Power Outage in Hattiesburg, MS

A tree fell into power lines and blocked the road at the 200 block of Hutchinson Avenue.

A tree and some power lines were blown down near the intersection of Rawls Springs Road and Suggs Rd.

Trees and power lines were brought down by gradient winds near Highway 49 and Highway 98. A tree was snapped and blocked the street near South 31st Street and Lorraine Street. Trees and power lines were blown down along Lynn Ray Road southeast of Eastabuchie. Trees and power lines were blown down near the city golf course along Classic Drive and Golf Course Road. A power line was blown down by a fallen large limb along West 6th Avenue near Petal. Trees and power lines were blown down in Brooklyn.

A tree was blown down onto a car and also onto power lines along Temple Road.

Tropical storm force wind gusts resulted in at least 15 trees blown down across the county in addition to several trees that were downed in the city of Hattiesburg. Power lines were also brought down by falling trees.

Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across the county in a swath of damaging outflow winds from severe thunderstorms. A portion of Interstate 59 northbound near mile marker 71 was blocked due to downed trees. Numerous trees were blown down in Petal and in Sunrise, including several trees and power lines down near Sunrise Road and Old River Road.

Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across the county in a swath of damaging outflow winds from severe thunderstorms. A portion of Interstate 59 northbound near mile marker 71 was blocked due to downed trees. Numerous trees were blown down in Petal and in Sunrise, including several trees and power lines down near Sunrise Road and Old River Road.

This violent tornado began over southeastern Walthall County in a field just west of Reagan Road and moved east northeastward along MS Highway 48, producing significant tree damage and minor damage to a few homes. It crossed into Marion County near the intersection of MS Highway 48 and Mt Bethel Road. The tornado then began to move more northeastward as it moved into southwestern Marion County, uprooting and snapping several softwood trees, causing minor roof damage to a home, and destroying an outdoor small shed along New Hope Road. It also snapped several trees and peeled the tin roof of a barn along A Pittman, Marks and Davis Roads. The tornado intensified relatively quickly once it moved northeast, snapping the majority of trees close to the ground in a wooded area east of New Hope Road. The basis for the low-end EF4 rating was a home on Johnson Road that was completely destroyed with its debris pushed to a corner of the foundation leaving residual vinyl flooring and a few of its anchor bolts bent. Furthermore, across the street from the aforementioned home, in a field a few of the snapped trees sustained patchy debarking. A higher rating was not assigned because the contents of the home were not spread a significant distance from the foundation and debris remained over a part of the slab. Nonetheless, significant damage to the home and nearby trees occurred. In addition, multiple wooden power poles were snapped, several other homes had significant roof damage and multiple mobile homes were completely destroyed, resulting in one fatality. Continual uprooting and snapping of trees was observed at Hurricane Creek Road, in addition to minor roof damage to a shed and a one-story home. When the tornado crossed Hurricane Creek Church Road, it caused significant roof damage to the Hurricane Creek Baptist Church and the nearby pastor's home. Behind the pastor's home was a large 40-foot shed that sat partially on cinder blocks and partially on a slab that was bolted down. This shed was completely destroyed as it was blown a few feet away. Several headstones in a cemetery were knocked over at this location as well. Additional roof damage to multiple homes and the uprooting and snapping of numerous trees along Hurricane Creek Road to the intersection of MS Highway 35. When the tornado reached MS Highway 35, it snapped multiple wooden power-poles and continued snapping trees. It continued east- northeast to Old MS Highway 35 causing numerous snapping of hardwood trees and the removal of a portion of a one-story home roof. The tornado continued moving east-northeast across the Pearl River bottom, when it reached MS Highway 43, multiple wooden power-poles were snapped, some minor roof damage occurred to some one-story homes and hardwood trees were snapped. Just east of MS Highway 43 along Joe Magee Road, a brick home sustained significant damage as the roof was completely destroyed and a few exterior walls were collapsed. A swath of snapped softwood trees was noted along Abrams Road thus producing EF2 damage.||Once the tornado reached MS Highway 13 and surrounding streets such as Pine Burr Road and Firetower Road near the Marion and Lamar county borders, a slight decline in strength was noted, though its path remained wide. Although, it was still snapping large tree limbs and snapping and uprooting some softwood trees, several of which fell onto wooden power poles and caused them to fall. The tornado maintained its east northeastward track, knocking thousands of trees down along with numerous power lines and poles down across the western portions of Lamar County. This tree damage was consistent with high end EF1 winds peaking between 100-110 mph. Around a dozen homes were damaged starting from Luther Saucier Rd to Purvis to Columbia Road, including one old mobile home that was completely destroyed. As the tornado continued to track east northeastward to the north of Purvis. It crossed Purvis Oloh Road, MS Highway 589 along with US 11. Hundreds of trees were damaged along with many power lines down. Some minor damage occurred to some homes. The tornado was slightly weaker here with winds between 90- 100mph. The tornado crossed I-59 into Forrest County along Ford and Elks Lodge Road in the Dixie community. Hundreds of trees were damaged along with many power lines down. Sheds and several homes had minor damage and one mobile home had the roof blown off. The tornado then crossed US 49 a couple miles north of Southgate Road. The tornado proceeded into Camp Shelby. At Camp Shelby, there were widespread snapped and uprooted trees. Multiple structures across the north half, in and around Lee Avenue to Glenn Walker Lake, had varying degrees of minor to moderate roof damage from the tornado or fallen trees. The park and camper area on the north end of the lake was impacted. One person was injured here as a large tree fell on a truck. The tornado then crossed over US 98 just west of the Perry County line. It continued into Perry County along the Leaf River bottom, snapping and uprooting trees. It continued to track just south of Old River Road before dissipating along Old River Road three miles northwest of New Augusta. Total path length was 53.76 miles. Maximum sustained winds for the entire tornado were 170 mph, but were noted to be 100 mph in Forrest County. Total path width was 2275 yards(1.29 miles).

