Tornado and Hail in Mississippi, May 4, 1979

Name: Tornado and Hail in Mississippi, May 4, 1979
Start: 1979-05-04T00:15
End: 1979-05-04T12:35
Location: Mississippi

May 4, 1979 · NWS T · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

7 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 1 hail, 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: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $25,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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

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

Tornado, Yalobusha

When: May 4, 12:15 AM CST
Where: Yalobusha County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 34.150, -89.670

Hail, Yazoo

When: May 4, 12:45 AM CST
Where: Yazoo County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 32.850, -90.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Warren

When: May 4, 2:10 AM CST
Where: Warren County
Coordinates: 32.350, -90.880

Thunderstorm Wind, Simpson

When: May 4, 8:50 AM CST
Where: Simpson County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 31.870, -89.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson Davis

When: May 4, 8:57 AM CST
Where: Jefferson Davis County
Coordinates: 31.600, -89.880

Thunderstorm Wind, Marion

When: May 4, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Marion County
Coordinates: 31.330, -89.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Smith

When: May 4, 9:25 AM CST
Where: Smith County
Coordinates: 31.900, -89.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Jones

When: May 4, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Jones County
Coordinates: 31.600, -89.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Harrison

When: May 4, 12:35 PM CST
Where: Harrison County
Coordinates: 30.400, -88.900

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 1979 Every state in 1979 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Mississippi, 1979

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: 10064030, 10064031, 10064032, 10064033, 10064034, 10064035, 10064036, 10060427, 10060428.