Tornado outbreak of March 3–4, 1966

A destructive series of four tornadoes hit the Southeastern United States during March 3-4, 1966. The worst event was a violent and long-lived F5 tornado, dubbed the Candlestick Park tornado after the name of a Jackson, Mississippi shopping mall which was leveled by the storm, that wrought catastrophic damage in Mississippi and Alabama along a 202.5 mi (325.9 km) track. The outbreak killed 58, injured 521, and caused $75.552 million in damage.

Tornado outbreak of March 3–4, 1966
Official track of the Candlestick Park tornado through central Mississippi
DurationMarch 3–4, 1966
Tornadoes confirmed4
Max. rating1F5 tornado
Duration of tornado outbreak217 hours
Damage$75.552 million (1966 USD)
$595 million (2021 USD)[1]
Casualties58 fatalities, 521 injuries
Areas affectedSoutheastern United States

1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale
2Time from first tornado to last tornado

Meteorological synopsis

On Thursday, March 3, 1966, the atmosphere over Mississippi was ripe for a violent tornado. In the upper-levels of the troposphere, a fairly strong jet stream, with winds estimated at 140 to 150 mph (230 to 240 km/h), oriented itself northeastward over the state, providing strong diffluence. A large mid-level trough, centered near Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was the overall system that produced the tornado. It featured low millibar heights roughly four times below the standard mean. Additionally, an unusually strong mid-level jet stream with 105 mph (169 km/h) winds provided additional energy to the storm system. The final factor in the development of the Candlestick Park storm was a subtle wind shift near the surface. At the higher levels, winds flowed from the southwest to the northeast in relation to the jet stream; however, closer to the surface, the inflow from the low pressure system over South Dakota resulted in a south to north flow, allowing for rotation within storms.[2]

In the hours prior to the tornado forming, convective available potential energy (CAPE) values of 1554 J/kg were present, indicating significant instability. However, dry air at higher levels created a capping inversion, limiting the number of thunderstorms that could develop. Later on, a warm front moved past Jackson, Mississippi, allowing more moist air into the region and increasing lapse rates. While this cap served to prevent a widespread tornado outbreak, it did allow for the formation of a few discrete strong storms.[3] With this, a supercell thunderstorm developed over Louisiana and produced three tornadoes, including the large F5 tornado that moved through Mississippi and Alabama.[4]

Confirmed tornadoes
Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 0 3 0 0 0 1 4

March 3 event
List of confirmed tornadoes – Thursday, March 3, 1966[nb 1][nb 2]
F# Location County / Parish State Start
coord.		 Time (UTC) Path length Max. width Summary Refs.
F1 SE of Newellton Tensas LA 32.03°N 91.20°W / 32.03; -91.20 (Newellton (March 3, F1)) 21:00–? 1 mile (1.6 km) 233 yards (213 m) Tornado developed over Lake Saint Joseph. One person was injured and damage was estimated at $2,500. [6][7]
F5 S of Learned, MS to Jackson, MS to Geiger, AL to NE of Tuscaloosa, AL Hinds (MS), Rankin (MS), Scott (MS), Leake (MS), Neshoba (MS), Kemper (MS), Pickens (AL), Tuscaloosa (AL) AL 32.18°N 90.55°W / 32.18; -90.55 (Learned (March 3, F5)) 00:30–02:30 202.5 miles (325.9 km) 900 yards (820 m) 58 deaths – See section on this tornado – 518 people were injured and damage was estimated at $75 million. [8][9][10]
[11][12][13]
[14]
F1 Gardendale Jefferson AL 33.65°N 86.82°W / 33.65; -86.82 (Gardendale (March 3, F1)) 02:00–? 0.1 miles (0.16 km) 10 yards (9.1 m) Brief but destructive tornado obliterated a brick home, injuring the two residents. Seven other homes were damaged as well. Losses total $25,000. [14][15][16]

