Friday, December 31, 2010

Tornado Approaching Jackson, MS

Update at 5:20 PM CST:  "Significant" damage has been reported near Byram, MS.  Additional damage reports are likely from the Richland/Pearl areas and southeast Jackson.  Extremely impressive rotation noted on the radar about 4 minutes ago just North of Pearl:


See my original post below for additional information and how to interpret the wind motion (velocity) imagery as provided by the radar....


The above radar image was taken from the Jackson, MS radar at 4:59 PM CST.  The left side of the image shows the radar reflectivity data (i.e., rain, hail, etc.) while the right side of the image shows the wind motion toward and away from the radar (click to enlarge).

On the wind motion image, the reds and oranges show wind blowing away from the radar (which is located near the upper right portion of the image - where the big black blank space is with the "KDGX" in light blue) while the greens and blues show wind blowing toward the radar.  See where the reds/oranges and greens/blues meet in a tight spiral near Byram?  That's where the radar is indicating strong rotation and a possible tornado.

Just a few minutes earlier, an actual on-ground tornado report was received North of Terry on I-55.

Residents of the greater Jackson area, particularly Richland, Pearl and southeast Jackson should prepare for a possible tornado as this storm races Northeast at 45 mph.

For the latest updates, see the Jackson NWS office, or local media.

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