Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi

Tornadoes in Covington County, Mississippi

57 tornadoes have crossed Covington County since 1950, 5 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 22nd of the 82 counties in Mississippi with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.3 years. They have killed 9 people and injured 295. 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
9
Injuries
295
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
EF4, April 12, 2020

The deadliest in Covington County

  1. EF4 Bassfield–Soso tornado, MississippiApril 12, 20207 killed, 98 injured
  2. F3, Covington, Jones and Jasper counties, MississippiApril 14, 19991 killed, 33 injured
  3. EF2, Marion, Jefferson Davis and Covington counties, MississippiMarch 15, 20251 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4 Bassfield–Soso tornado, MississippiApril 12, 2020EF4, 67.4 mi (108 km)
  2. EF3, Lawrence, Jefferson Davis, Covington and Jones counties, MississippiApril 12, 2020EF3, 83.2 mi (134 km)
  3. F3, Covington, Smith and Jasper counties, MississippiApril 6, 2005F3, 28.0 mi (45 km)
  4. F3, Jefferson Davis and Covington counties, MississippiNovember 21, 1992F3, 27.0 mi (43 km)
  5. F3, Covington, Jones and Jasper counties, MississippiApril 14, 1999F3, 25.5 mi (41 km)
  6. F3, Jefferson Davis and Covington counties, MississippiDecember 15, 1971F3, 15.9 mi (26 km)
  7. F3, Covington County, MississippiNovember 11, 1995F3, 7.0 mi (11 km)
  8. EF3, Lamar and Covington counties, MississippiDecember 16, 2019EF3, 5.8 mi (9 km)
  9. F2, Lamar, Covington and Jones counties, MississippiFebruary 20, 1954F2, 37.1 mi (60 km)
  10. EF2, Marion, Jefferson Davis and Covington counties, MississippiMarch 15, 2025EF2, 18.2 mi (29 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 30 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Covington County. Each year links to every tornado in Mississippi that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20265EF1
20254112EF2
20222EF2
20211EF0
202047100EF4
201922EF3
201832EF1
20171EF2
20154EF1
201418EF2
20131EF0
20112EF1
20092EF1
20082EF1
20072EF1
20061F0
20053F3
20042F1
20031F0
19991133F3
199512F3
19932F0
19922105F3
19861F1
198112F2
197218F2
19711F3
1969211F2
1954110F2
19521F1

Every tornado that crossed Covington County

57 tornadoes, newest first. The 5 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
February 15, 20261:11 AM CSTEF1Covington0.675
February 15, 20261:24 AM CSTEF0Covington0.325
March 11, 20268:46 PM CDTEF1Jefferson Davis12.0700
March 11, 20269:10 PM CDTEF1Covington1.1400
May 6, 20269:10 PM CDTEF1Covington1.9300
March 15, 20253:27 PM CDTEF1Covington6.8580
March 15, 20253:03 PM CDTEF2Marion18.21,16011
March 15, 20252:11 PM CDTEF2Jefferson Davis12.6600
March 15, 20251:54 PM CDTEF2Covington16.175011
April 5, 20227:22 AM CDTEF1Covington16.5440$81,000
April 5, 20227:09 AM CDTEF2Jefferson Davis14.8400$150,000
March 30, 20216:04 PM CDTEF0Covington3.5150$5,000
December 24, 20201:02 AM CSTEF1Covington3.3100$18,000
April 12, 20204:36 PM CDTEF3Lawrence83.22,0412$18 million
April 12, 20204:12 PM CDTEF4Bassfield–Soso tornado67.43,960798$62 million
March 4, 20204:39 AM CSTEF0Jefferson Davis9.3400$26,000
December 16, 20195:17 PM CSTEF3Lamar5.8560$510,000
April 13, 20199:39 PM CDTEF1Covington4.12502$120,000
April 6, 201811:33 PM CDTEF1Covington1.7125$30,000
April 6, 201811:18 PM CDTEF1Jefferson Davis2.9440$60,000
January 22, 20189:16 AM CSTEF1Covington7.32502$45,000
January 2, 20172:21 PM CSTEF2Covington4.2300$100,000
December 28, 20155:43 AM CSTEF1Covington5.6100$100,000
August 17, 20154:14 PM CDTEF0Covington2.8100$15,000
January 3, 20152:39 PM CSTEF1Covington1.0100$40,000
January 3, 20152:36 PM CSTEF1Covington1.950$20,000
April 7, 20142:02 AM CDTEF2Covington16.56008$12 million
February 21, 201311:00 PM CSTEF0Covington0.775$15,000
September 4, 20118:05 PM CDTEF1Covington3.950$25,000
April 26, 20116:41 AM CDTEF1Covington0.350$45,000
May 3, 200911:12 AM CDTEF1Covington20.1400$145,000
May 3, 200911:07 AM CDTEF1Jefferson Davis8.4400$262,000
September 2, 20082:48 PM CDTEF1Covington5.075$425,000
February 12, 20081:53 PM CSTEF1Covington1.5100$200,000
December 20, 200710:18 AM CSTEF1Covington0.4100$80,000
December 20, 200710:10 AM CSTEF1Covington7.2500$700,000
March 20, 200612:32 PM CSTF0Covington4.050
April 30, 20053:30 AM CDTF0Covington3.050$50,000
April 6, 20055:53 PM CDTF0Covington0.550$10,000
April 6, 200510:10 AM CDTF3Covington28.0600$8.0 million
May 1, 20044:02 PM CDTF1Covington0.775$30,000
May 1, 20043:43 PM CDTF1Jefferson Davis9.0300$30,000
November 27, 20034:40 AM CSTF0Covington4.5100$2,000
April 14, 199910:52 PM CDTF3Covington25.5880133$6.8 million
November 11, 19954:55 AM CSTF3Covington7.04002$50,000 to $500,000
December 4, 19938:30 AM CSTF0Covington3.073$5,000 to $50,000
March 30, 19933:30 PM CSTF0Covington0.540$50 to $500
November 21, 199211:23 PM CSTF3Jefferson Davis27.0880105$500,000 to $5 million
April 20, 19928:30 AM CDTF1Covington2.0150$50,000 to $500,000
September 5, 19865:15 PM CDTF1Covington1.050$50,000 to $500,000
March 31, 19818:10 PM CSTF2Covington8.21002$50,000 to $500,000
April 21, 197211:30 PM CSTF2Covington11.7908$50,000 to $500,000
December 15, 19716:15 AM CSTF3Jefferson Davis15.9150$5,000 to $50,000
April 13, 19693:25 PM GMT-6F1Covington0.110
April 13, 19693:00 PM GMT-6F2Covington8.025011$50,000 to $500,000
February 20, 195412:35 AM GMT-6F2Lamar37.120010$50,000 to $500,000
July 29, 19525:00 PM GMT-5F1Covington0.110$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Covington CountyThe forecast for Covington CountyThe live radar over Covington 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.