March 4 event
List of confirmed tornadoes – Friday, March 4, 1966[nb 1][nb 2]
F# Location County / Parish State Start
coord.		 Time (UTC) Path length Max. width Summary Refs.
F1 NE of Clarkton Bladen NC 34.50°N 78.63°W / 34.50; -78.63 (Clarkton (March 4, F1)) 14:00–? 0.3 miles (0.48 km) 7 yards (6.4 m) A knitting mill and warehouse were heavily damaged by this short-lived, narrow, weak, but destructive tornado. The knitting mill lost its roof while the warehouse suffered roof damaged. Several parked automobiles were damaged as well. A roaring sound was heard as this tornado, which was accompanied by heavy rain, passed by. Damages totaled $25,000. [14][17][18]

Candlestick Park tornado
Candlestick Park tornado
F5 tornado
FormedMarch 3, 1966 4:00 p.m. CST
Duration3 hours and 45 minutes
DissipatedMarch 3, 1966 7:45 p.m. CST
Max. rating1F5 tornado
Damage$75.5 million (1966 USD)
$595 million (2021 USD)
Casualties58 fatalities, 518 injuries
Areas affectedHinds, Rankin, Scott, Leake, Neshoba, Kemper counties in Mississippi and Pickens, Tuscaloosa counties in Alabama
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

The violent F5 tornado first touched down south of Learned, Mississippi around 4:00 pm CST. Tracking generally to the northeast, the tornado moved through mostly rural areas, though several barns and a few homes were heavily damaged. Around 4:30 pm CST, the storm struck the southern limits of Jackson as an F4 or F5 tornado and mostly leveled the Candlestick Park shopping center. Cinder-blocks from the structure were scattered for long distances.[19] A number of homes and businesses were also destroyed in this area. Eyewitness reported pavement scouring, and that a few cars were tossed upwards of 0.5 mi (0.80 km) by the tornado. Many homes and businesses in the area were completely destroyed by the tornado, including a glass factory that was severely mangled. A brick Baptist church was destroyed with such force that it seemingly "exploded".[20] Once it moved through Jackson, the storm crossed the Pearl River and entered Rankin County. In Rankin County, the tornado's progress became unclear as it passed through mostly rural areas and an industrial complex. Currently, it is believed to have continued a nearly straight northeastward track through the entire county. However, reports from locals indicate that the tornado turned slightly more northward.[4]

Near the Leesburg community, the tornado reached its maximum strength of F5, where multiple homes were swept away, large swaths of trees were leveled, pavement was scoured, and chicken houses were obliterated. Similar damage took place as the system moved into Scott County, though specifics are scarce for this portion of the storm's history. Crossing into Leake County along Mississippi Highway 35, the tornado took a more northeasterly track, passing near the communities of Madden and Salem. In Neshoba County, the storm began to weaken, though not considerably as about a dozen more homes were destroyed before the system crossed into Alabama. After crossing the border, significant damage continued through Pickens and Tuscaloosa Counties before the tornado finally dissipated near the city of Tuscaloosa around 7:45 p.m. CST. During the storm's three-hour-and-forty-five-minute existence, it traveled roughly 202.5 mi (325.9 km), one of the longest paths ever recorded.[4]

Impact
Tornado fatalities by county
County County
total
Hinds 19
Leake 6
Neshoba 1
Pickens (AL) 1
Rankin 5
Scott 26
Total 58
All deaths were tornado-related

Throughout Mississippi, damage from the tornado amounted to $75 million (1966 USD) ($591 million (2021 USD)). The most severe damage took place at the Candlestick Park shopping center in southern Jackson where 12 people were killed. Much of the building was leveled and only one wall remained standing.[21]

Historic perspective
Revised map of the Candlestick Park tornado across central Mississippi

