Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi

Tornadoes in Bolivar County, Mississippi

57 tornadoes have crossed Bolivar County since 1950, 24th of the 82 counties in Mississippi with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.3 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 162. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
57
Deaths
2
Injuries
162
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, November 24, 2001

The deadliest in Bolivar County

  1. EF3, Coahoma, Bolivar, Quitman and Panola counties, MississippiDecember 23, 20152 killed, 28 injured

The strongest

  1. F4 Winterville–Mount Bayou tornado, MississippiNovember 24, 2001F4, 30.3 mi (49 km)
  2. EF3, Coahoma, Bolivar, Quitman and Panola counties, MississippiDecember 23, 2015EF3, 61.6 mi (99 km)
  3. EF2, Chicot, Desha and Bolivar counties, Arkansas and MississippiDecember 21, 2013EF2, 40.8 mi (66 km)
  4. F2, Washington and Bolivar counties, MississippiFebruary 24, 2001F2, 37.0 mi (60 km)
  5. EF2, Bolivar County, MississippiJanuary 11, 2020EF2, 23.4 mi (38 km)
  6. F2, Bolivar County, MississippiSeptember 24, 2005F2, 12.0 mi (19 km)
  7. F2, Bolivar County, MississippiApril 15, 1972F2, 8.8 mi (14 km)
  8. F2, Bolivar County, MississippiOctober 17, 1980F2, 8.2 mi (13 km)
  9. F2, Bolivar County, MississippiMarch 20, 1976F2, 4.3 mi (7 km)
  10. EF2, Bolivar County, MississippiJanuary 22, 2012EF2, 3.4 mi (5 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 29 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Bolivar County. Each year links to every tornado in Mississippi that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251Unrated
202221EF1
20212EF2
202034EF2
20161EF0
20151228EF3
201332EF2
201221EF2
20111EF1
20091EF0
20083EF1
20055F2
20031F0
2001548F4
19994F1
19981F1
19886F1
19862F0
198215F1
19801F2
197611F2
19751F1
19742F2
1972162F2
19711F0
19701F1
19672F2
19641F1
1961110F1

Every tornado that crossed Bolivar County

57 tornadoes, newest first. 1 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files it under that state rather than Mississippi.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 3, 20257:15 PM CDTUnratedBolivar0.020
March 30, 20223:31 PM CDTEF1Bolivar1.0751$110,000
March 30, 20223:19 PM CDTEF1Bolivar7.9450$60,000
March 27, 202111:46 PM CDTEF2Bolivar2.950$250,000
March 27, 202111:26 PM CDTEF0Bolivar0.435$50,000
January 11, 20204:07 AM CSTEF1Bolivar2.5270$50,000
January 11, 20204:02 AM CSTEF1Bolivar4.2880$350,000
January 11, 20203:48 AM CSTEF2Bolivar23.41,8004$3.0 million
March 13, 201610:13 PM CDTEF0Bolivar0.550$40,000
December 23, 20152:54 PM CSTEF3Coahoma61.6800228$2.4 million
December 21, 20134:51 PM CSTEF2Chicot to MS40.84402$800,000
January 29, 201311:10 PM CSTEF1Bolivar5.5150$175,000
January 29, 20136:48 PM CSTEF0Bolivar0.550$5,000
October 17, 20129:07 PM CDTEF2Bolivar1.3150$200,000
January 22, 201210:34 PM CSTEF2Bolivar3.43321$700,000
September 25, 20118:04 PM CDTEF1Bolivar10.2800$2.7 million
October 9, 200911:43 AM CDTEF0Bolivar2.475$45,000
May 2, 20088:07 PM CDTEF1Bolivar9.7200$20,000
May 2, 20087:32 PM CDTEF0Washington3.050
February 5, 20084:45 PM CSTEF0Bolivar3.450$70,000
September 24, 200512:40 AM CDTF0Bolivar1.050$10,000
September 24, 20055:37 PM CDTF2Bolivar12.0200$800,000
September 24, 20055:03 PM CDTF1Bolivar9.0200$400,000
September 24, 20054:35 PM CDTF0Bolivar1.050$30,000
September 24, 20053:13 PM CDTF0Bolivar3.5100
June 2, 20034:50 PM CDTF0Bolivar0.350$150,000
November 24, 20011:55 AM CSTF4Winterville–Mount Bayou tornado30.388048$4.1 million
May 28, 200112:30 PM CDTF0Bolivar1.0100$30,000
May 28, 200111:55 AM CDTF0Bolivar1.0100$2,000
May 28, 200111:08 AM CDTF0Bolivar3.0100
February 24, 20016:35 PM CSTF2Washington37.0440$1.5 million
January 21, 199911:15 PM CSTF0Sunflower15.0100
January 21, 19999:34 PM CSTF0Sunflower15.550
January 21, 19993:16 PM CSTF1Bolivar2.00$30,000
January 21, 19993:10 PM CSTF1Bolivar2.0100$30,000
April 16, 19984:47 PM CDTF1Bolivar4.0100$30,000
December 22, 19889:45 PM CSTF1Bolivar0.840$50,000 to $500,000
November 26, 19889:20 AM CSTF1Bolivar0.223$500 to $5,000
November 19, 19886:10 PM CSTF1Bolivar0.450$500 to $5,000
November 19, 19886:00 PM CSTF1Bolivar0.340$500 to $5,000
September 24, 19889:05 PM CDTF0Bolivar0.550
January 19, 198810:00 AM CSTF1Bolivar11.033$5,000 to $50,000
November 8, 19864:15 PM CSTF0Bolivar0.230
March 12, 19861:30 AM CSTF0Bolivar0.430$5,000 to $50,000
September 12, 19827:40 AM CDTF1Bolivar1.01335$500,000 to $5 million
October 17, 19802:45 PM CDTF2Bolivar8.2400$50,000 to $500,000
March 20, 19766:35 PM CSTF2Bolivar4.34401$50,000 to $500,000
March 12, 19759:00 AM CDTF1Bolivar0.260$500 to $5,000
June 15, 197410:40 PM CDTF2Bolivar0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 1, 19744:10 PM CDTF2Bolivar0.110$50,000 to $500,000
April 15, 19728:15 PM CSTF2Bolivar8.81062$50,000 to $500,000
February 4, 19713:50 PM CSTF0Bolivar0.110
March 3, 197012:30 PM CSTF1Bolivar1.017$50 to $500
May 1, 19672:45 PM GMT-5F2Bolivar1.0200$5,000 to $50,000
April 13, 19675:00 PM GMT-6F1Bolivar0.110$5,000 to $50,000
July 8, 19648:04 PM GMT-5F1Bolivar1.5440$5,000 to $50,000
March 7, 19615:30 PM GMT-6F1Bolivar16.230010$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Bolivar CountyThe forecast for Bolivar CountyThe live radar over Bolivar CountyEvery county in Mississippi

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.