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Mississippi · County tornado history

Jones County, Mississippi tornadoes

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has recorded 81 tornadoes in Jones County, Mississippi from 1950 through 2024, about 1.1 a year. That ranks it 5 of 82 counties in Mississippi with a recorded tornado. The most recent was an EF1 on December 27, 2024.

By Twisters.us · Updated · How we count

Tornadoes since 1950
81
Since 2000
46
Strongest
EF4, April 12, 2020
Most recent
EF1, December 27, 2024
Peak month
April (19)
Per 1,000 sq mi
116
FEMA tornado risk
Relatively High

F0/EF0 1 2 3 4 5 · Lines run from where each tornado touched down to where it lifted; dots are short paths. Neighboring counties are outlined.

When tornadoes hit Jones County

April has brought the most, 19 of 81. About 42% touched down between 1 pm and 7 pm (Central Standard Time, as the Storm Prediction Center records it). Winter tornadoes (December to February) make up 31% of the total, a sign of the cool-season storms common in the South.

By decade

More tornadoes in recent decades mostly reflects better detection and reporting (Doppler radar, storm spotters, damage surveys), especially for weak EF0 tornadoes, not necessarily more storms. The 2020s bar covers only 2020 to 2024.

How strong they were

Rating Estimated 3-second gust Tornadoes
F0 / EF0 Light damage: 65 to 85 mph (EF scale) 16
F1 / EF1 Moderate: 86 to 110 mph 32
F2 / EF2 Considerable: 111 to 135 mph 21
F3 / EF3 Severe: 136 to 165 mph 10
F4 / EF4 Devastating: 166 to 200 mph 2
F5 / EF5 Incredible: over 200 mph 0

Tornadoes before February 2007 were rated on the original Fujita (F) scale; since then the National Weather Service uses the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale. Wind speeds above are EF-scale estimates from damage, not measurements. See what the EF scale means.

The strongest tornadoes in Jones County

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
April 12, 2020 EF4 67.4 mi 3,960 yd 7 98
February 28, 1987 F4 35 mi 1,230 yd 6 350
April 21, 1951 F3 33.5 mi 10 yd 2 16
May 27, 1973 F3 15 mi 400 yd 1 35
April 14, 1999 F3 25.5 mi 880 yd 1 33
December 28, 1954 F3 11.5 mi 250 yd 25
April 28, 2014 EF3 10.5 mi 880 yd 15
January 9, 1972 F3 23.6 mi 300 yd 12
December 16, 2019 EF3 61.2 mi 350 yd 2
April 12, 2020 EF3 83.2 mi 2,041 yd 2

Deaths and injuries are for each tornado’s whole path, which can cross other counties.

The deadliest

The deadliest tornado to touch Jones County was an EF4 on April 12, 2020. It killed 7 people and injured 98 along its 67.4-mile path.

Most recent tornadoes

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
December 27, 2024 EF1 13 mi 330 yd
April 3, 2023 EF1 3.5 mi 220 yd
January 3, 2023 EF1 2.6 mi 365 yd
April 17, 2022 EF1 2.9 mi 150 yd
April 13, 2022 EF1 14.6 mi 500 yd
April 5, 2022 EF1 8.6 mi 250 yd
April 5, 2022 EF1 16.5 mi 440 yd
April 23, 2020 EF2 16.9 mi 2,640 yd

The official database ends with 2024. For storms since then, see the Storm Prediction Center’s reports and your local National Weather Service office.

FEMA’s tornado risk rating

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates the tornado risk in Jones County as relatively high, with a score of 93 out of 100 compared with every other U.S. county. It estimates about 0.86 tornadoes a year here and an expected annual loss of about $7,008,623 to buildings, people and farming. The index mixes how often tornadoes strike with what is exposed and how well a community can recover, so a busy rural county can rate lower than a less active city.

Neighboring counties

Staying safe

When a tornado warning is issued, act at once. Go to a basement, storm shelter or safe room. With none, use a small windowless room on the lowest floor, as far from outside walls as you can, and cover your head and neck. Mobile homes and cars are not safe places to ride out a tornado: leave early for a sturdy building or shelter. Read the full tornado safety guide and the National Weather Service advice linked below.

Sources

Sources last checked 1 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How many tornadoes has Jones County had?

81 from 1950 through 2024 in NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center database, 46 of them since 2000.

When was the last tornado in Jones County?

The most recent in the official record was an EF1 on December 27, 2024. Later storms are not yet in the final database.

What was the strongest tornado in Jones County?

An EF4 on April 12, 2020, with a 67.4-mile path.

When is tornado season in Jones County?

April has had the most tornadoes here. Across the U.S. the peak runs from spring into early summer, and the South also sees tornadoes in late fall and winter.