Prior to the Candlestick Park tornado, there had only been one other F5 (the other occurring on December 5, 1953) to touch down in Mississippi.[22] The next storm of this intensity would not take place until April 27, 2011, when two EF5 tornadoes touched down near the towns of Philadelphia and Smithville.[23] Overall, the tornado ranks as the second-deadliest and longest-tracked in the state's history, having killed 57 and traveled 202.5 mi (325.9 km); however, excluding outside portions of the track, it ranks third.[22] In general, it is also regarded as one of the most devastating tornadoes to ever strike Mississippi.[24]

In the decades following the tornado, reassessments on the history of the storm have been made; most notably the Jackson, Mississippi branch of the National Weather Service and meteorologist Thomas P. Grazulis both indicate that there were two separate tornadoes. Based on reports from residents who experienced the tornado, a second one formed as the original dissipated, a common occurrence in cycling supercell thunderstorms. Though there is agreement on this feature, the results have not been implemented into the National Climatic Data Center's severe weather database, thus it is still officially considered one tornado.[4] According to the study by Grazulis, the tornado dissipated over Leake County and a second tornado, estimated at F2 strength, touched down in Pickens County, Alabama. However, this leaves a gap in the track over Neshoba County where one person was killed.[25]

On the 50th anniversary of the tornado, the National Weather Service in Jackson published a section on the tornado titled "If the Tornado Happened Today," briefly detailing the scale of damage in relation to the new developments since the tornado. Given that exactly the same tornado took place in 2006, the loss of life would be considerably higher. Striking at rush hour, numerous vehicles would be in the path of the tornado as it crossed Interstates 20 and 55 as well as US 80. Despite vastly improved warning systems, the population density of Jackson would lean towards a higher likelihood of fatalities.[4]

See also

Notes
  1. All dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time and dates are split at midnight CST/CDT for consistency.
  2. Prior to 1994, only the average widths of tornado paths were officially listed.[5]

References
General
  • Grazulis, Thomas P. (November 1990). Significant Tornadoes 1880–1989. 2. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. ISBN 1-879362-02-3.

Specific
  1. "Tornado Summaries". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  2. "Upper Level Charts (Heights & Winds)". National Weather Service Office in Jackson, Mississippi. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. September 1, 2009. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  3. "Upper Air Sounding Data". National Weather Service Office in Jackson, Mississippi. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. September 1, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  4. "Candlestick Park Tornado Overview". National Weather Service Office in Jackson, Mississippi. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. September 1, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  5. Brooks, Harold E. (April 2004). "On the Relationship of Tornado Path Length and Width to Intensity". Weather and Forecasting. Boston: American Meteorological Society. 19 (2): 310. doi:10.1175/1520-0434(2004)019<0310:OTROTP>2.0.CO;2. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  6. "Louisiana F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  7. "Louisiana Event Report: F1 Tornado". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  8. "Mississippi-Alabama F5". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  9. Mississippi Event Report: F5 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  10. Mississippi Event Report: F5 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  11. Mississippi Event Report: F5 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  12. Alabama Event Report: F5 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  13. Alabama Event Report: F5 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  14. "Storm Data Publication | IPS | National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)". www.ncdc.noaa.gov. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  15. "Alabama F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  16. Alabama Event Report: F1 tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  17. "North Carolina F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  18. "North Carolina Event Report: F1 Tornado". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  19. Grazulis, Thomas P. (November 1990). Significant Tornadoes 1880–1989
  20. James Bonney (March 5, 1966). "Tornado Plows Horrible Swath; 60 Known Dead". Schenectady Gazette. Schenectady, New York. The Associated Press. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  21. Associated Press (March 4, 1966). "Mississippi Counts 57 Tornado Dead". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 1. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
  22. "Other Violent Tornadoes in Mississippi History". National Weather Service Office in Jackson, Mississippi. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. March 2, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  23. "Neshoba/Kemper/Winston/Noxubee Counties Tornado". National Weather Service Jackson, Mississippi. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  24. "The Candlestick Park Tornado". National Weather Service Office in Jackson, Mississippi. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. March 3, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  25. Grazulis, p. 473
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