October 30, 2023 Meeting

The first meeting of the 2023-2024 year took place at the National Weather Service Office in Flowood. Our guest speaker was local NWA president and NWS meteorologist Daniel Lamb, who led a panel discussion featuring several of the NWS Jackson survey team on interesting findings from the March 24, 2023 tornadoes that impacted Rolling Fork, Silver City, and Winona.

Meeting Minutes

Call to Order
The first meeting of the 2023-2024 AMS/NWA chapter year occurred on Oct 30, 2023 in person. The meeting was called to order at 7:13pm by Central MS NWA President Daniel Lamb.

Rolls
Recording Secretary David Cox took note of the number present. In total, there were 11 present, with all 11 in person.

Minutes Approval
Central MS AMS Recording Secretary David Cox mentioned our last meeting from the January meeting & the May 3 Hurricane Awareness Tour (HAT).

New Business
Central MS AMS Recording Secretary/Treasurer David Cox stated the treasury report, which is at $482.29. One member paid up for a total of $502.29. Since we are now doing in person meetings, Central MS NWA President Daniel Lamb proposed changing dues of $20 for members & $10 for students, on a rolling basis.

Our guest speaker for the evening was Daniel Lamb who had a panel discussion featuring several of the NWS Jackson survey team on interesting findings from the March 24, 2023 tornadoes that impacted Rolling Fork, Silver City, and Winona.

Discussed the storm survey teams

Rolling Fork tornado – Went road by road showing points in the Damage Assessment Toolkit (DAT)

Where is the worst damage to define the rating of the tornado?

Daniel & Bill were part of the first survey team
• Most done by walking
• Daniel took survey points
• Bill interviewed residents

Daniel showed centerline of tornado at Pinkins Road, where fatalities occurred
• Question: Al: How wide was it?
• 3⁄4 of a mile wide at this point
• Car was twisted in powerlines
• First fatality along this road

Tornado took the worst path over a majority of the town

Tornado intensified across Deer Creek moving towards Rolling Fork creek

Talked about the Geospatial Insurance Consortium (GIC) for the Vexcel imagery, getting this imagery within the week & compared to previous imagery.

Discussed the damage to the water tower
• Logan talked about most survive up to EF3
• Either collapse or no damage
• Not enough information to rate it
• Caused a 12-14ft crater

Dave
• Mentioned dogs on the Durant where they looked fused together but were so scared they were pushed up next to each other moving in.
• Talked about lightning on Sunday after in Rolling Fork. Lightning was within a quarter mile with no buildings around.

Inflow channel bands caused greater damage on the southeast side of the tornado.

Debris was rowed into the center of the path at the Family Dollar.

Chuck’s Dairy Bar, people got into the cooler
• Truck was on top of the bathroom wall.
• Trailer park run by the bar. Most fatalities occurred in this region.

Dollar General was moved north & if not, could have had further fatalities.

Stronger on angle of attack of forward motion of it moving northeast like 60mph.

Damage to the building to the north pulled to the south.

It is much harder to have this level of damage at moving how fast it is at 60mph, because it isn’t grinding down the structures
• Over in about 4 seconds to be swept over

Inflow channel went over Floral Gift Shop (Green Apple)
• Strongest point of damage
• Some confusion of where Green Apple is located, where earlier building was burned down & confusion that it was moved
• Retrofit an existing building so I had to figure out what structural changes were done.
• Front of building was more open – Weaker due to more failure points
• Were salvaging materials onto tables afterwards
• Building swept mostly clean & build in the 1950s
• Likely a current or streamwise vorticity current (SVCs) of enhanced channel of wind accelerating into the centerline & didn’t have it merging into the centerline.
• Held off upgrading to EF5 due to it being one singular point

High school was having prom that night – Very lucky

Family Dollar was not structurally sound enough to know it reached an EF5 intensity

Along centerline with debris piles & not slabbed

Question – Benny – Could it be readjusted to EF5 later in time with updates to EF scale?
• Daniel said yes & that we documented it as finely as possible.
• Logan mentioned that we don’t break tornado climatology; Find a balance to be consistent so people don’t get the idea that there are more EF5s now than in the past

Showed video of the “car” rotating around the tornado
• Could not find conclusive evidence that these lights were vehicles
• Ideas- Safety lights, Solar or battery powered?
• Looked for a vehicle in the field

Trenching not evident across the field
• Rowed small bits of tree bits/mulched them into the centerline about 4 feet across
• Logan – Wind is violent in 3 dimensions
• Trenching did not occur

David discussed Black Hawk-Winona tornado & degree of damage in the terrain to the trees & upgrade to intensity to high end EF3

Logan discussed the concrete slab lifted in northeast side of the tornado
• Most well built shed had full plumbing & sill plates, interior wall is load bearing & anchor bolt/washer
• Extremely well built probably higher rated than some homes built
• 18 inches thick inset & built around the ground
• Part of it was below grade & not enough below ground level
• Multiple tons of concrete
• Building exploded & blown downstream
• Tree ripped out of ground
• Not dead center of track.
• Logan – Most bizarre thing

Logan – Discussed how much fatalities the last 30 years of >70-80% are in EF3 or lower
• David – If we had the concrete structures like the one in Black Hawk, this could make it much more survivable for most people.

Amory – Cell tower was collapsed

Getting rid of duplicate presidents & duplicate secretaries & Allen will be Recording Secretary & David will be Treasurer.

Future meetings can be conducted in person, with the option to attend virtually & speakers are still able to present virtually. Future meeting details will be sent out by Central MS NWA President Daniel Lamb.

Adjournment
The meeting concluded at 9:12pm.

Minutes were submitted by David Cox, Central MS NWA/AMS Recording Secretary.