February 1971 Mississippi Delta tornado outbreak

The February 1971 Mississippi Delta tornado outbreak was a deadly tornado outbreak that struck portions of the Lower Mississippi River Valley and the Southeastern United States on February 21–22, 1971. The two-day outbreak produced at least 19 tornadoes, and probably several more, mostly brief events in rural areas; killed 123 people across three states; and "virtually leveled" entire communities in the state of Mississippi. Three violent, long-lived tornadoes—two of which may have been tornado families—in western Mississippi and northeastern Louisiana caused most of the deaths along 300 miles (483 km) of path. One of the tornadoes attained F5 intensity in Louisiana, the only such event on record in the state. The outbreak also generated strong tornadoes from Texas to Ohio and North Carolina. The entire outbreak is the second deadliest ever in February, behind only the Enigma tornado outbreak in 1884 and ahead of the 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak. February 21 was the fourth-deadliest day for tornadoes in Mississippi on record. At one point, the National Weather Service WSR-57 radar in Jackson, Mississippi, reported four hook echoes, often indicative of tornado-producing supercells, simultaneously.

Activity started early on the morning of February 21. The first tornadoes touched down in Texas east of Austin and north of Waco. The main activity intensified during the afternoon over the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys until the late evening hours. The first of the three long-lived violent tornadoes was an F5 that touched down in Louisiana and traveled continuously for 102 miles (164 km), followed by an F4 in Mississippi that produced continuous damage for 159 mi (256 km) and continued into Tennessee. A third, F4 tornado traveled 65 mi (100 km) through Little Yazoo, Mississippi, and near Lexington. The three violent tornadoes moved at up to 55 miles per hour (89 km/h), and eyewitnesses reported more than 50 tornadoes or funnel clouds in the Mississippi Delta region alone, many of which were sightings of the same tornado. Although authorities issued timely warnings—with average lead times of 50 minutes in the worst-hit areas—few homes in the area were well constructed, and many lacked basements or other safe areas, thus contributing to the large number of deaths. Many residents were reportedly aware of the danger but could not find shelter in time. As a result, the violent tornadoes killed entire families and caused as many as 21 deaths in some communities. Many of the dead were blacks living in frail structures. In Mississippi alone, tornadoes officially killed 110 people (107 in some sources) and injured 1,469 (officially 1,060); of these, 454 persons were hospitalized.