • 2023 Dallas, Texas Tornado • 2023 Memphis, Tennessee Tornado • 2023 Jefferson County, Arkansas Tornado • 2023 Pulaski County, Arkansas Tornado • 2023 Arkansas County, Arkansas Tornado • 2023 Desha County, Arkansas Tornado2023 Phillips County, Arkansas Tornado • 2023 Coahoma County, Mississippi Tornado • 2023 Quitman County, Mississippi Tornado • 2023 Pontotoc County, Mississippi Tornado • 2023 Union County, Mississippi Tornado • 2023 Noxubee County, Mississippi • 2020 Macon, Mississippi Tornado • 2023 Delhi, Louisiana Tornado • 2023 LaSalle Parish, Louisiana Tornado • 2023 Madison Parish, Louisiana Tornado • 2023 Amite County, Mississippi Tornado • 2023 Pike County, Mississippi Tornado • 2023 Liberty, Mississippi Tornado • 2023 Gloster, Mississippi Tornado • 2023 Pearl River County, Mississippi Tornado • 2023 Clay County, Mississippi Tornado • 2023 Warren County, Mississippi Tornado • 2023 Madison County, Mississippi Tornado • 2023 Rankin County, Mississippi Tornado • 2023 Leflore County, Mississippi Tornado • 2023 Sunflower County, Mississippi Tornado • 2023 Grenada County, Mississippi Tornado • 2023 Neshoba County, Mississippi Tornado • 2023 Lauderdale County, Mississippi Tornado • 2023 Marion County, Alabama Tornado • 2023 Winston County, Alabama Tornado • 2023 Itawamba County, Mississippi Tornado • 2023 Tishomingo County, Mississippi Tornado • 2023 Rockdale County, Georgia Tornado • 2023 Walton County, Georgia Tornado • 2023 Habersham County, Georgia Tornado • 2023 Banks County, Georgia Tornado • 2023 Ackworth, Georgia Tornado • 2023 Cumming, Georgia Tornado • 2023 Edgefield, South Carolina Tornado • 2023 Newton County, Georgia Tornado • 2023 Taliaferro County, Georgia Tornado • 2023 Hancock County, Georgia Tornado • 2023 Glasscock County, Georgia Tornado • 2023 Brantley County, Georgia Tornado • 2023 Pierce County, Georgia Tornado • 2023 Bacon County, Georgia Tornado • 2023 Jeff Davis County, Georgia Tornado • 2023 Long County, Georgia Tornado • 2023 Liberty County, Georgia Tornado • 2023 Orangeburg County, South Carolina Tornado • 2023 Chandler, Minnesota Tornado • 2025 Harrisburg-Reading-Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Tornado • 2026 Eastport, Maine Tornado • 2027 Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tornado • 2028 Wray, Colorado tornado • 2028 Lone Grove, Oklahoma Tornado • 2028 Mulhall, Oklahoma Tornado