Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, October 17, 1980

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, October 17, 1980
Start: 1980-10-17T13:15
End: 1980-10-17T18:20
Location: Mississippi

October 17, 1980 · NWS T · 12 events in 10 counties and zones

10 tornado, 2 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: 0
Injuries: 5
Property damage: $2.0 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 12

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

10 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Washington

When: October 17, 1:15 PM CST
Where: Washington County
Rating: F2
Path length: 20 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 33.080, -90.980

Tornado, Bolivar

When: October 17, 1:45 PM CST
Where: Bolivar County
Rating: F2
Path length: 8.2 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 33.580, -91.080

Tornado, Humphreys

When: October 17, 1:50 PM CST
Where: Humphreys County
Rating: F2
Path length: 25.8 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 33.200, -90.670

Tornado, Sharkey

When: October 17, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Sharkey County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 32.850, -90.900

Tornado, Leflore

When: October 17, 2:40 PM CST
Where: Leflore County
Rating: F2
Path length: 5.4 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 33.370, -90.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Leflore

When: October 17, 2:45 PM CST
Where: Leflore County
Coordinates: 33.300, -90.430

Tornado, Yazoo

When: October 17, 4:08 PM CST
Where: Yazoo County
Rating: F2
Path length: 10 mi
Path width: 900 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 32.780, -90.170

Tornado, Madison

When: October 17, 4:08 PM CST
Where: Madison County
Rating: F2
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 32.530, -90.280

Tornado, Madison

When: October 17, 4:28 PM CST
Where: Madison County
Rating: F2
Path length: 7.2 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 32.820, -90.000

Tornado, Montgomery

When: October 17, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Rating: F2
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 33.430, -89.570

Thunderstorm Wind, Holmes

When: October 17, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Holmes County
Coordinates: 32.870, -89.970

Tornado, Jones

When: October 17, 6:20 PM CST
Where: Jones County
Rating: F2
Path length: 1.3 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 31.700, -89.400

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.
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 1980 Every state in 1980 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Mississippi, 1980

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: 10061817, 10061818, 10061819, 10061820, 10061821, 10061822, 10061823, 10061824, 10061825, 10061826, 10061827, 10061828.