EF1 Tornado — Hancock, Mississippi

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

Event narrative

One of two new tornadoes developed and wrapped into a mesovortex along the southern periphery of Stennis Space Center. This was the southern of the 2 tornadoes that was on the ground at the same time over Stennis. Widespread tree damage occurred near the south gate as well as a light pole that was removed from its concrete pedestal. While ground surveying was limited in and around Stennis Space Center, high resolution satellite imagery identified a swath of sporadic damage continued northeastward through Texas Flat Road though some of this was hard to discern between tornadic and straight-line wind. Numerous snapped softwood trees and a leaning transmission pole were observed. The damage path gradually became less obvious as the tornado moved northeast and the end points are associated with a defined linear swath of damage observed in the NDVI differencing on high resolution satellite just north of the Jourdan River. The wind damage that occurred beyond this point was reasoned to be non-tornadic.

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 → (30.3550, -89.6191)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1178290. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.