This violent tornado began over southeastern Walthall County in a field just west of Reagan Road and moved east northeastward along MS Highway 48, producing significant tree damage and minor damage to a few homes. It crossed into Marion County near the intersection of MS Highway 48 and Mt Bethel Road. The tornado then began to move more northeastward as it moved into southwestern Marion County, uprooting and snapping several softwood trees, causing minor roof damage to a home, and destroying an outdoor small shed along New Hope Road. It also snapped several trees and peeled the tin roof of a barn along A Pittman, Marks and Davis Roads. The tornado intensified relatively quickly once it moved northeast, snapping the majority of trees close to the ground in a wooded area east of New Hope Road. The basis for the low-end EF4 rating was a home on Johnson Road that was completely destroyed with its debris pushed to a corner of the foundation leaving residual vinyl flooring and a few of its anchor bolts bent. Furthermore, across the street from the aforementioned home, in a field a few of the snapped trees sustained patchy debarking. A higher rating was not assigned because the contents of the home were not spread a significant distance from the foundation and debris remained over a part of the slab. Nonetheless, significant damage to the home and nearby trees occurred. In addition, multiple wooden power poles were snapped, several other homes had significant roof damage and multiple mobile homes were completely destroyed, resulting in one fatality. Continual uprooting and snapping of trees was observed at Hurricane Creek Road, in addition to minor roof damage to a shed and a one-story home. When the tornado crossed Hurricane Creek Church Road, it caused significant roof damage to the Hurricane Creek Baptist Church and the nearby pastor's home. Behind the pastor's home was a large 40-foot shed that sat partially on cinder blocks and partially on a slab that was bolted down. This shed was completely destroyed as it was blown a few feet away. Several headstones in a cemetery were knocked over at this location as well. Additional roof damage to multiple homes and the uprooting and snapping of numerous trees along Hurricane Creek Road to the intersection of MS Highway 35. When the tornado reached MS Highway 35, it snapped multiple wooden power-poles and continued snapping trees. It continued east- northeast to Old MS Highway 35 causing numerous snapping of hardwood trees and the removal of a portion of a one-story home roof. The tornado continued moving east-northeast across the Pearl River bottom, when it reached MS Highway 43, multiple wooden power-poles were snapped, some minor roof damage occurred to some one-story homes and hardwood trees were snapped. Just east of MS Highway 43 along Joe Magee Road, a brick home sustained significant damage as the roof was completely destroyed and a few exterior walls were collapsed. A swath of snapped softwood trees was noted along Abrams Road thus producing EF2 damage.||Once the tornado reached MS Highway 13 and surrounding streets such as Pine Burr Road and Firetower Road near the Marion and Lamar county borders, a slight decline in strength was noted, though its path remained wide. Although, it was still snapping large tree limbs and snapping and uprooting some softwood trees, several of which fell onto wooden power poles and caused them to fall. The tornado maintained its east northeastward track, knocking thousands of trees down along with numerous power lines and poles down across the western portions of Lamar County. This tree damage was consistent with high end EF1 winds peaking between 100-110 mph. Around a dozen homes were damaged starting from Luther Saucier Rd to Purvis to Columbia Road, including one old mobile home that was completely destroyed. As the tornado continued to track east northeastward to the north of Purvis. It crossed Purvis Oloh Road, MS Highway 589 along with US 11. Hundreds of trees were damaged along with many power lines down. Some minor damage occurred to some homes. The tornado was slightly weaker here with winds between 90- 100mph. The tornado crossed I-59 into Forrest County along Ford and Elks Lodge Road in the Dixie community. Hundreds of trees were damaged along with many power lines down. Sheds and several homes had minor damage and one mobile home had the roof blown off. The tornado then crossed US 49 a couple miles north of Southgate Road. The tornado proceeded into Camp Shelby. At Camp Shelby, there were widespread snapped and uprooted trees. Multiple structures across the north half, in and around Lee Avenue to Glenn Walker Lake, had varying degrees of minor to moderate roof damage from the tornado or fallen trees. The park and camper area on the north end of the lake was impacted. One person was injured here as a large tree fell on a truck. The tornado then crossed over US 98 just west of the Perry County line. It continued into Perry County along the Leaf River bottom, snapping and uprooting trees. It continued to track just south of Old River Road before dissipating along Old River Road three miles northwest of New Augusta. Total path length was 53.76 miles. Maximum sustained winds for the entire tornado were 170 mph, but were noted to be 100 mph in Forrest County. Total path width was 2275 yards(1.29 miles).

Lightning struck a power pole which then fell onto Blue Lake Lane east of McCallum.

Lightning struck a power pole, which caused a power line to fall, which then sparked a fire in the nearby wooded area.

A few trees were blown down on power lines on Ford Road.

Trees and power lines were blown down at Sullivan Kilrain Road and Saba Loop.

Tropical Storm Gordon made landfall along the Mississippi Coast on the evening of September 4th. It tracked north east across the area through the 5th. It brought gusty winds to Forrest County which resulted in a few instances of wind damage to the region. A power line was blown down on Main Avenue in Brooklyn. A tree was blown down on I-59 near mile marker 62 and another tree was blown down on Luther Carter Road near Petal.

Trees and power lines were blown down on Watson Drive.

Severe wind gusts blew power lines down onto the road near US Highway 49 and US Highway 98 and blew multiple trees down near Hattiesburg.

Trees and power lines were blown down.

Power lines were blown down on Lott Town Road.

