During the afternoon hours of Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020, an enormous and powerful high-end EF4 tornado struck the southeastern parts of Bassfield and directly struck the communities of Soso, Moss, and Pachuta, Mississippi, as well as rural areas near Seminary and Heidelberg. Along its track, the tornado killed eight people and injured 99 others, causing losses of up to $73 million. The tornado was part of the massive 2020 Easter tornado outbreak, which produced 141 tornadoes, and was one of the three violent tornadoes of the outbreak.
The tornado touched down south of Bassfield, snapping trees, causing significant roof damage, and destroying a mobile home. As it intensified, several trees were violently debarked and denuded. The tornado then strengthened to high-end EF4 intensity as it struck the small community of Cantwell Mill. Several homes and a restaurant were heavily damaged or destroyed, including a well-constructed cabin that was swept away. The tornado continued, debarking and denuding several more trees and significantly damaging homes. The tornado weakened slightly before becoming violent for the second time, leveling a home near Seminary. More trees and infrastructure were severely damaged as the tornado entered Jones County, impacting the town of Soso, leveling a gas station and inflicting significant to intense damage to other homes and businesses in town. The tornado then impacted the community of Moss, causing catastrophic damage to multiple homes and businesses. The tornado continued northeast, inflicting significant damage to trees and infrastructure, before dissipating north of Pachuta.
The tornado itself had a peak width of , becoming the largest tornado in Mississippi history and the third-largest tornado on record in the United States, and the fourth widest worldwide, surpassing the Trousdale EF3 tornado and only behind the 2004 Hallam tornado, the 2016 Funing tornado, and the 2013 El Reno tornado. At one point, doppler radar recorded that the tornado was surrounded by a cloud of debris that was approximately five miles wide.
Meteorological synopsis
The first indications of organized severe weather came on April 8, when the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) outlined 15% probabilities for severe weather within of a point from central Texas eastward into the Florida Panhandle and eastern Georgia valid for April 11–12. These threat areas were later refined with the introduction of a day-3 moderate risk, the fourth of five threat levels, across northeastern Louisiana through central Alabama on April 10. Historically, the SPC issues one day-3 moderate risk every year, and half of those over the previous decade were later upgraded to High risk, the highest threat level. Over subsequent days, a significant mid-level shortwave trough progressed eastward across the United States. By the pre-dawn hours of April 12, mid-level cooling associated with the feature overspread the Edwards Plateau, Hill Country, and much of central Texas. Accordingly, an intense line of severe thunderstorms developed along a dry line while vigorous convective development formed farther east. These thunderstorms were initially isolated in nature but soon coalesced into a mesoscale convective system as they encountered an enhanced corridor of warm air streaming northward, as well as very strong wind shear. These initial storms produced scattered weak tornadoes in Texas during the early stages of the outbreak. This storm complex progressed across northern Louisiana through the late morning and early afternoon hours, and embedded circulations within the line began producing strong tornadoes, contributing to multiple tornado debris signatures visible on radar. The first strong tornado as well as the first one to cause casualties was in Desoto Parish, where an EF2 tornado destroyed manufactured homes and damaged trees and homes, injuring two people. The first intense and notable tornado was an EF3 tornado that triggered a tornado emergency as it moved through downtown Monroe, and damaging or destroying numerous homes, but there were no casualties. To the north, a second EF3 tornado near Sterlington caused extensive tree damage. In advance of the line, a lifting warm front aided in the formation of a very moist, highly unstable, and highly sheared environment across northeastern Louisiana and much of Mississippi. Accordingly, the SPC issued a particularly dangerous situation tornado watch into the late evening hours.
A weather balloon launch from Jackson, Mississippi, at 18:00 UTC revealed the presence of a capping inversion across the region. This cap was expected to weaken across central Mississippi. At the same time, forecasters expressed more uncertainty about its longevity across southern Mississippi and Louisiana. As a small area of low pressure progressed across northwestern Mississippi, it caused surface winds to turn out of the east-southeast, enhancing the potential for tornadoes. As a cluster of storms across central Mississippi progressed toward the northeast, it began to reintensify and develop embedded supercell characteristics with an attendant threat of strong tornadoes.
