Tornadoes and Hail in Mississippi, February 26, 1958

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Mississippi, February 26, 1958
Start: 1958-02-26T17:30
End: 1958-02-26T20:15
Location: Mississippi

February 26, 1958 · 20 events in 16 counties and zones

18 tornado, 1 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 13
Injuries: 90
Property damage: $9.6 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 20

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.

Event by event

18 tornado, 1 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Copiah

When: February 26, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Copiah County
Rating: F3
Path length: 6.2 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 31.980, -90.530

Tornado, Hinds

When: February 26, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Hinds County
Rating: F3
Path length: 24.6 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 32.050, -90.470

Tornado, Simpson

When: February 26, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Simpson County
Rating: F3
Path length: 56.4 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 31.970, -90.100

Hail, Rankin

When: February 26, 5:50 PM CST
Where: Rankin County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 32.200, -90.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Rankin

When: February 26, 5:50 PM CST
Where: Rankin County
Coordinates: 32.200, -90.080

Tornado, Pearl River

When: February 26, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Pearl River County
Rating: F2
Path length: 17.4 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Injuries: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 30.800, -89.650

Tornado, Lamar

When: February 26, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Lamar County
Rating: F2
Path length: 5.7 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 30.980, -89.450

Tornado, Rankin

When: February 26, 6:15 PM CST
Where: Rankin County
Rating: F3
Path length: 27.6 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 14 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 32.300, -90.170

Tornado, Issaquena

When: February 26, 6:20 PM CST
Where: Issaquena County
Rating: F2
Path length: 2.7 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 32.920, -91.170

Tornado, Madison

When: February 26, 6:50 PM CST
Where: Madison County
Rating: F1
Path length: 11.5 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 32.780, -89.850

Tornado, Leake

When: February 26, 6:55 PM CST
Where: Leake County
Rating: F3
Path length: 1.3 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 32.700, -89.730

Tornado, Madison

When: February 26, 6:55 PM CST
Where: Madison County
Rating: F3
Path length: 10 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Deaths: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 12 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 32.580, -89.830

Tornado, Smith

When: February 26, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Smith County
Rating: F1
Path length: 95.5 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 32.030, -89.530

Tornado, Leake

When: February 26, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Leake County
Rating: F3
Path length: 12.7 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 24 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 32.580, -89.470

Tornado, Harrison

When: February 26, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Harrison County
Rating: F2
Path length: 1.3 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 30.420, -88.870

Tornado, Neshoba

When: February 26, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Neshoba County
Rating: F3
Path length: 1.9 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Injuries: 10 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 32.720, -89.320

Tornado, Jackson

When: February 26, 7:35 PM CST
Where: Jackson County
Rating: F2
Path length: 27.1 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 30.420, -88.850

Tornado, Perry

When: February 26, 7:45 PM CST
Where: Perry County
Rating: F3
Path length: 4.1 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Deaths: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 20 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 31.330, -88.900

Tornado, Greene

When: February 26, 7:55 PM CST
Where: Greene County
Rating: F3
Path length: 7.1 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 31.370, -88.850

Tornado, Wayne

When: February 26, 8:15 PM CST
Where: Wayne County
Rating: F3
Path length: 17.9 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Deaths: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 31.430, -88.770

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Kind
Tornado, Hinds	1958-02-26	Direct
Tornado, Rankin	1958-02-26	Direct
Tornado, Leake	1958-02-26	Direct

What these are

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Mississippi in 1958 Every state in 1958 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Mississippi, 1958

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10049550, 10049551, 10049552, 10049553, 10049554, 10049555, 10049556, 10049557, 10049558, 10049559, 10049560, 10049561, 10049562, 10049563, 10049564, 10049565, 10049566, 10049567, 10049568, 10049569.