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Mississippi · County tornado history

Kemper County, Mississippi tornadoes

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has recorded 40 tornadoes in Kemper County, Mississippi from 1950 through 2024, about one every 1.9 years. That ranks it 37 of 82 counties in Mississippi with a recorded tornado. The most recent was an EF3 on March 22, 2022.

By Twisters.us · Updated · How we count

Tornadoes since 1950
40
Since 2000
24
Strongest
EF5, April 27, 2011
Most recent
EF3, March 22, 2022
Peak month
April (12)
Per 1,000 sq mi
52
FEMA tornado risk
Relatively Low

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 Kemper County

April has brought the most, 12 of 40. About 45% 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 22% 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) 9
F1 / EF1 Moderate: 86 to 110 mph 13
F2 / EF2 Considerable: 111 to 135 mph 9
F3 / EF3 Severe: 136 to 165 mph 6
F4 / EF4 Devastating: 166 to 200 mph 1
F5 / EF5 Incredible: over 200 mph 2

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 Kemper County

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
March 3, 1966 F5 202.5 mi 900 yd 58 518
April 27, 2011 EF5 28.3 mi 900 yd 3 6
March 12, 1986 F4 23 mi 440 yd 8
April 2, 1982 F3 42 mi 400 yd 3 40
April 11, 2013 EF3 66.3 mi 1,320 yd 1 9
April 15, 2011 EF3 48.5 mi 1,760 yd 5
April 27, 2011 EF3 23.7 mi 1,056 yd 2
April 4, 1977 F3 11.7 mi 100 yd
March 22, 2022 EF3 9.2 mi 800 yd
November 22, 1992 F2 27 mi 880 yd 1 1

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

The deadliest

The deadliest tornado to touch Kemper County was an F5 on March 3, 1966. It killed 58 people and injured 518 along its 202.5-mile path.

Most recent tornadoes

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
March 22, 2022 EF3 9.2 mi 800 yd
March 17, 2021 EF0 0.2 mi 80 yd
April 18, 2019 EF0 3.3 mi 3 yd
April 13, 2019 EF2 8.4 mi 700 yd
February 2, 2016 EF2 18.5 mi 300 yd
February 2, 2016 EF2 21.2 mi 880 yd
April 25, 2015 EF0 0.9 mi 50 yd
April 11, 2013 EF3 66.3 mi 1,320 yd 1 9

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 Kemper County as relatively low, with a score of 56 out of 100 compared with every other U.S. county. It estimates about 0.82 tornadoes a year here and an expected annual loss of about $1,042,053 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 Kemper County had?

40 from 1950 through 2024 in NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center database, 24 of them since 2000.

When was the last tornado in Kemper County?

The most recent in the official record was an EF3 on March 22, 2022. Later storms are not yet in the final database.

What was the strongest tornado in Kemper County?

An EF5 on April 27, 2011, with a 28.3-mile path.

When is tornado season in Kemper 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.