This tornado began along Purvis-Oloh Road, about 5 miles west northwest of Purvis. It tracked northeast across portions of Lamar County causing mainly tree damage, uprooting and snapping softwood and hardwood trees. It caused some minor to moderate structural damage as well. The tornado crossed Old Highway 11, continuing to cause mainly tree damage, although at least a few structures were also damaged. The tornado began to gain strength as it reached Slade Road, where some homes received roof damage. As the tornado crossed Sullivan Kilrain Road, additional homes received significant roof and structural damage, especially on Carter Circle and Tatum Camp Road. Comprehensive assessments from Lamar County emergency management officials count 26 homes in the county being destroyed or with major damage and 52 homes receiving minor damage. The tornado continued to gain strength as it crossed into Forrest County. There it struck a subdivision along Nellwood Drive, Lakeland Drive and Crestwood Drive and caused significant damage to many homes. Several homes received significant roof and structural damage. One home sustained significant damage and also was the site of one of the fatalities. As the tornado continued to track northeast, it caused extensive tree damage and powerline damage. It struck a church along Helveston Road, which suffered damage to the top floor. As the tornado approached William Carey College, it intensified to EF3 strength, causing damage to numerous buildings on campus. The tornado then affected a mobile home park, downing trees and causing damage to mobile homes. Here, two more fatalities occurred. It then caused structural damage to several homes, churches and businesses on James Street and Alcorn Road. Another fatality occurred on Alcorn Road, when a tree fell on a home. The tornado continued to track northeast, crossing the Leaf River and headed into Petal. Here the tornado got very wide and continued to cause EF2 type damage to businesses along Main Street and into the neighborhoods on the southern side of the city. Extensive tree damage occurred and countless homes had minor to major roof damage in the neighborhood south of Hillcrest Loop. As the tornado reached Sun Circle, it intensified to EF3 strength again and caused significant damage to a few homes as well as moderate damage to many homes in the neighborhood. Beyond the subdivision along Sun Circle, the tornado caused tree damage again before reaching Evelyn Gandy|Parkway. It caused structural damage to an AT&T store by lifting the roof of the strip mall. It caused additional roof damage to several homes and a church along the Parkway as well as along Springridge Road and Corinth Road. As the tornado tore across Shawnee Trail, it caused impressive tree damage, which included snapping and uprooting hardwood and softwood trees. As the tornado tracked just south of|HDR Lane, it took down two metal electrical transmission lines. The tornado then destroyed a house along Macedonia Road, as well as causing additional roof to other homes and taking down numerous trees. Additional impressive tree damage occurred along Old Richton Road and Tyroby Lane. The tornado continued to down trees as it|tracked across Old Richton Road into Perry County. Comprehensive assessments from Forrest County emergency management officials count 499 homes in the county being destroyed or with major damage and 632 homes receiving minor damage.||The tornado path length in just Lamar and Forrest counties was 24.2 miles, although the entire path of the tornado in total was 31.3 miles. Along the entire tornado path the total number of homes destroyed or receiving major damage is estimated to be 531 with the number of homes having minor damage estimated at 689. Maximum estimated winds were 145 mph. The maximum path width was 900 yards, which occurred in the Petal area of Forrest County. This tornado affected a large number of forested areas. Approximately 1570 forested acres were damaged, with 1453 acres being privately owned. In total, 4320 acres were damaged from this tornado. The total economic impact was $410,784 in Lamar, Forrest and Perry counties. 777 total acres were damaged in Lamar County, and 400 in Forrest.

This tornado began along Purvis-Oloh Road, about 5 miles west northwest of Purvis. It tracked northeast across portions of Lamar County causing mainly tree damage, uprooting and snapping softwood and hardwood trees. It caused some minor to moderate structural damage as well. The tornado crossed Old Highway 11, continuing to cause mainly tree damage, although at least a few structures were also damaged. The tornado began to gain strength as it reached Slade Road, where some homes received roof damage. As the tornado crossed Sullivan Kilrain Road, additional homes received significant roof and structural damage, especially on Carter Circle and Tatum Camp Road. Comprehensive assessments from Lamar County emergency management officials count 26 homes in the county being destroyed or with major damage and 52 homes receiving minor damage. The tornado continued to gain strength as it crossed into Forrest County. There it struck a subdivision along Nellwood Drive, Lakeland Drive and Crestwood Drive and caused significant damage to many homes. Several homes received significant roof and structural damage. One home sustained significant damage and also was the site of one of the fatalities. As the tornado continued to track northeast, it caused extensive tree damage and powerline damage. It struck a church along Helveston Road, which suffered damage to the top floor. As the tornado approached William Carey College, it intensified to EF3 strength, causing damage to numerous buildings on campus. The tornado then affected a mobile home park, downing trees and causing damage to mobile homes. Here, two more fatalities occurred. It then caused structural damage to several homes, churches and businesses on James Street and Alcorn Road. Another fatality occurred on Alcorn Road, when a tree fell on a home. The tornado continued to track northeast, crossing the Leaf River and headed into Petal. Here the tornado got very wide and continued to cause EF2 type damage to businesses along Main Street and into the neighborhoods on the southern side of the city. Extensive tree damage occurred and countless homes had minor to major roof damage in the neighborhood south of Hillcrest Loop. As the tornado reached Sun Circle, it intensified to EF3 strength again and caused significant damage to a few homes as well as moderate damage to many homes in the neighborhood. Beyond the subdivision along Sun Circle, the tornado caused tree damage again before reaching Evelyn Gandy|Parkway. It caused structural damage to an AT&T store by lifting the roof of the strip mall. It caused additional roof damage to several homes and a church along the Parkway as well as along Springridge Road and Corinth Road. As the tornado tore across Shawnee Trail, it caused impressive tree damage, which included snapping and uprooting hardwood and softwood trees. As the tornado tracked just south of|HDR Lane, it took down two metal electrical transmission lines. The tornado then destroyed a house along Macedonia Road, as well as causing additional roof to other homes and taking down numerous trees. Additional impressive tree damage occurred along Old Richton Road and Tyroby Lane. The tornado continued to down trees as it|tracked across Old Richton Road into Perry County. Comprehensive assessments from Forrest County emergency management officials count 499 homes in the county being destroyed or with major damage and 632 homes receiving minor damage.||The tornado path length in just Lamar and Forrest counties was 24.2 miles, although the entire path of the tornado in total was 31.3 miles. Along the entire tornado path the total number of homes destroyed or receiving major damage is estimated to be 531 with the number of homes having minor damage estimated at 689. Maximum estimated winds were 145 mph. The maximum path width was 900 yards, which occurred in the Petal area of Forrest County. This tornado affected a large number of forested areas. Approximately 1570 forested acres were damaged, with 1453 acres being privately owned. In total, 4320 acres were damaged from this tornado. The total economic impact was $410,784 in Lamar, Forrest and Perry counties. 777 total acres were damaged in Lamar County, and 400 in Forrest.

A tree was blown down onto a powerline and, in turn, sparked a grass fire off of Morriston Road. This was due to gradient winds.

A power line was blown down on Eatonville Road near the Jones County line.

Trees and power lines were blown down across Beaver Lake Road four miles east of Purvis.

This tornado began near Entrekin Road snapping a few trees along with a power pole. The tornado continued northeast across Havard Road and ended near MS 13 snapping a few more trees along the way. Estimated maximum winds were 75 mph.

Strong southerly winds caused a rotten oak tree to fall on a moving vehicle, which killed the driver. It also caused a power line to fall which started a grass fire, burning the front of a nearby house.

The tornado started along Highway 589, where some limbs and small trees were blown down. It became intense rather quickly, producing significant damage as it moved through the West Lake Serene area. The tornado reached its maximum intensity in the area around and just southwest of Oak Grove High School where maximum winds were estimated at 170 mph, which is EF-4 strength. There was a brick home in a subdivision southwest of the high school, just west of old Highway 11, that was completely leveled with all interior and exterior walls down, and a fair amount of large debris was blown downstream. Additionally, very high end timber damage occurred in this location with a number of trees showing debarking and denuding. Several other homes in this subdivision also sustained EF-2 to EF-3 damage. As the tornado crossed old Highway 11, it produced extensive damage on the campus of Oak Grove High School. The field house adjoining the football stadium was destroyed, the baseball stadium and a large metal building adjoining the stadium were essentially destroyed, and several large steel/concrete light standards were snapped at both the baseball and football stadiums. A vehicle was thrown from the parking lot adjoining the baseball stadium, up a small hill and was deposited near the pitching mound in the middle of the baseball field. The main building of the high school also suffered roof damage.||The tornado then moved northeast into the heavily populated areas of Oak Grove and West Hattiesburg, including areas along Lincoln Road Extension, Weathersby Road, Oak Grove Road, and the area just south of Highway 98 along Clark, Lamar and Foxgate Avenues. Numerous homes were destroyed or suffered major damage, and a few homes showed evidence of high end EF-3 damage. Dozens of power poles were snapped and extensive tree damage occurred. Video evidence and ground survey damage appeared to indicate that the tornado was multi-vortex in nature during its Lamar County portion. Just before crossing Interstate 59, it caused significant roof damage to a number of apartment buildings just west of the interstate. In total in Lamar County, emergency management indicated that 51 homes were destroyed and 170 suffered major damage.||The tornado then moved into Forrest County just to the south of Hardy Street damaging numerous homes with the damage in the EF-2 and EF-3 category. It then crossed Hardy Street impacting the southeast corner of the University of Southern Mississippi campus. Numerous buildings were damaged in this area including several campus buildings and a large church. Numerous power poles were blown down in this area and several metal traffic lights were bent or torn off their bases. Damage in this area was also EF-2 and EF-3.||The tornado continued across Highway 49 impacting multiple neighborhoods. Numerous roofs were blown off houses and many trees fell on houses and vehicles. The tornado crossed North Main Street causing significant damage to the Red Cross building, the Girl Scouts building, and bending large metal poles at the Hattiesburg High School athletic fields. The tornado then moved across east 7th Street causing significant damage to several large brick buildings. Damage in the area between north Main Street and east 7th Avenue was in the high end EF-3 range with maximum winds around 160 mph.||The tornado continued into Petal with the most significant damage occurring to an Ace Hardware store on South Main Street. Numerous homes in the vicinity of the hardware store also had roofs torn off and exterior walls collapsed. This damage was also rated high end EF-3 with maximum winds around 160 mph.||The tornado began to weaken as it crossed the Evelyn Gandy Parkway to the northeast of Petal. Damage in this area was mainly EF-1 and EF-2 and consisted of roof damage and snapped trees. The tornado strengthened one last time as it moved through a neighborhood just off Twin Lakes Road. Numerous well built homes experienced EF-2 damage to the roofs in this neighborhood. The tornado weakened as it approached the Perry County line and dissipated a couple of miles into Perry County. Damage at the end of the track was in the EF-0 to EF-1 range.||In Forrest County, emergency management indicated that 133 homes were destroyed and 207 suffered major damage. There were 63 reported injuries.||This is the second violent tornado to impact Lamar and Forrest Counties in recorded history. The other violent tornado was the infamous Purvis tornado on April 24, 1908 that was on the ground for 155 miles and impacted many counties across Mississippi. In total, 143 people were killed by this tornado, including 60 in Lamar County and 4 in Forrest County.

The tornado started along Highway 589, where some limbs and small trees were blown down. It became intense rather quickly, producing significant damage as it moved through the West Lake Serene area. The tornado reached its maximum intensity in the area around and just southwest of Oak Grove High School where maximum winds were estimated at 170 mph, which is EF-4 strength. There was a brick home in a subdivision southwest of the high school, just west of old Highway 11, that was completely leveled with all interior and exterior walls down, and a fair amount of large debris was blown downstream. Additionally, very high end timber damage occurred in this location with a number of trees showing debarking and denuding. Several other homes in this subdivision also sustained EF-2 to EF-3 damage. As the tornado crossed old Highway 11, it produced extensive damage on the campus of Oak Grove High School. The field house adjoining the football stadium was destroyed, the baseball stadium and a large metal building adjoining the stadium were essentially destroyed, and several large steel/concrete light standards were snapped at both the baseball and football stadiums. A vehicle was thrown from the parking lot adjoining the baseball stadium, up a small hill and was deposited near the pitching mound in the middle of the baseball field. The main building of the high school also suffered roof damage.||The tornado then moved northeast into the heavily populated areas of Oak Grove and West Hattiesburg, including areas along Lincoln Road Extension, Weathersby Road, Oak Grove Road, and the area just south of Highway 98 along Clark, Lamar and Foxgate Avenues. Numerous homes were destroyed or suffered major damage, and a few homes showed evidence of high end EF-3 damage. Dozens of power poles were snapped and extensive tree damage occurred. Video evidence and ground survey damage appeared to indicate that the tornado was multi-vortex in nature during its Lamar County portion. Just before crossing Interstate 59, it caused significant roof damage to a number of apartment buildings just west of the interstate. In total in Lamar County, emergency management indicated that 51 homes were destroyed and 170 suffered major damage.||The tornado then moved into Forrest County just to the south of Hardy Street damaging numerous homes with the damage in the EF-2 and EF-3 category. It then crossed Hardy Street impacting the southeast corner of the University of Southern Mississippi campus. Numerous buildings were damaged in this area including several campus buildings and a large church. Numerous power poles were blown down in this area and several metal traffic lights were bent or torn off their bases. Damage in this area was also EF-2 and EF-3.||The tornado continued across Highway 49 impacting multiple neighborhoods. Numerous roofs were blown off houses and many trees fell on houses and vehicles. The tornado crossed North Main Street causing significant damage to the Red Cross building, the Girl Scouts building, and bending large metal poles at the Hattiesburg High School athletic fields. The tornado then moved across east 7th Street causing significant damage to several large brick buildings. Damage in the area between north Main Street and east 7th Avenue was in the high end EF-3 range with maximum winds around 160 mph.||The tornado continued into Petal with the most significant damage occurring to an Ace Hardware store on South Main Street. Numerous homes in the vicinity of the hardware store also had roofs torn off and exterior walls collapsed. This damage was also rated high end EF-3 with maximum winds around 160 mph.||The tornado began to weaken as it crossed the Evelyn Gandy Parkway to the northeast of Petal. Damage in this area was mainly EF-1 and EF-2 and consisted of roof damage and snapped trees. The tornado strengthened one last time as it moved through a neighborhood just off Twin Lakes Road. Numerous well built homes experienced EF-2 damage to the roofs in this neighborhood. The tornado weakened as it approached the Perry County line and dissipated a couple of miles into Perry County. Damage at the end of the track was in the EF-0 to EF-1 range.||In Forrest County, emergency management indicated that 133 homes were destroyed and 207 suffered major damage. There were 63 reported injuries.||This is the second violent tornado to impact Lamar and Forrest Counties in recorded history. The other violent tornado was the infamous Purvis tornado on April 24, 1908 that was on the ground for 155 miles and impacted many counties across Mississippi. In total, 143 people were killed by this tornado, including 60 in Lamar County and 4 in Forrest County.

Numerous soft and hardwood trees were snapped and uprooted. Multiple power poles were snapped. Two double wide mobile homes were completely destroyed, a pickup truck was rolled, and a single-wide mobile home suffered major damage. Large oaks were uprooted and a travel trailer was demolished by a falling tree. Maximum wind speeds were estimated at 130 mph in Forrest County. ||This is the continuation of a longer tornado that started in Pearl River County at 3:10pm. This tornado was at it's strongest in Pearl River County with estimated wind speeds of 140 mph, which is EF-3 strength. The tornado finally ended in Greene County at 4:34pm. The total path length was 60.8 miles.

Numerous soft and hardwood trees were snapped and uprooted. Multiple power poles were snapped. Two double wide mobile homes were completely destroyed, a pickup truck was rolled, and a single-wide mobile home suffered major damage. Large oaks were uprooted and a travel trailer was demolished by a falling tree. Maximum wind speeds were estimated at 130 mph in Forrest County. ||This is the continuation of a longer tornado that started in Pearl River County at 3:10pm. This tornado was at it's strongest in Pearl River County with estimated wind speeds of 140 mph, which is EF-3 strength. The tornado finally ended in Greene County at 4:34pm. The total path length was 60.8 miles.

Trees and power lines were blown down across the county between early afternoon on the 29th and mid day on the 30th. By mid evening on the 29th, fallen trees and power lines blocked Shattles Loop near Brooklyn.

A tree fell on a house along Highway 42 in Petal. Trees and power lines were blown down on Elks Lake Road, and additional trees were blown down near McLaurin.

Trees and power lines were blown down at 800 Dewayne Street. A power pole was blown down at Hardy Street and 40th Avenue, and power lines were blown down on South 31st Street. Additional trees and power lines were blown down at I-59 and Highway 11.

Trees were blown down at Hardy and 31st Street, 28th Avenue and Lee Circle, as well as near the Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg. A large traffic signal at Broadway Drive and Timothy Lane was blown down. The glass front of a building on Highway 49 was blown in. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down near the damaged building as well.

Seventy seven Air Force cadets were in tents close to a power pole that was struck by lightning. The cadets were all taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure. No injures were confirmed.

Power lines were blown down at Camp Shelby, trees were blown down in the Indian Springs and Sunrise areas, and a few trees were blown down along Pierce Road south of Hattiesburg.

Minor damage occurred to the Police and Fire Training Academy. Power outages occurred south of Hattiesburg. One tree was blown down on Roy Tucker Road and several trees were blown down on John Odom Road.

A tree and a power line were downed in the area.

A few tree limbs took down a power line along North 40th Avenue.

Numerous trees were down in the Hattiesburg area. There were also some power outages.

Three trees were struck by lighting and fell on some power lines.

About 13 downed trees were observed from Interstate 59 to the Perry County line. The area was mainly in a line from the Glendale community to the Macedonia and Sunrise communities. An outbuilding had the tin roof torn off. Some trees and power lines were also blown down just north of Petal along Highway 42.

About 13 downed trees were observed from Interstate 59 to the Perry County line. The area was mainly in a line from the Glendale community to the Macedonia and Sunrise communities. An outbuilding had the tin roof torn off. Some trees and power lines were also blown down just north of Petal along Highway 42.

Several trees and a few power lines were blown down across East Hattiesburg.

A few trees and power lines were blown down along with a tree on a trailer.

Tropical storm force winds occurred across Forrest County as the outer edges of Hurricane Gustav moved across southern Louisiana. Scattered trees were downed across the county along with a few power lines. Wind gusts peaked between 35 and 45 mph for a few hours.

A power pole was snapped at the Gate to Camp Shelby.

This tornado began on the east side of Purvis, here it downed some limbs and small trees. The tornado intensified and widened at it approached and crossed Interstate 59 near Black Creek. Numerous trees and large limbs were snapped along the path as it moved through the area between the interstate and Highway 49. Additionally, a couple homes and outbuildings were damaged by limbs or trees falling on them. The tornado intensified again and narrowed as it approached Highway 49 and the south gate of Camp Shelby. A number of large trees were downed along the highway, and from there to the actual gate of Camp Shelby. One large tree fell on a mobile home on the east side of Highway 49, destroying it. Shingles were pulled off a couple commercial buildings along the highway as well and 2 power poles were snapped. This area was where the tornado reached its maximum intensity. As the tornado moved across Camp Shelby, it remained narrow, but not as intense, with winds likely in the 70 to 80 mph range. The tornado downed numerous large limbs and sporadic trees as it moved across the base. One large tree fell on base quarters home, causing serious damage to it, and another tree fell on a vehicle, destroying it. Some other minor roof damage was noted. The tornado continued causing sporadic tree damage as it crossed Highway 98 near the Perry County line where it dissipated. Maximum winds were around 105 mph. The total path length across Lamar and Forrest Counties was 15 miles.

This tornado began on the east side of Purvis, here it downed some limbs and small trees. The tornado intensified and widened at it approached and crossed Interstate 59 near Black Creek. Numerous trees and large limbs were snapped along the path as it moved through the area between the interstate and Highway 49. Additionally, a couple homes and outbuildings were damaged by limbs or trees falling on them. The tornado intensified again and narrowed as it approached Highway 49 and the south gate of Camp Shelby. A number of large trees were downed along the highway, and from there to the actual gate of Camp Shelby. One large tree fell on a mobile home on the east side of Highway 49, destroying it. Shingles were pulled off a couple commercial buildings along the highway as well and 2 power poles were snapped. This area was where the tornado reached its maximum intensity. As the tornado moved across Camp Shelby, it remained narrow, but not as intense, with winds likely in the 70 to 80 mph range. The tornado downed numerous large limbs and sporadic trees as it moved across the base. One large tree fell on base quarters home, causing serious damage to it, and another tree fell on a vehicle, destroying it. Some other minor roof damage was noted. The tornado continued causing sporadic tree damage as it crossed Highway 98 near the Perry County line where it dissipated. Maximum winds were around 105 mph. The total path length across Lamar and Forrest Counties was 15 miles.

Several trees were blown down along with some downed power lines and power poles. Damage occurred along Browns Bridge Road and around Elks Lake.

Several trees were blown down along with some downed power lines and power poles. Damage occurred along Browns Bridge Road and around Elks Lake.

A tree was blown down on a power line along with several large limbs down along Highway 98.

This tornado touched down at Camp Shelby and snapped or uprooted numerous trees, and downed several power lines along the short path. Twelve buildings, mostly barracks, were damaged. Several buildings had the roofs severely damaged with one roof nearly completely torn off. Several walls of the barrack buildings collapsed where the roof support was lost. A hummer was turned over and windows were blown out of several other vehicles. Maximum wind speed was 110 mph.

This tornado touched down at Camp Shelby and snapped or uprooted numerous trees, and downed several power lines along the short path. Twelve buildings, mostly barracks, were damaged. Several buildings had the roofs severely damaged with one roof nearly completely torn off. Several walls of the barrack buildings collapsed where the roof support was lost. A hummer was turned over and windows were blown out of several other vehicles. Maximum wind speed was 110 mph.

A few trees and power lines were blown down across Carnes Road.

Scattered trees and power lines downed across the northern portion of the county. Some trees and lines were blown down around the city while others were down near the Dixie School.

Scattered trees and power lines downed across the northern portion of the county. Some trees and lines were blown down around the city while others were down near the Dixie School.

A few trees and power lines were blown down across the county by strong gradient winds behind a strong cold front.

Four trees and one power line were blown down in the Hattiesburg and Petal area. One large limb was blown down on a car and caused some damage.

A few trees and large limbs were blown down on power lines on south side of town.

Numerous trees were blown down from Hattiesburg to Petal. Several power lines were blown down as well.

A few trees were blown down on power lines.

Sporadic trees and a power line blown down around the McLaurin and Camp Shelby areas.

Sporadic trees and a power line blown down around the McLaurin and Camp Shelby areas.

The strong microburst moved south out of Jones County and into northern Forrest County. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across the northern portion of the county.

One power line was blown down along the leading edge of a gust front from a near by thunderstorm.

Several trees and power lines were blown down.

A few trees and power lines were blown down.

Numerous trees and powerlines were blown down.

Numerous trees and powerlines were blown down in West Hattiesburg.

Several large limbs and one powerline were blown down.

A few powerlines were blown down.

Several large trees and a few powerlines were blown down in the city.

Severe thunderstorm winds blew down several trees, snapping powerlines in the area.

Several trees and powerlines were blown down in the city.

Trees and power lines were blown down. Several houses had roof damage from the wind.

Several trees and power lines were blown down.

Several large limbs fell onto power lines.

A few power lines were blown down.

After making landfall along the southeast Louisiana Gulf Coast around 4:00 p.m. CDT on October 28th, Hurricane Zeta continued to quickly move northeast and weaken as it moved inland. The fast storm motion for Zeta resulted in a short 2 to 3 hour window of strong wind gusts along the track as the Hurricane moved across southeastern Mississippi. Rainfall totals were around 2 to 5 inches at most locations, but the fast storm motion also limited the flash flood potential. For locations closest to the center and right side of Hurricane Zeta, scattered trees and power lines were blown down, and a few of these fallen trees caused damage to houses and other property. An EF-1 tornado developed from an outer rain band in Noxubee County as the hurricane was moving inland.

A strengthening low pressure system over the eastern plains caused winds across the ArkLaMiss to gust between 35 and 50 mph during the afternoon of the 23rd. Several instances of damage to trees, power lines, power poles and structures occurred. On the 24th, an isolated severe thunderstorm dropped quarter size hail southwest of the Mclaurin community in Forrest County.

Multiple eastward moving storms along a stationary boundary caused thunderstorm wind damage and flash flooding across much of south central Mississippi. The severe weather took the form of dime to quarter sized hail and thunderstorm wind damage in the form of blown down trees and power lines.

A broken line of severe thunderstorms swept across central Mississippi during the afternoon hours of June 21st. The thunderstorms produced mainly wind damage in the form of tree damage, roof damage, and damaged power poles and lines. A tree also landed on a car along Highway 35 in Marion County.

A powerful, late season, low pressure system brought numerous thunderstorms to the Deep South starting late in the evening of May 25th, continuing into the early morning hours of May 26th. Several of these storms produced large hail and damaging winds.||Additional severe thunderstorms developed in southeast Mississippi during the early afternoon hours of May 26th. These storms produced hail up to 2 inches in diameter.

Numerous afternoon thunderstorms developed across the region, with the majority occurring along and east of I-55. The storms produced scattered wind damage with downed trees and power lines being the primary type of damage.

A powerful spring storm system moved across the region on April 24th and brought an outbreak of severe storms and tornadoes to the area. The most powerful and destructive storm during this event was the long track EF4 tornado which ripped a 149 mile path across the forecast area. In addition to this violent tornado, many other storms became severe and produced 5 additional tornadoes along with numerous reports of quarter to golf ball sized hail. Of the 5 tornadoes, 3 of these were strong (EF2) and occurred across, Jasper, Newton, Lauderdale, Oktibbeha, and Clay Counties.

On the evening of March 1st, an area of strong gusty winds between 40 and 50 mph, affected areas around Marion, Lamar, and Forrest Counties. This was caused by a tight pressure gradient behind an area of light to moderate rain which was moving eastward. This can also be called a wake low. These strong winds knocked down some trees and power lines across Marion, Lamar, and Forrest Counties.

A powerful storm system helped develop a deep low pressure area which moved from North Texas to Northwest Arkansas. The combination of cold air aloft, strong jet dynamics, and the clash with an unstable airmass helped to send a line of severe storms across the region during the day. The line exited the region by mid afternoon. As the core of the upper low pressure system crossed the area, a second bowing line of storms crossed the northern portion of the county warning area during the late afternoon and early evening. Numerous reports of hail and wind damage occurred with this complex system as it tracked through the region.

For the third consecutive day a powerful storm system brought a round of severe thunderstorms containing damaging straight line winds and two tornadoes which occurred Friday afternoon and night. These storms were associated with a strong upper system moving across the region. Most of the damage was associated with straight line winds to be 70 to 90 mph. However, two tornadoes did occur with the strongest an EF1 in Smith County. This system also dumped several inches of rain which caused some flash flooding in some areas.

A rare early December heavy snow event unfolded across the south starting late on the 10th and really ramping up on the 11th. An upper level low deepened across the northern gulf and produced a swath of snow from southeast Texas, Louisiana, and into Mississippi. This was an unusual snow because temperatures ranged from 32 to 35 degrees where the snow fell. The upper low provided its own cold air and that was enough to allow rain to change to snow, especially where precipitation was heavy. Snowfall amounts ranged from a trace to 9 inches across our service area. The heaviest snow fell within an axis from McComb to Morton Mississippi. Areas that did receive more than 2 or 3 inches had trees and power lines down from the weight of the snow which resulted in many power outages. Roads were slick as well because of the fast accumulation and slushy conditions. Numerous accidents occurred from the hazardous road conditions.

