Lee County, Mississippi

A tornado touched down near the Pontotoc County line west of Tupelo. The tornado strengthened as it moved into Tupelo reaching a peak intensity along Clayton Avenue and Country Club Road and in the commercial area along North Gloster from Hillcrest Drive to North Green Street. The Joyner Elementary School and Maintenance Shop suffered major damage. Maximum winds were estimated at 150 mph. A woman was killed when her vehicle hydroplaned and hit a tree during the storm. The tornado continued northeast and caused significant damage near Elvis Presley Lake including toppling a 400 foot communication tower. 84 homes were destroyed in Lee County while 169 homes suffered major damage. 351 other homes had minor damage. Six mobile homes were destroyed. Nine mobile homes had major damage while 6 others had minor damage. 17 businesses were destroyed while 9 suffered major damage. The tornado then tracked into Itawamba County.

The tornado developed in far eastern Pontotoc County along Lee Line Road. The tornado then caused EF-0 and EF-1 damage to homes and trees just west and north of the Tupelo Airport. As it approached Colonial Estates Road the tornado intensified and damaged numerous homes. Two homes had roofs completely removed and non-brick exterior walls collapsed on one of them. Several homes saw partial roof damage. As the tornado crossed McCullough Blvd., several businesses were damaged including one which had the roof partially removed. The tornado weakened and continued on snapping trees and causing some slight structural damage as it crossed I-22 where it hit buildings just south of Barnes Crossing Mall. The tornado intensified again as it crossed Bog Oaks Golf Club and approached an assisted living center. The tornado caused considerable roof damage to the assisted living center. The final damage seen before it lifted was observed along County Road 851.

The first observed damage was near south Thomas Street in southwest Tupelo. The tornado���s damage path was intermittent through the first part of its track. It caused minor damage to trees and a church roof along Thomas Street and Lawndale Drive. The damage became more continuous as the tornado approached Main Street. Numerous trees were uprooted, with some trunks snapped. Several trees fell onto homes, causing substantial damage. The tornado reached its peak intensity near Veterans Memorial Parkway and Elvis Presley Drive. The tornado damaged several commercial buildings and residences. Two residences suffered partial roof removal. The tornado crossed Interstate 22, and the damage became more sporadic. The tornado uprooted additional trees, with some falling on houses. The last observed damage was near County Road 1451. In total, 76 homes, six businesses, and one public building suffered some level of damage. Peak winds were estimated at 100 mph.