Tornadoes in Mississippi, March 3, 1966

Name: Tornadoes in Mississippi, March 3, 1966
Start: 1966-03-03T18:30
End: 1966-03-03T20:30
Location: Mississippi

March 3, 1966 · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

3 tornado, 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

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The toll

Deaths: 57
Injuries: 504
Property damage: $75 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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

3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Hinds

When: March 3, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Hinds County
Rating: F5
Path length: 27.8 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Deaths: 57 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 504 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 32.180, -90.550

Tornado, Rankin

When: March 3, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Rankin County
Rating: F5
Path length: 35.4 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 32.350, -90.120

Tornado, Leake

When: March 3, 8:30 PM CST
Where: Leake County
Rating: F5
Path length: 72.8 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 32.570, -89.570

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Mississippi in 1966 Every state in 1966 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Mississippi, 1966

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: 10049391, 10049392, 10049393.