EF1 Tornado — Hancock, Mississippi

2024-04-10 · near Gainesville, Hancock, Mississippi

Event narrative

An EF-1 tornado with estimated maximum sustained winds of 95 mph was identified using high resolution satellite imagery over the northern portions of Stennis Space Center grounds. This tornado started fairly broad and likely multi-vortex with a damage swath extending from Leonard Kimble Road and further north along Mainline Road. High resolution satellite imagery indicated the tree damage path continued eastward where it crossed Texas Flat Road. Branches were broken and a few snapped trees were observed in a generally confluent pattern. The end point for this tornado is estimated based off high resolution satellite NDVI differencing as it interacted with the parent mesovortex to the south and appeared to dissipate. The tornado was rated as an EF-1 with peak winds of 100 mph, a maximum width of 200 yards, and path length of 5.28 miles.

Wider weather episode

A strong upper level disturbance, surface low, and cold front produced a line of severe thunderstorms that pushed across Southeast Louisiana and Southern Mississippi in the morning and early afternoon hours of Wednesday, April 10, 2024. The line of severe thunderstorms produced strong straight line winds, extensive flash flooding in the New Orleans metro area and several tornadoes. 12 tornadoes have been confirmed in Mississippi from this event. 3 of them developed in Louisiana and tracked into Mississippi. 5 of those 12 tornadoes touched down and tracked across Stennis Space Center. At one point, as many as 3 of those 5 were on the ground at the same time. These tornadoes have been determined to range in strength from EFU to EF1 after NWS storm surveys and high resolution satellite analysis were conducted.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (30.3911, -89.6003)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1172755. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.