Tornado track Jefferson Davis County
The supercell responsible for producing the violent Hope, Mississippi tornado quickly recycled and dropped the Bassfield tornado. A tornado emergency was still ongoing for Bassfield as a result of the Hope, Mississippi tornado. The tornado touched down a few miles south of Bassfield. First crossing Bassfield Cemetery Road, a couple of softwood trees were uprooted at EF1 intensity. The tornado continued to uproot and inflict minor damage to trees around Bass Road. The tornado soon intensified to low-end EF2 strength as it crossed Ray Hathorn Road; multiple softwood trees were snapped and many more were downed. The tornado, now wide, crossed MS 42, intensifying to mid-range EF2 strength; one home suffered severe roof damage, with large sections of it ripped off. Another home nearby received significant roof damage, with estimated wind speeds reaching . Numerous softwood trees nearby were snapped or uprooted. At the Jefferson Thompson Complex, multiple sports facilities were destroyed by the tornado, with several fences and signs damaged. The tornado crossed Hosey Mikell Road, strengthening to low-end EF3 intensity, obliterating a mobile home and scattering debris over 300 yd (270 m) downstream. Along Harper Road, the tornado significantly snapped a softwood tree with of and also demolished an outbuilding. The tornado moved further northeast, additional intensification occurred as several softwood trees were snapped and debarked in large quantities. Crossing Pitts Lane, the tornado strengthened significantly to EF4 intensity. Hardwood trees were violently debarked and razed at . More prolific tree damage was inflicted upon softwood trees, multiple of which were snapped and severely debarked.
Remaining violent, the tornado heavily debarked, denuded, and snapped hardwood and softwood trees along Reese Road. A mobile home along the road was destroyed and another home nearby sustained significant roof damage. At around this time, the tornado was already wide. The tornado crossed Harper Road near an intersection between Graves Keys Road and C.T Prince Lane, where more major tree damage was noted. Along the intersection, with winds of , the tornado completely swept off the foundation of Mama D's Cafe, killing four people that were inside the business. A manufactured home along William Harper Road was demolished with its undercarriage wrapped around a tree. A one-story home suffered severe exterior damage to its walls. Another mobile home was blown down along Graves Keys Road and Fannie's fish house along the road had its entire roof ripped off with its concrete walls still remaining intact. Extreme forestry damage continued as dozens of hardwood and softwood trees were heavily debarked and denuded.
North of Graves Keys Road, the tornado abruptly intensified to high-end EF4 strength with estimated windspeeds up to . A well-anchored wooden cabin was obliterated and swept clean at high-end EF4 intensity, with the metal roof being completely stripped away. Despite the path of the tornadic vortex through the field was visible, no significant scouring were noted. A truck parked near the home was thrown into a field, becoming mangled beyond recognition. Trees near the cabin were partially debarked. Continuing northeast, the tornado grew to wide. The tornado crossed Good Hope Road, more trees in this area were snapped and debarked. Around this area, farmers reported sixty cattle were killed by the tornado. The tornado was lofting debris over 25,000 ft and close to 27,000 ft.
On Willie Fortenberry Road, vehicles were thrown considerable distances and were damaged, numerous trees were downed and pointed in the direction opposite to the tornado's movement path. A brick home along the road suffered collapsing of their exterior walls, injuring one occupant. On Davis Road, a one-story home suffered major damage to its interior and exterior walls. The tornado crossed King Road; multiple hardwood trees were debarked at or near violent intensity, a home along the road received significant roof damage. The tornado weakened to low-end EF3 strength, more trees were debarked and homes nearby sustained moderate to severe damage. The tornado soon moved into Covington County.
Covington County The National Weather Service in Jackson, Mississippi issued a tornado emergency for Covington, Jones, Jasper, and Smith counties at 5:01 PM (CST). At the same time, the Storm Prediction Center issued a rare meso-gamma discussion for the tornado, citing that the tornado had potential peak winds of up to 170-205 mph with high confidence of the tornado being violent. The tornado maintained low-end EF3 intensity, several trees was snapped and debarked along Seminary Mike Connor Road. A home along Stevie Sanford Road received significant damage to their exterior walls. As the tornado paralleled Robert McGowan Road, it slightly debarked and snapped multiple softwood trees, in addition to damaging the exterior walls of a home. The tornado crossed over McDonald Chapel Road, obliterating a mobile home and leveling most of the homes around the area. The tornado threw a vehicle, and intense tree damage continued here.
The tornado slightly intensified to , bringing major damage to a home along Hughes Road. Adjacent to the home, numerous chicken homes were demolished and a mobile home was rolled over. The tornado became violent again, striking a small neighborhood along Cold Springs Road. A home on the road collapsed at low-end EF4 intensity. More trees were debarked, and a mobile home nearby was destroyed. At this point, the tornado reached a peak width of , breaking the record to become the largest tornado recorded in Mississippi and third largest on record in the United States. The tornado weakened back to low-end EF3 intensity as it crossed US 49 northwest of Seminary, and shrunk back to . A metal building system received intense damage. Along the highway; several more trees were debarked, a home experienced losses to their exterior walls.
Throughout northeast Covington county, thousands more trees were severely debarked and some homes were mostly leveled. Along Willow Grove Church Road, a metal building system was significantly damaged and a double-wide manufactured home was destroyed. A heavy concentration of snapped and debarked softwood and hardwood trees around the Brent Knight Road area were noted. Soon, the tornado exited Covington county.
Jones County