Mississippi, 1998

Tornadoes and Hail in Mississippi, February 26, 1998

February 26, 1998 · NWS JAN · 32 events in 21 counties and zones

23 thunderstorm wind, 7 hail, 2 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
4
Property damage
$30 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
32

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.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

23 thunderstorm wind, 7 hail, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Adams

When
February 26, 10:10 AM CST
Where
Adams County, Natchez
Measured
70 kt (81 mph)
Injuries
4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$30 million
Coordinates
31.570, -91.400

An intense line of thunderstorms or bow echo configuration moved across the Mississippi River and struck the city of Natchez. Strong outflow from the bow echo produced estimated winds of 80 to 100 miles an hour in the city. These strong winds damaged many of the historic buildings and peeled roofs off of many of the buildings. Numerous windows were broken out of buildings and debris was scattered over a three mile wide area. Four people were injured but none of the injuries were serious. Numerous trees were also blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When
February 26, 10:20 AM CST to 10:40 AM CST
Where
Jefferson County, Fayette to Union Church
Property damage
$100,000
Coordinates
31.720, -91.070

Thousands of trees were blown down in eastern Jefferson county. A few buildings were also damaged.

Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin

When
February 26, 10:30 AM CST
Where
Franklin County, Little Spgs
Property damage
$50,000
Coordinates
31.400, -90.730

The roofs of two houses were blown off. Hundreds of trees were blown down.

Tornado, Claiborne

When
February 26, 10:50 AM CST to 11:10 AM CST
Where
Claiborne County, Port Gibson to 2 mi E of Rocky Spgs
Rating
F1
Path length
13 mi
Path width
1,232 yd
Property damage
$100,000
Coordinates
31.950, -90.980

This tornado formed in the rotating comma head of a bow echo. The tornado moved through a mostly wooded area and blew down hundreds of trees. It took much of the day to remove trees from the Natchez Trace Parkway before traffic could resume. One house had a tree fall on it and a mobile home had the major damage.

Thunderstorm Wind, Copiah

When
February 26, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Copiah County, Crystal Spgs
Property damage
$10,000
Coordinates
31.980, -90.370

Numerous trees were blown down throughout the county.

Thunderstorm Wind, Warren

When
February 26, 11:05 AM CST
Where
Warren County, Bovina
Property damage
$20,000
Coordinates
32.350, -90.730

Extensive damage was done to barns and trees.

Thunderstorm Wind, Warren

When
February 26, 11:06 AM CST
Where
Warren County, Vicksburg
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
32.350, -90.880

A number of trees were blown down in Vicksburg.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lincoln

When
February 26, 11:12 AM CST
Where
Lincoln County, Brookhaven to 10 mi of Brookhaven
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
31.730, -90.450

Several trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Hinds

When
February 26, 11:15 AM CST
Where
Hinds County, Jackson
Property damage
$10,000
Coordinates
32.330, -90.170

Numerous trees were blown down throughout the county.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lawrence

When
February 26, 11:25 AM CST
Where
Lawrence County, Sontag
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
31.650, -90.200

Several trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Madison

When
February 26, 11:30 AM CST
Where
Madison County, Gluckstadt
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
32.520, -90.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Rankin

When
February 26, 11:30 AM CST
Where
Rankin County, Richland
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
32.250, -90.170

Several trees and power lines were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Simpson

When
February 26, 11:35 AM CST
Where
Simpson County, Mendenhall
Property damage
$5,000
Coordinates
31.950, -89.880

Many trees were blown down.

Hail, Smith

When
February 26, 11:50 AM CST
Where
Smith County, Polkville
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.180, -89.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Simpson

When
February 26, 11:55 AM CST
Where
Simpson County, Magee
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
31.870, -89.730

Several trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Simpson

When
February 26, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Simpson County, Mendenhall
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
31.950, -89.880

Several trees were blown down.

Hail, Smith

When
February 26, 12:20 PM CST
Where
Smith County, Raleigh
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.030, -89.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Newton

When
February 26, 12:30 PM CST
Where
Newton County, Conehatta
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
32.450, -89.280

Several trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Neshoba

When
February 26, 12:40 PM CST
Where
Neshoba County, Philadelphia
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
32.770, -89.120

Trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lauderdale

When
February 26, 1:15 PM CST
Where
Lauderdale County, 5 mi SW of Meridian
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
32.320, -88.780

Several trees were blown down.

Hail, Clarke

When
February 26, 1:30 PM CST
Where
Clarke County, Stonewall
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
32.130, -88.800

Thunderstorm Wind, Clarke

When
February 26, 1:30 PM CST
Where
Clarke County, Stonewall
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
32.130, -88.800

Trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Newton

When
February 26, 1:40 PM CST
Where
Newton County, Newton
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
32.320, -89.170

Several trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Newton

When
February 26, 1:40 PM CST
Where
Newton County, Newton
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
32.320, -89.170

Trees were blown down.

Hail, Marion

When
February 26, 2:45 PM CST
Where
Marion County, 7 mi E of Columbia
Measured
0.88 in hail
Coordinates
31.250, -89.720

Hail, Jones

When
February 26, 2:52 PM CST
Where
Jones County, Ellisville
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.600, -89.200

Tornado, Jones

When
February 26, 2:53 PM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where
Jones County, Ellisville to 7 mi SW of Laurel
Rating
F1
Path length
5.5 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
31.600, -89.320

This tornado moved through a sparsely populated area but did extensive damage to trees.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lamar

When
February 26, 3:10 PM CST
Where
Lamar County, Oak Grove
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
31.280, -89.420

Trees were blown down.

Hail, Clarke

When
February 26, 3:35 PM CST
Where
Clarke County, Basic City
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
32.220, -88.770

Hail, Forrest

When
February 26, 3:40 PM CST
Where
Forrest County, Hattiesburg
Measured
0.88 in hail
Coordinates
31.320, -89.320

Thunderstorm Wind, Jones

When
February 26, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Jones County, 3 mi E of Eastabuchie
Property damage
$20,000
Coordinates
31.430, -89.230

Two chicken houses were destroyed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lamar

When
February 26, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Lamar County, Lumberton
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
31.000, -89.450

Several trees were blown down.

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 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Mississippi, 1998Warnings in Mississippi, February 1998

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: 5634782, 5634783, 5634784, 5634785, 5634792, 5634791, 5634786, 5634787, 5634793, 5634795, 5634788, 5634789, 5634794, 5634796, 5634900, 5634902, 5634790, 5634901, 5634908, 5634906, 5634904, 5634905, 5634903, 5634907, 5634909, 5634913, 5634911, 5634910, 5634915, 5634916, 5634912, 5634914.