South MS under tornado watch; forecasters warn Hurricane Francine could unleash twisters

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Hurricane Francine’s outer bands will reach the Mississippi Coast on Wednesday and could unleash tornadoes throughout the region, the National Weather Service said.

Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties are under a tornado watch until 11 p.m. The watch extends from Mississippi through Louisiana. Forecasters say several tornadoes are likely, and isolated wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour are possible.

The Coast is on the eastern side of the hurricane, where winds often create tornadoes in tropical systems, said Hannah Lisney, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Slidell.

A frontal boundary creeping toward the Coast Wednesday afternoon could exacerbate that threat, she said.

The risk extends across South Mississippi. “Anywhere on the eastern side is fair game,” Lisney said.

Forecasters say tornadoes are common during hurricanes, and often occur in bands of rain east of a storm’s center. Hurricanes Beryl and Debby both produced twisters this summer, according to The Weather Channel: Beryl, a Category 5, spawned 65 confirmed tornadoes. Debby, a Category 1, unleashed 12 tornadoes, The Weather Channel said.

Tornadoes often form on the eastern side of a hurricane or tropical storm because the winds add to the circular motion of a tornado, Lisney said. “On the western side, if a tornado was trying to form, it would be going against the wind,” she said.

What to do if tornado hits

If a tornado warning is issued, residents should shelter in an interior room of a sturdy home or building, the National Weather Service says. Basements also work as shelters. Residents whose homes have flooded should shelter on the lowest possible floor above the floodwaters, forecasters say.

The worst places to ride out tornadoes are in mobile homes, cars and beneath highway overpasses, the National Weather Service says. Forecasters say residents in mobile homes should go to any of South Mississippi’s severe weather shelters before the worst impacts hit.

The risk of tornadoes on the Mississippi Coast ends Thursday, Lisney said.