Tornado outbreak of January 21–23, 1999
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The January 1999 Tornado Outbreak Sequence was an enormous outbreak of tornadoes from January 17 to 22, 1999 across the Mississippi Valley, centered in Arkansas and Tennessee. It was one of the most severe January outbreaks ever recorded.
Meteorological synopsis
Confirmed tornadoes
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January 17 event
| FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 22 |
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | ||||||
| F2 | SE of Oil Trough | Independence, Jackson | 2051 | 7 miles (11 km) |
First tornado of the outbreak. Heavy damage to at least one house, plus extensive tree and power line damage. | |
| F1 | Diaz (1st tornado) | Jackson | 2106 | 2 miles (3.2 km) |
Damage mostly to trees. | |
| F0 | Diaz (2nd tornado) | Jackson | 2108 | unknown | Weak, short-lived tornado with no damage. | |
| F1 | Tuckerman area | Jackson | 2123 | 9 miles (15 km) |
Significant damage reported in a residential subdivision and at a sewer plant. One person was injured. | |
| F0 | NE of Tuckerman | Jackson | 2128 | 1 mile (1.6 km) |
Weak tornado with damage limited to trees. | |
| F1 | Grubbs area | Jackson | 2128 | 6 miles (9.6 km) |
Damage reported to about 12 houses, with a mobile home destroyed. Several barns were also damaged. | |
| F0 | N of Grubbs | Jackson | 2138 | unknown | Brief tornado with only minor tree damage. | |
| F0 | Risher area | Craighead | 2145 | 16 miles (26 km) |
Weak, long-tracked tornado. Damage limited to trees and power lines along its path. | |
| F0 | E of Lafe | Greene | 2230 | 8 miles (13 km) |
Minor tree damage along the path. | |
| F1 | Schug area | Greene | 2235 | 6 miles (9.6 km) |
Several mobile homes damaged. A substance abuse center lost its roof. | |
| F0 | NW of Weiner | Poinsett | 2245 | 8 miles (13 km) |
Tornado remained north of town. Minor damage reported. | |
| F2 | Lake City area | Craighead | 2145 | 11 miles (17 km) |
Two houses were destroyed and five others damage. Severe damage to an electrical substation. | |
| Tennessee | ||||||
| F2 | Halls area | Lauderdale | 2355 | 4 miles (6.4 km) |
Severe damage reported in Halls. Two businesses were flattened along with several mobile homes. Major damage to a church as well. In total, 49 structures were damaged or destroyed and 11 people were injured. | |
| F3 | Alamo area | Crockett | 0009 | 10 miles (16 km) |
Heavy damage in the south side of Alamo. 16 houses (including several mobile homes) and one business were destroyed and 73 others were damaged. Four people were injured. | |
| F3 | Jackson area (1st tornado) | Haywood, Madison | 0015 | 22 miles (35 km) |
See section on this tornado | |
| F4 | Jackson area (2nd tornado) | Madison | 0025 | 16 miles (26 km) |
6 deaths - See section on this tornado | |
| F1 | Saulsbury area | Fayette, Hardeman | 0035 | 12 miles (20 km) |
1 death - 1/4 mile (400 m) wide tornado destroyed 14 houses (most of them mobile homes) and damaged 27 others. Extensive tree and power line damage also reported. Four others were injured. | |
| F1 | Atwood area | Carroll | 0105 | 10 miles (16 km) |
1 death - Four mobile homes were destroyed and eight others were damaged. Numerous trees and power lines were damaged. One other person was injured. | |
| F1 | W of Dover | Stewart | 0106 | unknown | Short-lived tornado damaged the roof of a grocery store. | |
| F1 | E of Woodlawn | Montgomery | 0128 | 1 mile (1.6 km) |
Damage was reported on several farms, with several barns destroyed. | |
| F1 | SE of Adams | Robertson | 0200 | 1 mile (1.6 km) |
One farm was damaged, with moderate damage to the house and the barn and greenhouse destroyed. | |
| Mississippi | ||||||
| F0 | Slayden | Marshall | 0045 | 1 mile (1.6 km) |
Two mobile homes were destroyed and a house under construction was flattened. Two people were injured. | |
| Sources: National Climatic Data Center | ||||||
Jackson, Tennessee area tornadoes
Jackson, Tennessee was hit hard by two tornadoes. They were both devastating. The first tornado began south of Eurekaton in Haywood County at about 6:15 pm CST (0015 UTC) and tracked across rural areas towards the Madison County line. In Haywood County, there were 12 houses destroyed along with several farm buildings. The damage picked up more as it passed through Mercer and Denmark, where several more houses were destroyed. Severe damage was also reported at the McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport where several buildings were flattened and equipment was destroyed. The tornado crossed into the north side of Jackson, where severe damage was reported to 38 houses and apartments; most of which were destroyed. The first tornado dissipated at about 6:25 pm CST (0025 UTC). Two people were injured by the first tornado, which was rated as an F3 on the Fujita scale. [1]
The second tornado developed east of Bemis at 6:25 pm when the first tornado dissipated. The tornado crossed into the southern part of Jackson, severely damaging the city. Over 200 homes and numerous businesses were destroyed or flattened and hundreds of others were damaged. Some of the demolished buildings include portions of a shopping center, the athletic fields of a high school, a school bus garage and a funeral home. Six people were killed and 106 were injured by this tornado, which was rated F4.[2]