Mississippi, 2005

Storm Surge in Mississippi, August 29, 2005

August 29, 2005 · NWS LIX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Storm surge damage across coastal Mississippi was catastrophic and approached or exceeded the surge associated with Hurricane Camille and impacted a much more extensive area. Almost total destruction was observed along the immediate coast in Hancock and Harrison Counties with storm surge damage extending north along bays and bayous to Interstate Highway 10 in some instances.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$11 billion
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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.

Storm surge damage across coastal Mississippi was catastrophic and approached or exceeded the surge associated with Hurricane Camille and impacted a much more extensive area. Almost total destruction was observed along the immediate coast in Hancock and Harrison Counties with storm surge damage extending north along bays and bayous to Interstate Highway 10 in some instances. Thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed by the storm surge. Most tide gages were destroyed by the storm surge so storm surge was determined primarily by post storm high water mark surveys conducted by FEMA. An estimated storm surge of approximately 23.0 feet occurred at the Hancock County EOC operations area in Waveland, and the high water mark measured on the Jackson County EOC building in Pascagoula was 16.1 feet. Preliminary estimates of storm surge along the Mississippi Coast include Hancock County 19-25 ft, Harrison County 19-25 feet, Jackson County 17-21 ft. Wave action on top of the storm surge enhanced the damage in many area. All storm surge heights are still water elevations referenced to NAVD88 datum.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS New Orleans, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 28, 3:52 PM CST, 10 hours 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 28, 3:52 PM CST, 10 hours 8 minutes before
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Event by event

3 storm surge/tide. Local standard time, as filed.

Storm Surge/Tide, Hancock

When
August 29, 2:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Hancock forecast zone
Property damage
$3.4 billion
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY

Storm Surge/Tide, Harrison

When
August 29, 2:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Harrison forecast zone
Property damage
$5.6 billion
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY

Storm Surge/Tide, Jackson

When
August 29, 2:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Jackson forecast zone
Property damage
$2.3 billion
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY

What these are

Storm Surge/Tide
Water pushed ashore above the normal tide by a storm’s winds and low pressure.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Mississippi in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Mississippi, August 2005The 2005 hurricane season

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5475656, 5475657, 5475658.