Hancock County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Mississippi Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Hancock County is about the same as Mississippi average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Hancock County is much lower than Mississippi average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #33
| Hancock County | 0.03 |
| Mississippi | 0.05 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Hancock County | 0.0000 |
| Mississippi | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #65
| Hancock County | 200.94 |
| Mississippi | 280.40 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 6,835 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Hancock County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 0 | Cold: | 6 | Dense Fog: | 1 | Drought: | 11 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 646 | Hail: | 1,825 | Heat: | 13 | Heavy Snow: | 4 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 5 | Ice Storm: | 2 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 9 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 3,768 | Tropical Storm: | 9 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 12 | Winter Weather: | 6 |
| Other: | 518 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Hancock County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Hancock County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Hancock County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 61 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Hancock County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 5.3 | 1973-04-07 | 2 | 30°28'N / 89°30'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Hancock | |||
| 6.7 | 1980-04-13 | 2 | 30°14'N / 89°37'W | 30°22'N / 89°25'W | 15.10 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Hancock |
| 7.9 | 1972-03-02 | 2 | 30°18'N / 89°26'W | 30°18'N / 89°22'W | 4.10 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Hancock |
| 8.1 | 1980-05-19 | 3 | 30°14'N / 89°27'W | 30°23'N / 89°19'W | 13.10 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 8 | 25.0M | 0 | Hancock |
| 8.9 | 1977-05-02 | 2 | 30°17'N / 89°24'W | 30°20'N / 89°20'W | 5.40 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Hancock |
| 9.3 | 1987-11-16 | 2 | 30°31'N / 89°29'W | 30°32'N / 89°26'W | 3.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Hancock |
| 10.8 | 1982-04-20 | 2 | 30°16'N / 89°23'W | 30°18'N / 89°19'W | 5.00 Miles | 133 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Hancock |
| 11.0 | 1972-05-07 | 2 | 30°18'N / 89°20'W | 30°20'N / 89°18'W | 3.30 Miles | 23 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Hancock |
| 11.9 | 1972-05-07 | 2 | 30°20'N / 89°18'W | 30°23'N / 89°16'W | 4.30 Miles | 23 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Harrison |
| 13.7 | 1977-09-05 | 2 | 30°19'N / 89°16'W | 0.10 Mile | 77 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Harrison | |
| 14.0 | 1972-05-07 | 2 | 30°21'N / 89°15'W | 1.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Harrison | |
| 14.7 | 1987-02-15 | 2 | 30°29'N / 89°42'W | 30°31'N / 89°41'W | 3.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Pearl River |
| 15.4 | 1982-04-20 | 2 | 30°18'N / 89°19'W | 30°21'N / 89°09'W | 13.00 Miles | 133 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Harrison |
| 15.6 | 1970-02-01 | 2 | 30°19'N / 89°14'W | 2.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 3 | 0K | 0 | Harrison | |
| 19.5 | 1961-09-11 | 2 | 30°20'N / 89°46'W | 30°20'N / 89°50'W | 4.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | St. Tammany |
| 21.6 | 2004-11-24 | 2 | 30°18'N / 89°51'W | 30°21'N / 89°49'W | 4.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 4 | 750K | 0 | St. Tammany |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down along an intermittent path approximately 4 miles long on the northwest side of Slidell. A NWS ground survey indicated that minor damage occurred to the south of US Highway 190 and near Centennial Park subdivision. The tornado continued to track north-northeast with the greatest damage, F2 intensity, occurring just southwest of the airport. The tornado damaged about 152 houses in the Bel Air subdivision off Airport Road with nine of the homes being declared uninhabitable. Four people received injuries during the storm and were treated at an area hospital and released. A wind gust of 70 mph (61 knots) was recorded at the automated weather equipment (ASOS) at the Slidell Airport. | |||||||||||
