Mississippi, 1978

Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, May 12, 1978

May 12, 1978 · NWS RY · 22 events in 13 counties and zones

17 thunderstorm wind, 5 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
0
Injuries
18
Property damage
$76 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
22

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

17 thunderstorm wind, 5 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Bolivar

When
May 12, 7:23 PM CST
Where
Bolivar County
Coordinates
33.850, -91.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Coahoma

When
May 12, 7:38 PM CST
Where
Coahoma County
Coordinates
34.370, -90.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Bolivar

When
May 12, 7:40 PM CST
Where
Bolivar County
Coordinates
33.670, -91.070

Thunderstorm Wind, Sunflower

When
May 12, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Sunflower County
Coordinates
33.450, -90.650

Tornado, Pontotoc

When
May 12, 8:35 PM CST
Where
Pontotoc County
Rating
F1
Path length
10.4 mi
Path width
200 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
34.270, -88.970

Thunderstorm Wind, Humphreys

When
May 12, 8:37 PM CST
Where
Humphreys County
Coordinates
33.180, -90.500

Tornado, Lee

When
May 12, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Lee County
Rating
F1
Path length
4.1 mi
Path width
33 yd
Injuries
18 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
34.270, -88.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Panola

When
May 12, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Panola County
Coordinates
34.330, -90.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Grenada

When
May 12, 9:05 PM CST
Where
Grenada County
Coordinates
33.780, -89.820

Thunderstorm Wind, Pontotoc

When
May 12, 9:22 PM CST
Where
Pontotoc County
Coordinates
34.250, -89.000

Tornado, Coahoma

When
May 12, 9:25 PM CST
Where
Coahoma County
Rating
F2
Path length
5.7 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$25 million
Coordinates
34.320, -90.520

Thunderstorm Wind, Grenada

When
May 12, 9:35 PM CST
Where
Grenada County
Coordinates
33.780, -90.070

Tornado, Quitman

When
May 12, 9:37 PM CST
Where
Quitman County
Rating
F2
Path length
11.5 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25 million
Coordinates
34.320, -90.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Oktibbeha

When
May 12, 9:38 PM CST
Where
Oktibbeha County
Coordinates
33.550, -89.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Bolivar

When
May 12, 9:50 PM CST
Where
Bolivar County
Coordinates
33.950, -90.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Bolivar

When
May 12, 9:55 PM CST
Where
Bolivar County
Coordinates
33.750, -90.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Lowndes

When
May 12, 9:55 PM CST
Where
Lowndes County
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Coordinates
33.450, -88.580

Tornado, Panola

When
May 12, 10:03 PM CST
Where
Panola County
Rating
F2
Path length
16.2 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25 million
Coordinates
34.320, -90.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Sunflower

When
May 12, 10:05 PM CST
Where
Sunflower County
Coordinates
33.720, -90.650

Thunderstorm Wind, Choctaw

When
May 12, 10:15 PM CST
Where
Choctaw County
Coordinates
33.300, -89.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Oktibbeha

When
May 12, 10:15 PM CST
Where
Oktibbeha County
Coordinates
33.350, -89.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Prentiss

When
May 12, 11:05 PM CST
Where
Prentiss County
Coordinates
34.650, -88.550

What these are

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.
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

More

Every storm in Mississippi in 1978Every state in 1978This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Mississippi, 1978

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: 10051130, 10051131, 10051132, 10051133, 10051134, 10051135, 10051136, 10051137, 10051138, 10051139, 10051140, 10051141, 10051142, 10051143, 10051144, 10051145, 10051146, 10051147, 10051148, 10051149, 10051150, 10051151.