Mississippi, 1999

Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Mississippi, January 22, 1999

January 22, 1999 · NWS MEG · 27 events in 15 counties and zones

13 hail, 6 thunderstorm wind, 5 tornado, 2 flash flood, 1 flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
$185,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
27

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 Memphis radar (KNQA), 44 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:08 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

13 hail, 6 thunderstorm wind, 5 tornado, 2 flash flood, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, De Soto

When
January 22, 5:10 AM CST to 5:20 AM CST
Where
De Soto County, Horn Lake
Rating
F0
Path length
2 mi
Path width
25 yd
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
34.970, -90.030

A tornado touched down in Horn Lake. Five homes suffered serious structural damage while 100 other homes had lesser damage.

Hail, Tallahatchie

When
January 22, 8:15 AM CST to 8:20 AM CST
Where
Tallahatchie County, Enid
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$10
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.120, -89.950

Hail, Panola

When
January 22, 8:22 AM CST to 8:30 AM CST
Where
Panola County, Pope
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$10
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.220, -89.950

Hail, Yalobusha

When
January 22, 8:25 AM CST to 8:30 AM CST
Where
Yalobusha County, Oakland
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$10
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.050, -89.920

Thunderstorm Wind, Lafayette

When
January 22, 9:00 AM CST to 9:05 AM CST
Where
Lafayette County, Oxford
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
34.370, -89.520

A few trees were knocked down near the campus of the University of Mississippi.

Hail, Lafayette

When
January 22, 9:05 AM CST to 9:10 AM CST
Where
Lafayette County, Splinter
Measured
1.75 in hail
Property damage
$750
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.280, -89.680

Hail, Lee

When
January 22, 12:30 PM CST to 12:35 PM CST
Where
Lee County, Tupelo Arpt
Measured
0.88 in hail
Property damage
$60
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
34.270, -88.770

Hail ranged in size from dimes to nickles.

Tornado, Alcorn

When
January 22, 12:35 PM CST to 12:50 PM CST
Where
Alcorn County, Corinth
Rating
F1
Path length
5 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$75,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.930, -88.520

The tornado started on the south side of Corinth and moved northeast. Thirty-one business and several homes were damaged. A metal building was heavily damaged. Some large trees were knocked down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Prentiss

When
January 22, 1:15 PM CST to 1:20 PM CST
Where
Prentiss County, 3 mi NE of Hazeldell
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE
Coordinates
34.520, -88.370

Several trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Tishomingo

When
January 22, 1:20 PM CST to 1:25 PM CST
Where
Tishomingo County, 6 mi W of Belmont
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE
Coordinates
34.500, -88.320

At least five trees were knocked down.

Hail, Calhoun

When
January 22, 1:55 PM CST to 2:00 PM CST
Where
Calhoun County, Pittsboro
Measured
1.75 in hail
Property damage
$750
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
33.930, -89.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Monroe

When
January 22, 2:10 PM CST to 2:15 PM CST
Where
Monroe County, Quincy
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
33.920, -88.370

Several homes suffered roof damage. A few trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Prentiss

When
January 22, 3:15 PM CST to 3:20 PM CST
Where
Prentiss County, New Site
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.570, -88.420

Several trees were blown down.

Tornado, Prentiss

When
January 22, 3:15 PM CST to 3:20 PM CST
Where
Prentiss County, Booneville
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
34.650, -88.550

A tornado touched down near Booneville. Several trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Tishomingo

When
January 22, 3:45 PM CST to 3:50 PM CST
Where
Tishomingo County, 3 mi S of Tishomingo
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.580, -88.230

Several barns had their doors blown off. A few trees were also knocked down.

Flood, Alcorn

When
January 22, 4:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Alcorn County, Corinth
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
34.881, -88.580 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several streets were closed by flooding due to heavy rainfall.

Hail, Chickasaw

When
January 22, 4:20 PM CST to 4:25 PM CST
Where
Chickasaw County, Thorn
Measured
0.88 in hail
Property damage
$50
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
33.950, -89.100

Hail, Pontotoc

When
January 22, 4:37 PM CST to 4:45 PM CST
Where
Pontotoc County, Troy
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$10
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
34.120, -88.900

Hail, Lee

When
January 22, 4:45 PM CST to 4:50 PM CST
Where
Lee County, Tupelo
Measured
1.75 in hail
Property damage
$850
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
34.270, -88.720

Hail ranged in size from quarter to golfball.

Hail, Lee

When
January 22, 5:10 PM CST to 5:15 PM CST
Where
Lee County, Baldwyn
Measured
1 in hail
Property damage
$100
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
34.500, -88.630

Tornado, Lee

When
January 22, 5:10 PM CST to 5:15 PM CST
Where
Lee County, Baldwyn
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
10 yd
Property damage
$100
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
34.500, -88.630

A tornado briefly touched down near Baldwyn producing little damage.

Hail, Prentiss

When
January 22, 5:20 PM CST to 5:25 PM CST
Where
Prentiss County, Wheeler
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$10
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.580, -88.600

Tornado, Prentiss

When
January 22, 5:20 PM CST to 5:25 PM CST
Where
Prentiss County, Wheeler
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
10 yd
Property damage
$100
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
34.580, -88.600

A tornado briefly touched down near Wheeler producing little damage.

Hail, Itawamba

When
January 22, 5:22 PM CST to 5:30 PM CST
Where
Itawamba County, Dorsey
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$10
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
34.250, -88.350

Hail, Tishomingo

When
January 22, 5:50 PM CST to 5:55 PM CST
Where
Tishomingo County, Iuka
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$10
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.830, -88.170

Flash Flood, Tishomingo

When
January 22, 8:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Tishomingo County, Countywide
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
34.740, -88.239 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A number of roads were washed out across the county. One man was killed when he tried to cross a flooded road in his vehicle.

Flash Flood, Benton

When
January 22, 8:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Benton County, Ashland
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
34.817, -89.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One section of a road was washed out due to the flash flooding.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Flash Flood, Tishomingo1999-01-2227MaleVehicle/Towed TrailerDirect

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.
Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Mississippi in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Mississippi, 1999Warnings in Mississippi, January 1999

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: 5685988, 5685855, 5685856, 5685857, 5685990, 5685858, 5685859, 5685860, 5685987, 5685861, 5685862, 5685863, 5685864, 5685984, 5685865, 5685989, 5685866, 5685867, 5685868, 5685869, 5685985, 5685870, 5685986, 5685871, 5685872, 5685991, 5685992.