Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi

Tornadoes in Itawamba County, Mississippi

21 tornadoes have crossed Itawamba County since 1950, 73rd of the 82 counties in Mississippi with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.6 years. They have killed 25 people and injured 229. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and above, 1 at the top of the scale.

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
21
Deaths
25
Injuries
229
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
EF5, April 27, 2011

The deadliest in Itawamba County

  1. EF5, Monroe, Itawamba, Marion and Franklin counties, Mississippi and AlabamaApril 27, 201123 killed, 137 injured
  2. EF3, Chickasaw, Monroe and Itawamba counties, MississippiMarch 24, 20232 killed, 55 injured

The strongest

  1. EF5, Monroe, Itawamba, Marion and Franklin counties, Mississippi and AlabamaApril 27, 2011EF5, 37.3 mi (60 km)
  2. EF3, Chickasaw, Monroe and Itawamba counties, MississippiMarch 24, 2023EF3, 36.6 mi (59 km)
  3. EF3, Lee, Itawamba and Prentiss counties, MississippiApril 28, 2014EF3, 31.0 mi (50 km)
  4. F2, Lee and Itawamba counties, MississippiMay 13, 1976F2, 20.2 mi (33 km)
  5. F2, Itawamba County, MississippiApril 28, 1954F2, 3.3 mi (5 km)
  6. F2, Itawamba County, MississippiMarch 29, 1975F2, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  7. EF2, Itawamba County, MississippiMay 8, 2008EF2, 1.4 mi (2 km)
  8. F2, Lee and Itawamba counties, MississippiMay 6, 2003F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 17 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Itawamba County. Each year links to every tornado in Mississippi that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20253EF1
20241EF1
20232255EF3
20211EF0
20181EF1
20171EF1
2014132EF3
2011123137EF5
20092EF0
20081EF2
200312F2
19951F1
19911F1
197611F2
19751F2
19731F1
195412F2

Every tornado that crossed Itawamba County

21 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
February 15, 202510:45 PM CSTEF1Itawamba1.4200$10,000
February 15, 202510:39 PM CSTEF0Itawamba1.075$25,000
February 15, 202510:27 PM CSTEF1Itawamba6.6300$25,000
June 5, 20246:43 PM CDTEF1Itawamba to AL3.4300$10,000
March 24, 202310:38 PM CDTEF3Chickasaw36.61,600255$80 million
March 3, 20239:30 AM CSTEF1Itawamba2.3125$75,000
May 2, 202110:22 PM CDTEF0Lee2.0100$25,000
November 5, 201811:19 PM CSTEF1Itawamba5.1300$500,000
August 31, 20171:23 PM CDTEF1Itawamba2.5150$150,000
April 28, 20142:38 PM CDTEF3Lee31.044032$18 million
April 27, 20113:42 PM CDTEF5Monroe to AL37.31,32023137$14 million
May 2, 20092:22 PM CDTEF0Itawamba1.7100$15,000
May 2, 20092:00 PM CDTEF0Itawamba1.9100$40,000
May 8, 20088:42 AM CDTEF2Itawamba1.4100$150,000
May 6, 200310:30 PM CDTF2Lee1.01002$400,000
May 18, 19955:44 PM CDTF1Lee2.050$5,000 to $50,000
April 13, 199111:55 PM CDTF1Itawamba0.3100$50,000 to $500,000
May 13, 19765:05 PM CDTF2Lee20.21001$5,000 to $50,000
March 29, 19753:30 AM CDTF2Itawamba1.573$5,000 to $50,000
May 27, 197311:34 AM CDTF1Itawamba0.110$500 to $5,000
April 28, 19548:30 PM GMT-5F2Itawamba3.3102$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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