New Albany had no tornado warning before a confirmed EF-1 tornado touched down

The National Weather Service has confirmed an EF-1 tornado in New Albany, MS, when thunder storms that rolled through the area in the early morning of March 15. Peak winds were said to be 95 miles per hour.

No weather service tornado warning was issued for New Albany, but the area was under severe thunderstorm warnings. Many New Albany citizens knew nothing untoward had occurred during the night, except for possibly realizing that their power had been out as they slept.

There were early reports of what appeared to be tornado damage in the downtown area near the Courthouse, the Tanglefoot trail area and to and to First Baptist Church and a variety of  government buildings.  No serious injuries have been reported.

Emergency Management Director Curt Clayton said, “The Police department and New Albany Light, Gas & Water got pretty good damage to the back side of that building during the storm this morning. It looks like the storm picked the roof up and sucked some of the ceiling tile out of the building. It’s hung in between the walls and the ceiling.”

The Union County Courthouse was closed Friday due to blown out windows and other damage, but officials hoped to have the building back in service by Monday. The roof of the the Emergency Management and Board of Supervisors building was damaged, and the HVAC unit was blown off. The chancery Clerk’s office roof was torn off.

According to the National Weather Service’s findings:

“The tornado developed near Reed`s Market in New Albany along West Bankhead St, causing intermittent tree damage as it moved across The Park Along the River. This tornado caused damage to the backside of the Police Department on King St, resulting in minor uplift of the roof. A more consistent damage path was observed east of King St as the tornado moved along East Main St, damaging numerous trees and structures. Numerous structures suffered roof damage, with the most significant affecting the County Clerk`s office. The tornado caused additional minor roof and tree damage along Main St near Central Ave and Glade St, lifting before reaching Wilbanks St.”

The former Fred’s building recently became the headquarters for New Albany Light Gas and Water and the New Albany Police Department after extensive remodeling. NALGW moved into their new quarters in December of 2022 and the NAPD moved in early in 2023.

Pontotoc County sustained damages ascribed to straight line winds, and Monroe County also reported damage.

National Weather Service Storm Summary: https://www.weather.gov/meg/unioncountytornado