Hurricane (Typhoon) — Winston, Mississippi

2004-09-16 · Winston, Mississippi

Wider weather episode

Hurricane Ivan made landfall at 2:02 AM, September 16, near Gulf Shores, Alabama as a upper Category 3 hurricane. The western side of Ivan effected a large portion of Eastern Mississippi as the center moved north through Alabama. Thousands of trees were blown down across Eastern Mississippi during the event as well as hundreds of power lines. The strong wind itself did not cause much structural damage, however the fallen trees did. These downed trees accounted for several hundred homes, mobile homes and businesses to be damaged or destroyed. Most locations across Eastern Mississippi reported sustained winds between 30 and 40 mph with Tropical Storm force gusts between 48 and 54 mph. The strongest reported winds occurred in Newton, Lauderdale and Oktibbeha counties. A Mississippi mesonet site, in Newton, reported maximum sustained winds of 42 mph and peak gust of 54 mph. At Key Field in Meridian, maximum sustained winds were reported at 43 mph with a peak gust of 61 mph. The highest sustained and peak wind occurred at the Mississippi State Climate Lab in Starkville. This site reported maximum sustained winds of 52 mph and a peak gust of 64 mph.Overall, rainfall totals were held in check as Ivan steadily moved north. The heaviest rains were confined to far Eastern Mississippi where 3 to 4 inches fell over a 15 hour period. Due to the duration of the rain no flooding was reported.Across Eastern Mississippi, Hurricane Ivan was responsible for one fatality. This fatality occurred in Brooksville when a tree fell on a man. Damage from Ivan was estimated at $200 Million.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5420753. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.