Mississippi Valley tornado outbreak of February 1971

Infobox tornado outbreak|name=Mississippi Valley tornado outbreak of February 1971
date=February 21-22, 1971
image location=


duration=~32 hours
fujitascale=F5
tornadoes=19
total damages (USD)= unknown
total fatalities=123
areas affected= Southern and Southeastern United StatesThe Mississippi Valley tornado outbreak of February 1971 was deadly a tornado outbreak that struck portions of the Lower Mississippi River Valley and the Southeastern United States on February 21-22, 1971. The two-day outbreak which produced 19 tornadoes, killed 123 people across 3 states. The majority of the fatalities were caused by three violent tornadoes across western Mississippi and northeastern Louisiana. The outbreak is the second deadliest outbreak since the Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1965 before the Super Outbreak of 1974.

Outbreak summary

Activity started early during the morning of February 21. The first tornadoes touched down in Texas east of Austin and north of Waco. The main activity intensified during the afternoon over the Mississippi River and Tennessee Valleys until the late evening hours.

At around 3:00 PM CST a tornado touched down in Madison Parish, Louisiana and tore through a deadly 110 mile-path from south of Delhi near modern day Interstate 20 northeast through or near Delhi, Waverly, Alsatia and Transylvania before crossing the Mississippi River into the state of Mississippi. Then it affected areas in and around Mayersville, Inverness and Moorhead before dissipating. 47 people were killed by the tornado including 11 in Louisiana and 36 in Mississippi. In Inverness alone, 21 were killed while 200 others were injured. 150 buildings across the town were damaged or destroyed. [ [http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=Article&id=53103 This Day in History 1971: Tornadoes move across Mississippi River Delta ] ] The Delhi tornado is the only official F5 to have hit the State of Louisiana since tornado records began in 1950. It is also the deadliest F5 tornado since the Candlestick Park Tornado that tore a 200-mile long path from Jackson, Mississippi to near Tuscaloosa, Alabama killing 58. It is also the seventh longest tornado ever in the state but the length figures includes travel distance from Louisiana. [http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jan/TorStats/30longestTortracks.php National Weather Service Forecast Office - Jackson, MS ] ]

References

ee also

*List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks