Mississippi, 1997

Flash Flood and Flood in Mississippi, May 19, 1997

May 19, 1997 · NWS LIX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Thunderstorm persisted over the same region of coastal Mississippi producing torrential rainfall. 75 inches of rain during the afternoon and evening hours.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$100,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS LIX wrote it up.

Thunderstorm persisted over the same region of coastal Mississippi producing torrential rainfall. A National Weather Service cooperative observer in Waveland recorded 7.75 inches of rain during the afternoon and evening hours. Hancock County civil defense reported up to 12 inches of rain in some areas. Civil Defense officials reported approximately 60 houses had some type of flooding along with 12 businesses. In Harrison County, rainfall amounts were much less and flooding was confined to streets and small streams.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 flash flood, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Hancock

When
May 19, 4:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Hancock County, Waveland
Property damage
$100,000
Coordinates
30.394, -89.475 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Harrison

When
May 19, 5:00 PM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Harrison County, Pass Christian
Coordinates
30.416, -89.082 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Mississippi in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Mississippi, May 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5602242, 5602243.