Hancock County, Mississippi severe weather history spans 292 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 40.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,823 nationally and #53 in Mississippi.
292
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
18
Direct injuries
$29.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Hancock County, Mississippi severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hancock County, Mississippi severe weather history averages 4.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 93 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 46 events fall before 1990 and 246 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Hancock County, Mississippi record is lightning, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $27.5M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Hancock County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 119 | 0 | $354K | 65 | 1968–2025 |
| Tornado | 64 | 0 | $27.5M | F3 | 1952–2024 |
| Hail | 61 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1971–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 19 | 0 | $610K | 0 | 1997–2021 |
| Lightning | 9 | 2 | $381K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2017 |
| Waterspout | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2001 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2001–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2017 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 2 | 0 | $500K | 0 | 1998–2001 |
Decade by decade
Hancock County, Mississippi severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
58 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 52 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-05-19 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 13.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1987-11-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-04-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1977-05-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-04-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-03-02 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hancock County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2005 | Lightning | LAKESHORE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 8, 1998 | Lightning | LAKESHORE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 20, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $25.0M | |
| Feb 12, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| Mar 2, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Feb 14, 1952 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Apr 12, 1994 | Tornado | Santa Rosa | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| May 7, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A waterspout moved onshore near Morris St., Amar St., and Singleton St., damaging roofs on 8-10 houses in this neighborhood, and snapping or uprooting several trees. The tornado then tracked northwest, damaging roofs on 4-5 houses on Waveland Ave. and Sycamore St. There was evidence of roof damage to numerous apartments in the Oak Place Apartments near Hwy 90 and an additional 8-10 homes along Mediterranean St., Pacific St., and Danube St. The tornado likely lifted just south of Route 43/Kiln Rd in Hancock County, MS. Survey conducted remotely via high-res satellite imagery. Estimated peak winds of 80 mph.
Runoff from heavy rainfall of 6 to 10 inches with locally higher amounts across northern Pearl River and Stone Counties on the morning of May 11th flowed south into the Woif River and caused flooding along its drainage. A few evacuations of residents took place as homes became isolated due to floodwaters.
An embedded tornado following along the backside of the mesovortex was identified using high resolution satellite imagery NDVI differencing where more localized damage to trees and structures were identified via ground survey. The roofs of a large barn and single family home were moderately damaged. This tornado tracked primarily along MS Highway 43 with the most widespread damage being located along the curve in Cuevas Road where a swath of trees appeared to be damaged on satellite imagery in addition to observed damage with ground survey. This is where the tornado appeared to be at its strongest. Thereafter, the damage path in NDVI differencing gradually weakens and the tornado is estimated to have dissipated as it crossed the Silver Creek Acres neighborhood where tree damage was found near Violet Street and Gardenia Street in Kiln. The tornado was rated as an EF-1 with peak winds of 100 mph, a maximum width of 150 yards, and path length of 3 miles.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
46,167
Population (ACS)
$224K
Median home value
32
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Jun 10, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 22, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDA | DR |
| Aug 28, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDA | EM |
| Dec 31, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ZETA | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hancock County, Mississippi?
292 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $29.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hancock County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 119 recorded events — 40.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hancock County?
58 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 52 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Hancock County?
32 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hancock County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hancock County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hancock County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 83 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hancock County, Mississippi severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Grenada County 394
- Harrison County 536
- Greene County 205
- Hinds County 1,418
- George County 202
- Holmes County 405
Cite this page
“Hancock County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/hancock-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.