| 21.8 | 1980-05-19 | 3 | 30°23'N / 89°11'W | 30°29'N / 89°03'W | 10.60 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 4 | 2.5M | 0 | Harrison |
| 22.5 | 1973-05-26 | 2 | 30°42'N / 89°36'W | 0 | 4 | 25K | 0 | Pearl River | |||
| 23.6 | 1967-10-30 | 3 | 30°23'N / 89°05'W | 2.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 4 | 17 | 25.0M | 0 | Harrison | |
| 23.7 | 1968-11-03 | 3 | 30°22'N / 89°05'W | 2.00 Miles | 123 Yards | 0 | 5 | 0K | 0 | Harrison | |
| 23.8 | 1985-09-23 | 2 | 30°26'N / 89°05'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Harrison | |
| 23.8 | 2004-11-24 | 2 | 30°26'N / 89°05'W | 30°26'N / 89°05'W | 1.50 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3.0M | 0 | Harrison |
| Brief Description: A tornado traveled east to west on path along Dedeaux Road between Highway 49 and Three Rivers Road in the Orange Grove community. Most of the damage was rated a F1 intensity by a NWS ground survey, however there were areas of F2 damage. A large church under-construction was heavily damaged or destroyed. Three homes and five businesses received major damage while twenty homes had minor damage. Early estimates were that damage would approach 3 million dollars. | |||||||||||
| 24.6 | 1980-05-16 | 3 | 30°22'N / 89°09'W | 30°27'N / 88°59'W | 11.50 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Harrison |
| 26.1 | 1972-05-07 | 2 | 30°28'N / 89°03'W | 0.80 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Harrison | |
| 26.1 | 1994-04-12 | 2 | 30°28'N / 89°03'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 2 | 15 | 5.0M | 0 | Harrison | |
| Brief Description: Twenty mobile homes were totally destroyed and four brick homes were partially destroyed. At least four businesses were damaged. The two deaths and the fifteen injuries all occurred in mobile homes. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Damage was estimated at near one million dollars. F57M M08M | |||||||||||
| 28.2 | 1968-11-03 | 2 | 30°48'N / 89°39'W | 30°48'N / 89°19'W | 19.80 Miles | 180 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Pearl River |
| 29.2 | 1980-04-13 | 3 | 30°22'N / 89°06'W | 30°30'N / 88°53'W | 15.90 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 25 | 25.0M | 0 | Harrison |
| 30.7 | 1964-10-03 | 2 | 30°48'N / 89°39'W | 30°50'N / 89°37'W | 3.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Pearl River |
| 31.8 | 1980-05-19 | 2 | 30°50'N / 89°38'W | 0.30 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Pearl River | |
| 33.5 | 1972-05-07 | 2 | 30°51'N / 89°32'W | 30°54'N / 89°30'W | 4.30 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Pearl River |
| 34.4 | 1969-05-08 | 2 | 30°53'N / 89°23'W | 2.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Pearl River | |
| 34.5 | 1988-03-03 | 2 | 30°24'N / 88°54'W | 1.20 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Harrison | |
| 34.8 | 1958-02-26 | 2 | 30°48'N / 89°39'W | 30°59'N / 89°27'W | 17.40 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Pearl River |
| 34.9 | 1980-05-19 | 2 | 30°27'N / 88°55'W | 30°29'N / 88°53'W | 3.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Harrison |
| 35.5 | 1968-11-03 | 2 | 30°48'N / 89°19'W | 30°48'N / 88°55'W | 23.70 Miles | 183 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25K | 0 | Stone |
| 36.4 | 1996-02-19 | 2 | 30°49'N / 89°40'W | 31°01'N / 89°24'W | 23.00 Miles | 430 Yards | 0 | 10 | 700K | 0 | Pearl River |
| Brief Description: A strong tornado touched down just northwest of the White Sand community. The most significant damage occurred in the initial 2.2 miles just to the north of the White Sand community where ten people were injured; five seriously, requiring hospitalization. The most serious was a woman who suffered a broken back, broken ribs and a punctured lung. The tornado continued on the ground continuously to just north of Poplarville, then intermittently to near Hillsdale. The county suffered considerable property damage with five houses destroyed, 10 had major damage and 14 minor damage. Nine mobile homes were destroyed, 3 sustained major damage and 5 minor damage. Numerous barns and other buildings were damaged. Several farm animals were killed. Large areas of 8 to 12 inch diameter trees were downed. The tornado path was surveyed by National Weather Service employees. | |||||||||||
