An EF2 tornado with winds up to 112 mph roared into Columbia Monday, destroying several businesses, injuring at least three people and knocking down trees and power lines.
At 4:46 p.m. a tornado coming up Mississippi 35 South crossed the Pearl River and U.S. 98. The storm then split, and one funnel cloud directly hit Beal’s Collision Center, J-Flame Kustoms and Clearwater Pools along Old Foxworth Road just north of 98. All three of the businesses were destroyed.
The same tornado jumped and struck the car wash at the intersection of South High School Avenue and Lumberton Road and traveled south on South High School Avenue, battering businesses along the way.
The other tornado, rated as an EF1, meaning the winds were recorded between 86 and 110 mph, did not touch the ground but stayed in the air and caused damage in town and along U.S. 98 East. The Columbia-Marion County Library sustained damage to its roof, and homes in the neighborhood north and east of the library had damage from trees and limbs.
It was an unfortunate sense of déjà vu from almost exactly five years ago, when an EF3 tornado hit businesses and homes along U.S. 98 on Dec. 23, 2014, killing three.
This time the city was spared the loss of life. The only reported injuries were from three individuals at Beal’s Collision who were transported by police to Marion General Hospital. All three — Joe Upton, Linda Baughman and Johnny Christopher — were treated and released after suffering cuts and bruises.
David Cox, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson, said Tuesday that they confirmed two tornados in Marion County that stayed on the ground for 6.8 miles.
On Monday Columbia had highs of 77 degrees, and those warm temperatures, combined with a strong cold front blowing fierce winds, created the unstable conditions that can lead to cyclones.
Cox said the same storm that struck Marion County continued through Lawrence, Covington, Jones and Clarke counties and even into Alabama, causing damage throughout its path. A few hours after the tornados hit Columbia, strong rains blew into town that dumped a lot of water overnight.
When asked about the 2014 tornado and Monday’s tornado both traveling along 98, Cox said that’s probably a coincidence. He said if they were weaker tornadoes then there could be very small local effects that drive the direction a tornado travels, but that these tornados were too strong for that.
Once the tornados passed over, emergency personnel arrived on the scenes within minutes, and Police Chief Michael Kelly set up a command center at the Police Department to coordinate recovery efforts.
The office frame at Beal’s was still standing Tuesday, but the roof had been blown off and the windows blown out. Some of the workshops were completely destroyed, while others sustained major damage. The large tent that housed the fireworks stand to the west of it was completely gone with torn packages of fireworks scattered.
One man was trapped on the second floor in an apartment building behind Clearwater Pools, where the entire exterior wall was torn off the building. A cash drawer from Clearwater Pools, completely intact with its contents inside, was found outside among the remains of the building.
Across U.S. 98 on the south side of the highway were snapped trees and a mangled billboard sign.
Most of the damage was within the city limits of Columbia. Throughout the city were reports of power lines being down, and at least one home was damaged when a tree fell on it on Beauvoir Avenue. Several power poles were damaged throughout the city. Broad Street was closed off from Park Avenue to Columbia High School, while repairs were being made to the power lines Tuesday.
Jeff Shepard with Mississippi Power, which serves the city, said as of 10 p.m. Monday 225 homes were without power, and all the homes had power restored by Tuesday afternon. The Columbia School District was delayed one hour while crews continued to work on the power in town.
Jacob Harrison with Experience Columbia and Looks Great Services said it did not appear to majorly affect any of the items in connection with the Christmas celebration. A couple of the lighted trees at City Park were blown down but nothing too serious.
The library, which received damage to its roof and air conditioning unit, was closed until further notice, while repairs were done. Branch Director Mona Swayze said the wind Monday night was pulling the doors open when the tornado came through. Parts of roofing material were scattered in the parking lot, and power poles were down behind the library on Broad Street.
Marion County Emergency Management Director Aaron Greer said out in the county there were structures damaged south of Foxworth and northeast of Columbia near Mississippi 44 toward Sumrall.
Kurt Brautigum with the Pearl River Valley Electric Power Association, which serves rural areas in Marion County, said they had 400 without power immediately after the storms and most of them were back up by 8 Monday night.
The Marion County School District was delayed two hours Tuesday morning due to no power to West Marion Primary School. A tornado was seen in the air but did not touch the ground in Foxworth, according to reports from emergency personnel.
