In what has already been a very active tornado season for the Southeastern U.S., a series of strong tornadoes developed between the afternoon of May 2nd and the morning of May 3rd. The above normal activity can in part be attributed to the La Niña conditions observed this winter and spring (cooler than normal sea temperatures in the central Pacific Ocean).
The first tornado hit during the afternoon on the southeast side of Yazoo City, Mississippi, a town that was hit very hard by an EF-4 tornado in 2010 with a similar path. Later that evening (near 10 pm local) another strong tornado developed with an estimated path length of almost 20 miles and struct the center of Tupelo, Mississippi. Finally, a rare morning tornado hit the western neighborhoods of Atlanta, Georgia, beginning in the industrial area south of Six Flags Over Georgia. Sadly, at this time at least one fatality has been attributed to the tornado in Atlanta.Figure 1: Yazoo City,
MississippiFigure 2: Tupelo, Mississippi
Figure 3: Atlanta, Georgia
