Campus Alert Archive
MSU

Hurricane Rita's Remnants Dropped an F1 Tornado Directly Onto the MSU Campus

MStornadoemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the afternoon of September 25, 2005, a tornado spawned by the remnants of Hurricane Rita tore across the Mississippi State University campus in Starkville, injuring four people and damaging the campus cafeteria, tennis courts, and other facilities. The F1 tornado was the costliest and most injurious of the 98 tornadoes spawned by Rita across Louisiana and Mississippi, causing approximately $2 million in campus damage. MSU canceled Monday's classes and asked all non-essential personnel to stay home.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
4
Institution
Mississippi State University
Public R1 · MS
~16,500 studentsNone (pre-Maroon Alert era; mass notification via email and campus phone)
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSiren
Approximate reconstruction274 chars
[Tornado warning in effect for Oktibbeha County. A tornado has been sighted in the area. Take shelter immediately in the lowest level of a sturdy building, away from windows. Do not attempt to outrun the tornado in a vehicle. This warning is in effect until further notice.]

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The tornado was one of at least 14 tornadoes that touched down in Mississippi on September 25, 2005, as part of the Hurricane Rita remnant tornado outbreak
Mississippi State had no SMS-based mass notification system in 2005; the pre-Maroon Alert era relied on campus sirens, campus-wide email, and local broadcast media
NWS Jackson later confirmed the tornado as an F1 with winds sufficient to cause $2 million in damage to the campus; it was described as the most injurious and costliest tornado of the Rita outbreak
The storm moved northeast across the campus, hitting the cafeteria and tennis courts before continuing toward the University Hills trailer park
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstruction549 chars
[Mississippi State University: A tornado associated with the remnants of Hurricane Rita passed through the Starkville campus this afternoon, causing damage to the cafeteria, tennis courts, and campus trees and utility lines. Several students have been treated for injuries. University facilities and engineering staff are assessing the damage. Monday classes on the Starkville campus are canceled while the university cleans up and makes repairs. Essential personnel should report to work. Please avoid damaged areas of campus until further notice.]

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

MSU canceled Monday classes at the Starkville campus; the College of Veterinary Medicine was specifically noted to remain on schedule as its facilities were not affected
Campus email was the primary notification channel for the broader university community in 2005; Maroon Alert was not yet operational
The Associated Press reported MSU's cafeteria and some tennis courts were damaged as the tornado plucked trees, telephone, and power lines
The adjacent University Hills trailer park suffered major damage, with at least 20 trailers severely damaged or destroyed
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction438 chars
[Mississippi State University: Cleanup and repair operations on the Starkville campus are proceeding. Today's classes remain canceled as announced. Essential personnel should report as normal. Classes are expected to resume Tuesday, September 27. Students in need of assistance should contact the Dean of Students office. Thank you for your patience and cooperation during this difficult time for our campus and the Starkville community.]

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Mississippi State resumed classes on Tuesday, September 27, 2005, one day after the cancellation
In the fall of 2005, MSU had not yet implemented the Maroon Alert text-message emergency notification system; campus communication relied on email and media
The Maroon Alert system was established in later years as direct response to recognition that the campus lacked a rapid mass-notification capability
The September 2005 Rita tornado is among the more significant campus weather emergencies in MSU history, and it preceded the 2008 HEOA emergency-notification mandate by nearly three years
Context

Background

The September 25, 2005 tornado at Mississippi State University was spawned by the remnants of Hurricane Rita, which had devastated the Texas-Louisiana coast just two days earlier and was still producing dangerous weather as its remnants tracked northeast. The National Weather Service Jackson office documented the Rita outbreak as producing 98 tornadoes across Louisiana and Mississippi on September 24-26, 2005; the Starkville tornado was rated F1 and was the most injurious and costliest of the outbreak, causing approximately $2 million in damage to the MSU campus and injuring up to seven people in the broader Starkville area. The tornado plowed across campus, damaging the university cafeteria and tennis courts, knocking down more than 100 trees and telephone and power lines, and continuing northeast to devastate the University Hills trailer park adjacent to campus. This tornado struck Mississippi State before the campus had a modern SMS-based emergency notification system. The Maroon Alert system, which now sends text messages and emails campus-wide within minutes of an emergency, was implemented in later years. In September 2005, MSU's emergency communication relied on campus sirens, the campus-wide email system, and local Starkville-Columbus broadcast media. The incident came just four weeks after the much larger Hurricane Katrina had displaced thousands of students and closed four New Orleans-area universities, making the fall 2005 semester an especially turbulent period for Mississippi institutions.
Analysis

Key Findings

An F1 tornado spawned by Hurricane Rita's remnants struck the MSU Starkville campus on September 25, 2005, injuring four students and causing approximately $2 million in damage
The campus cafeteria and tennis courts were damaged; more than 100 trees and utility lines were downed
Monday classes were canceled; the College of Veterinary Medicine remained on schedule
In 2005, MSU had no SMS mass-notification system; the Maroon Alert system did not yet exist, and communication relied on campus sirens and email
The tornado was the most injurious and costliest of the 98 tornadoes spawned by Rita across Louisiana and Mississippi on September 24-26, 2005
Outcome
Four students injured (some sources report seven in the broader Starkville area). Campus cafeteria and tennis courts damaged. More than 100 trees and utility lines downed. Monday classes canceled at the Starkville campus.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Tornado rips through Miss. State U - NBC News
    nbcnews.com
  2. News
    NEWS UPDATE: Tornado hits Miss. State University, Starkville mobile home park - Daily Journal
    djournal.com
  3. Official
    NWS Jackson Sep. 24-25, 2005 Hurricane Rita Tornado Outbreak
    weather.gov
  4. Source
    Hurricane Rita tornado outbreak - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
Tags
tornadohurricanehurricane-ritacampus-damagepre-modern-alertingmississippipublic-r12000sclass-cancellationweather
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion