Mississippi, 1989

Tornado and Hail in Mississippi, May 20, 1989

May 20, 1989 · NWS JAN · 18 events in 12 counties and zones

9 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind, 1 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
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
18

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

9 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Tippah

When
May 20, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Tippah County
Coordinates
34.980, -88.950

Tornado, Alcorn

When
May 20, 8:10 AM CST
Where
Alcorn County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.4 mi
Path width
30 yd
Coordinates
34.870, -88.600

Hail, Alcorn

When
May 20, 8:40 AM CST
Where
Alcorn County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
34.930, -88.520

Hail, Union

When
May 20, 12:48 PM CST
Where
Union County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
34.500, -88.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Itawamba

When
May 20, 1:00 PM CST
Where
Itawamba County
Coordinates
34.400, -88.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Prentiss

When
May 20, 1:12 PM CST
Where
Prentiss County
Coordinates
34.650, -88.550

Hail, Itawamba

When
May 20, 1:15 PM CST
Where
Itawamba County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
34.270, -88.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Lee

When
May 20, 1:19 PM CST
Where
Lee County
Coordinates
34.270, -88.720

Hail, Jones

When
May 20, 2:18 PM CST
Where
Jones County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
31.700, -89.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Marion

When
May 20, 2:30 PM CST
Where
Marion County
Coordinates
31.320, -89.930

Thunderstorm Wind, Clarke

When
May 20, 2:50 PM CST
Where
Clarke County
Coordinates
31.930, -88.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Clarke

When
May 20, 3:10 PM CST
Where
Clarke County
Coordinates
32.170, -88.620

Hail, Rankin

When
May 20, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Rankin County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.370, -89.980

Thunderstorm Wind, Lauderdale

When
May 20, 4:40 PM CST
Where
Lauderdale County
Coordinates
32.370, -88.720

Hail, Copiah

When
May 20, 4:55 PM CST
Where
Copiah County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.700, -90.400

Hail, Copiah

When
May 20, 4:55 PM CST
Where
Copiah County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.870, -90.400

Hail, Rankin

When
May 20, 5:10 PM CST
Where
Rankin County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.200, -89.920

Hail, Rankin

When
May 20, 5:45 PM CST
Where
Rankin County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.270, -89.980

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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Mississippi in 1989Every state in 1989This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Mississippi, 1989Warnings in Mississippi, May 1989

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: 10061085, 10061086, 10061087, 10061088, 10061089, 10061090, 10061091, 10061092, 10061093, 10061094, 10061095, 10061096, 10061097, 10061098, 10061099, 10061100, 10061101, 10061102.