| 37.1 | 1958-02-26 | 2 | 30°25'N / 88°52'W | 30°25'N / 88°51'W | 1.30 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Harrison |
| 37.4 | 1980-05-19 | 2 | 30°29'N / 88°53'W | 30°32'N / 88°51'W | 4.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Jackson |
| 37.8 | 1953-04-04 | 2 | 30°51'N / 89°08'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Stone | |||
| 38.0 | 1976-03-27 | 2 | 30°54'N / 89°37'W | 30°59'N / 89°23'W | 15.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Pearl River |
| 38.9 | 1964-10-04 | 2 | 30°23'N / 90°08'W | 1.00 Mile | 183 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | St. Tammany | |
| 39.5 | 1971-05-08 | 2 | 30°25'N / 88°49'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jackson | |||
| 39.9 | 1997-11-21 | 2 | 30°29'N / 90°13'W | 30°29'N / 90°04'W | 9.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 43 | 3.5M | 0 | St. Tammany |
| Brief Description: A severe thunderstorm produced a tornado as it moved into St. Tammany Parish. The tornado was first observed by the State Police on Interstate Highway 12 west of Covington. From data collected on a ground, damage survey by the National Weather Service, the tornado moved on a path slightly north of due east. The tornado moved across the downtown area of Covington and continued east for nearly 2 miles before lifting off the ground. Most of the damage along path indicated F1 damage, however, several areas near downtown Covington were classified as F2 damage. Parish officials reported 43 injuries were reported with tornado, though most were relatively minor. Six persons required and overnight stay in a hospital, including three pregnant women. Most of the damage to homes was due to large pine trees which had been toppled onto houses. In downtown Covington, a few large buildings lost roofs, had windows blown out, or suffered substantial damage. A large parish building suffered $500,000 damage. Media reports indicated cleanup would cost several million dollars. Just east of the downtown area, several cars were lifted and moved tens of feet by the tornado, and an empty tractor-trailer truck rig was blown over. Nearly 50 cars in a parking lot had their windows blown out by debris or by rapid pressure drop. The same parent thunderstorm spawned another tornado just south of Talisheek damaging a barn and a house. The damage path length at Talisheek was estimated. American Red Cross reports indicated 69 single family homes were destroyed or had major damage in St. Tammany Parish. Four public buildings were also heavily damaged. | |||||||||||
| 41.5 | 1985-05-21 | 2 | 30°23'N / 88°49'W | 30°25'N / 88°45'W | 3.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Jackson |
| 41.7 | 1974-11-20 | 2 | 30°38'N / 90°11'W | 30°35'N / 90°05'W | 7.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | St. Tammany |
| 41.9 | 1953-07-17 | 2 | 29°57'N / 90°02'W | 30°01'N / 89°58'W | 6.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Orleans |
| 42.3 | 2007-02-13 | 2 | 30°00'N / 90°03'W | 30°01'N / 90°01'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 1 | 10 | 1.0M | 0K | Orleans |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado touched down just south of the intersections of Franklin Avenue and Prentiss Street and moved east northeast across the southern portion of Pontchartrain Park to the Industrial Canal. Roofs were blown off of several homes and the upper portions of two story houses were partially collapsed. One fatality occurred when a travel trailer was destroyed and the 86 year old occupant was fatally injured. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Isolated supercell thunderstorms developed in the early morning hours over sections of southeast Louisiana well in advance of a squall line associated with a strong upper air storm system and cold front moving through the lower Mississippi Valley. These rogue rotating supercell storms produced tornadoes as well as large hail and isolated wind damage. A tornado in Jefferson Parish destroyed 23 houses and damaged 231 others. Tornadoes in Orleans Parish destroyed 32 houses and damaged 295 others. | |||||||||||
