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Mississippi · County tornado history

Lauderdale County, Mississippi tornadoes

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has recorded 63 tornadoes in Lauderdale County, Mississippi from 1950 through 2024, about one every 1.2 years. That ranks it 14 of 82 counties in Mississippi with a recorded tornado. The most recent was an EF1 on December 28, 2024.

By Twisters.us · Updated · How we count

Tornadoes since 1950
63
Since 2000
38
Strongest
F4, March 12, 1986
Most recent
EF1, December 28, 2024
Peak month
March (13)
Per 1,000 sq mi
88
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 Lauderdale County

March has brought the most, 13 of 63. About 51% touched down between 2 pm and 8 pm (Central Standard Time, as the Storm Prediction Center records it). Winter tornadoes (December to February) make up 32% 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) 22
F1 / EF1 Moderate: 86 to 110 mph 27
F2 / EF2 Considerable: 111 to 135 mph 11
F3 / EF3 Severe: 136 to 165 mph 1
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 Lauderdale County

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
March 29, 1976 F4 126.5 mi 880 yd 8
March 12, 1986 F4 23 mi 440 yd 8
March 10, 1992 F3 20 mi 1,760 yd 3 57
December 16, 2000 F2 12 mi 440 yd 17
March 27, 1950 F2 31.9 mi 50 yd 6
May 27, 1973 F2 0.1 mi 10 yd 3
April 14, 2018 EF2 8.5 mi 780 yd 2
January 21, 2017 EF2 7.3 mi 550 yd 1
May 27, 1973 F2 0.1 mi 10 yd
March 12, 1986 F2 14 mi 120 yd

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

The deadliest

The deadliest tornado to touch Lauderdale County was an F3 on March 10, 1992. It killed 3 people and injured 57 along its 20-mile path.

Most recent tornadoes

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
December 28, 2024 EF1 9.9 mi 700 yd
December 28, 2024 EF1 9 mi 630 yd
April 13, 2022 EF2 43.1 mi 1,800 yd
April 5, 2022 EF0 2.5 mi 25 yd
March 30, 2022 EF1 3.9 mi 250 yd
March 30, 2022 EF1 6.8 mi 200 yd
March 30, 2022 EF1 3.7 mi 50 yd
March 22, 2022 EF0 1.5 mi 25 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 Lauderdale County as relatively high, with a score of 94 out of 100 compared with every other U.S. county. It estimates about 0.80 tornadoes a year here and an expected annual loss of about $7,602,442 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 Lauderdale County had?

63 from 1950 through 2024 in NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center database, 38 of them since 2000.

When was the last tornado in Lauderdale County?

The most recent in the official record was an EF1 on December 28, 2024. Later storms are not yet in the final database.

What was the strongest tornado in Lauderdale County?

An F4 on March 12, 1986, with a 23-mile path.

When is tornado season in Lauderdale County?

March 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.