Hurricane Gustav was the 2nd major hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season. It took shape as a tropical depression on the morning of August 25th just southeast of Haiti, and rapidly strengthened to hurricane status by the morning of August 26th. After inflicting serious damage on portions of Haiti, Jamaica, and Cuba, Gustav entered into the southeastern portion of the Gulf of Mexico and took aim at the Gulf Coast of the United States. Although Gustav attained Category 4 status earlier in its life, Gustav eventually made landfall as a strong Category 2 system at Cocodrie, Louisiana, on September 1st, containing maximum sustained winds around 110 mph. Gustav slowed down and weakened as it continued on its northwest track across southern Louisiana where major damage was inflicted. The pace of the system continued to slow dramatically over the next few days as it turned gradually to the right around a large ridge of high pressure over the Southeast. The remnants of Gustav finally began moving rapidly away from the Lower Mississippi Valley on the 4th as an incoming disturbance deflected it to the northeast. Gustav was responsible for multiple hazardous weather elements across the service area such as tropical storm force winds, tornadoes, flash flooding, and areal flooding from extensive rains.||As the center of Gustav crossed much of southern Louisiana, tropical storm force winds extended into southern Mississippi and portions of east central Louisiana. Sustained winds were between 35 and 45 mph with higher gusts between 70 and 100 mph occurred. Tree and power line damage was extensive across these areas which resulted in widespread power outages, some of which lasted for 3 to 5 days.||As Gustav slowed across central Louisiana, the outer rainbands continued to rotate across much of southern and central Mississippi. This kept those portions of Mississippi in the region which was favorable for tornadoes. Over 3 days, 26 tornadoes were confirmed, all of which were in the EF0 to EF1 range.||As Gustav slowed on September 2nd, flash flooding became a major issue with lasted into the 3rd as the storm slowly lifted to the north and northeast. The first round of heavy rain and flash flooding was across portions of southeast Mississippi as the outer rainbands started to move across the same areas. Total rainfall across this area was between 4 and 7 inches. The heaviest rains fell across areas near and west of the Mississippi River. Some of the Mississippi counties boarding the river received 8 to 11 inches of rain. Areas west of the river across Louisiana and southeast Arkansas saw extreme rainfall. Many locations received between 11 and 20 inches of rain. The highest measured rainfall was at Larto Lake where 21 inches fell. The flooding rains had a tremendous impact on area crops. Crop damage was extensive across Louisiana and western Mississippi. The flooding rains came at a crucial time as most crops will be harvested in September. Crop damage from Gustav will range between 300-400 million dollars.

A low pressure system moving through the northern Gulf of Mexico brought widespread precipitation to the region the evening of Friday, January 18th and the morning of Saturday, January 19th. The rain changed to snow over much of the area during the early morning hours of January 19th as the cold center of the strong disturbance moved across the region. Significant precipitation was still occurring along and south of the Interstate 20 corridor when the precipitation changed to snow, and accumulating snow then occurred in most locations east of the Mississippi River.||The heaviest snow appears to have fallen in the areas around Covington, Jefferson Davis, and western Jones Counties, where isolated amounts of 4 to 5 inches occurred. At the height of the snow, temperatures were able to fall to near freezing, and accumulations occurred on roadways resulting in a number of traffic accidents. Additionally, some power outages occurred in the heaviest snow band due to the weight of the wet snow on limbs and lines. However, most folks in the area enjoyed the rare snowfall and took full advantage of the opportunity to make snowmen and snow angels, or to go sledding on the nearest hill.

Another powerful spring storm system developed over the plains and spread eastward causing severe weather from the Mid West to the south-central Gulf Coast states to the Southeast United States. Overall, the Lower Mississippi Valley was spared the brunt of the worst weather with just scattered reports of severe weather. However, the Southeast United States was hit quite hard as significant severe storms occurred. This region had many reports of large hail and damaging winds with several strong tornadoes (EF2 to EF3) and a few violent tornadoes (EF4).

An intense fall cyclone developed over the region and produced an episode of severe weather which included tornadoes. This strong weather system developed as a very strong jet stream, with winds between 160-200 mph, slammed into Oregon and Washington State. All that energy moved over the Rocky Mountains and caused a strong area of surface low pressure to develop. This low intensified as it moved east across the Red River Valley and then lifted across Arkansas and into Tennessee as it deepened to 990 mb! The strength of this deepening low caused warm and unstable air to lift northward across Louisiana and into central Mississippi. It was this northward moving warm front that became the focus of an area where tornadic supercell thunderstorms could thrive in an unstable and highly sheared environment.|This large and powerful storm system produced numerous tornadoes across the south and south eastern United States where many were of the strong (F2 or F3) variety. Within the Jackson, MS forecast area, there were a total of 5 tornadoes to impact the counties serviced. Two F3s, one in Lamar County and the other in Jones County. The Jones County tornado actually contained a satellite tornado, F1, which briefly rotated around the parent tornado. Next was an F1 tornado in southern Marion County which was actually the end of a strong tornado that moved out of Walthall County. Lastly, a brief F1 tornado occurred in central Lamar County. Tornadoes were not the only type of severe weather, scattered wind damage also occurred across northeast Louisiana and portions of central Mississippi between midnight and 10 am Wednesday November 15th 2006.

Hurricane Dennis made landfall during the afternoon of July 10th near Navarre Beach Florida as a category 3 Hurricane. The storm moved north-northwest across Southwest Alabama and then into East-Central Mississippi and finally across Northeast Mississippi during the overnight hours. Wind gusts over tropical storm force were common across areas east of a line from Starkville to Newton to Hattiesburg. These winds caused several hundred trees to uproot or snap and took down numerous power lines. Additionally, a total of 21 homes or businesses sustained minor to major damage from fallen trees or gusty winds. Here are a few locations with the strongest measured wind gusts:Meridian (Key Field) 59 mphMeridian Naval Air Station 55 mphNewton 40 mphColumbus Air Force Base 43 mphPine Belt Airport 46 mphHeavy rainfall was not a major issue as Dennis steadily moved across the region. Rainfall totals between 2 and 5 inches fell across Eastern Mississippi over a 12 hour period. One indirect fatality occurred in Jasper county from a automobile accident due to wet roads.

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.