| 42.6 | 1968-11-03 | 2 | 31°00'N / 89°22'W | 2.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 5 | 0K | 0 | Pearl River | |
| 43.3 | 1958-02-26 | 2 | 30°59'N / 89°27'W | 31°03'N / 89°24'W | 5.70 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 5 | 250K | 0 | Lamar |
| 43.5 | 1995-05-08 | 2 | 29°57'N / 90°00'W | 0.80 Mile | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | St. Bernard | |
| Brief Description: A strong tornado touched down briefly overturning eight railroad tank cars and heavily damaging several commercial buildings. Property damage was estimated. Tornado path width and length estimated. St Tammany Parish | |||||||||||
| 43.9 | 1961-02-21 | 2 | 30°57'N / 89°50'W | 0.80 Mile | 283 Yards | 0 | 9 | 250K | 0 | Washington | |
| 44.2 | 1964-10-03 | 2 | 29°58'N / 90°07'W | 30°02'N / 90°01'W | 7.70 Miles | 83 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Orleans |
| 45.7 | 1981-06-22 | 2 | 29°57'N / 90°03'W | 2.30 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Orleans | |
| 45.7 | 1989-11-22 | 2 | 31°03'N / 89°24'W | 2.50 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lamar | |
| 46.2 | 1971-03-10 | 2 | 30°00'N / 90°07'W | 30°00'N / 90°06'W | 1.30 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Orleans |
| 47.7 | 1966-04-27 | 2 | 30°33'N / 88°42'W | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Jackson | |||
| 48.0 | 2006-02-02 | 2 | 29°57'N / 90°06'W | 29°57'N / 90°06'W | 2.50 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0 | Orleans |
| Brief Description: The tornado which moved through the east portions of Metaire continued to move northeast through the Lakeview and Lakefront neighborhoods of New Orleans. The area where the tornado impacted had previously been flooded by Hurricane Katrina, and most homes were unoccupied. Several homes suffered substantial damage to roofs, windows blown out, and power poles blown down. Several two story homes suffered substantial damage to the second floor with roof removed and walls blown out. A large communication tower was toppled at a former state policebuilding. The tornado moved into Lake Pontchartrain as a waterspout. | |||||||||||
| 48.6 | 1968-09-17 | 2 | 30°50'N / 90°07'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Washington | |
| 49.4 | 1958-02-26 | 2 | 30°25'N / 88°51'W | 30°39'N / 88°29'W | 27.10 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Jackson |
| 49.4 | 1971-03-10 | 2 | 29°59'N / 90°13'W | 30°00'N / 90°07'W | 6.20 Miles | 300 Yards | 1 | 7 | 2.5M | 0 | Jefferson |
| 49.8 | 2007-02-13 | 2 | 29°54'N / 90°09'W | 29°58'N / 90°06'W | 6.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 15 | 2.0M | 0K | Orleans |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado crossed the Mississippi River form Jefferson Parish and moved on a northerly course through portions of the Uptown and Carrollton areas with continuous damage noted. The damage path became isolated as the tornado appeared to turn more northeast with damage to a warehouse noted in the Mid City area. Significant damage was observed to houses and commercial structures. The roofs and portions of roofs were removed from a number of houses. The collapse of some exterior walls was also noted. The damage observed indicated an intensity in the mid to upper range of an EF 2 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale with winds estimated to be in the 125-130 mph range. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Isolated supercell thunderstorms developed in the early morning hours over sections of southeast Louisiana well in advance of a squall line associated with a strong upper air storm system and cold front moving through the lower Mississippi Valley. These rogue rotating supercell storms produced tornadoes as well as large hail and isolated wind damage. A tornado in Jefferson Parish destroyed 23 houses and damaged 231 others. Tornadoes in Orleans Parish destroyed 32 houses and damaged 295 others. | |||||||||||
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.