Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi

Tornadoes in Lauderdale County, Mississippi

66 tornadoes have crossed Lauderdale County since 1950, 15th of the 82 counties in Mississippi with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.2 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 100. 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
66
Deaths
3
Injuries
100
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, March 12, 1986

The deadliest in Lauderdale County

  1. F3, Lauderdale County, MississippiMarch 10, 19923 killed, 57 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Lauderdale and Kemper counties, MississippiMarch 12, 1986F4, 23.0 mi (37 km)
  2. F3, Lauderdale County, MississippiMarch 10, 1992F3, 20.0 mi (32 km)
  3. EF2, Jasper, Clarke and Lauderdale counties, MississippiFebruary 5, 2020EF2, 59.9 mi (96 km)
  4. EF2, Jasper, Clarke and Lauderdale counties, MississippiApril 13, 2022EF2, 43.1 mi (69 km)
  5. EF2, Jasper, Newton and Lauderdale counties, MississippiDecember 14, 2022EF2, 25.0 mi (40 km)
  6. EF2, Jasper, Newton and Lauderdale counties, MississippiApril 24, 2010EF2, 22.9 mi (37 km)
  7. EF2, Lauderdale and Kemper counties, MississippiFebruary 2, 2016EF2, 21.2 mi (34 km)
  8. F2, Lauderdale and Clarke counties, MississippiMarch 12, 1986F2, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  9. F2, Lauderdale County, MississippiDecember 16, 2000F2, 12.0 mi (19 km)
  10. EF2, Lauderdale County, MississippiApril 14, 2018EF2, 8.5 mi (14 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 32 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Lauderdale County. Each year links to every tornado in Mississippi that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20254EF2
20242EF1
20228EF2
20212EF1
20202EF2
201822EF2
201721EF2
20161EF2
20153EF1
20141EF1
20122EF1
20111EF0
20102EF2
20092EF1
20053F1
20042F1
20032F0
20021F0
20011F0
2000117F2
19951F0
19941F0
19926359F3
19912F0
19902F0
19891F1
1988110F1
198628F4
19821F1
19792F1
197323F2
19501F1

Every tornado that crossed Lauderdale County

66 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 26, 20254:05 PM CDTEF1Clarke8.7200
April 6, 20256:54 AM CDTEF2Lauderdale to AL5.3800$600,000
March 15, 20254:33 PM CDTEF1Clarke13.3400
February 15, 202511:31 PM CSTEF1Newton16.7720$325,000
December 28, 20249:01 PM CSTEF1Lauderdale9.0630$500,000
December 28, 20249:01 PM CSTEF1Lauderdale9.9700$15,000
December 14, 20221:57 PM CSTEF1Lauderdale8.1300$40,000
December 14, 202212:08 PM CSTEF2Jasper25.0600$311,000
April 13, 20228:36 PM CDTEF2Jasper43.11,800$740,000
April 5, 20228:18 AM CDTEF0Lauderdale2.525$30,000
March 30, 20228:31 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale3.9250$75,000
March 30, 20228:24 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale6.8200$50,000
March 30, 20228:06 PM CDTEF1Clarke3.750$152,000
March 22, 20224:04 PM CDTEF0Lauderdale1.525$5,000
May 4, 20214:08 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale3.5450$55,000
May 4, 20213:43 PM CDTEF1Newton5.5400$25,000
April 12, 20205:47 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale2.9300$50,000
February 5, 202010:51 PM CSTEF2Jasper59.91,320$3.9 million
April 14, 201810:43 AM CDTEF2Lauderdale8.57802$500,000
February 7, 20184:15 AM CSTEF1Lauderdale7.9300$200,000
January 21, 201710:44 PM CSTEF2Lauderdale7.35501$175,000
January 2, 20173:28 PM CSTEF0Lauderdale1.575$20,000
February 2, 20163:19 PM CSTEF2Lauderdale21.2880$1.5 million
January 3, 20154:31 PM CSTEF1Lauderdale2.650$20,000
January 3, 20153:48 PM CSTEF1Lauderdale3.650$47,000
January 3, 20153:24 PM CSTEF1Newton9.9100$30,000
April 28, 20148:35 PM CDTEF1Newton13.1100$275,000
December 25, 20124:35 PM CSTEF0Lauderdale2.350$55,000
August 30, 201210:18 AM CDTEF1Lauderdale1.4100$70,000
April 27, 20115:45 PM CDTEF0Lauderdale11.5100$100,000
April 24, 20107:32 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale4.3100$450,000
April 24, 20109:22 AM CDTEF2Jasper22.91,056$1.3 million
March 25, 200910:59 AM CDTEF1Lauderdale5.4200$100,000
January 10, 20093:33 PM CSTEF0Lauderdale1.930
September 25, 20054:21 PM CDTF1Lauderdale1.8150$250,000
August 29, 200512:22 PM CDTF1Lauderdale3.050$60,000
August 29, 200512:14 PM CDTF1Lauderdale3.075$30,000
November 24, 20042:41 AM CSTF1Lauderdale12.0300$150,000
February 5, 20044:15 PM CSTF1Lauderdale1.5100$80,000
November 18, 200310:15 AM CSTF0Lauderdale0.250$1,000
April 6, 20033:00 PM CDTF0Newton12.5200$800,000
December 19, 20022:20 PM CSTF0Lauderdale3.0150$30,000
October 13, 20013:40 PM CDTF0Lauderdale0.325$3,000
December 16, 200011:30 AM CSTF2Lauderdale12.044017$2.1 million
May 18, 19959:23 PM CDTF0Lauderdale0.530
July 13, 199412:21 PM CDTF0Lauderdale1.040$5,000 to $50,000
November 22, 19923:20 AM CSTF0Lauderdale2.0100$500 to $5,000
August 27, 19923:40 AM CDTF0Lauderdale1.0100$50 to $500
August 27, 19923:01 AM CDTF0Lauderdale1.050$50 to $500
August 27, 19922:40 AM CDTF0Lauderdale1.0100$50 to $500
August 26, 19926:35 PM CDTF0Lauderdale2.01502$50,000 to $500,000
March 10, 199212:57 AM CSTF3Lauderdale20.01,760357$500,000 to $5 million
December 2, 19915:53 PM CSTF0Lauderdale5.080$500 to $5,000
March 28, 19915:35 PM CSTF0Lauderdale1.030
February 15, 19901:50 PM CSTF0Lauderdale0.520
February 15, 199012:52 PM CSTF0Lauderdale8.020
June 8, 19895:00 PM CDTF1Lauderdale0.550$5,000 to $50,000
January 19, 19883:20 PM CSTF1Lauderdale1.03010$5,000 to $50,000
March 12, 19861:06 PM CSTF4Lauderdale23.04408$500,000 to $5 million
March 12, 198612:50 PM CSTF2Lauderdale14.0120$50,000 to $500,000
January 23, 19822:58 AM CSTF1Lauderdale0.3100$50,000 to $500,000
September 20, 19792:00 PM CDTF0Lauderdale0.350$500 to $5,000
April 2, 19799:20 AM CSTF1Lauderdale0.383$500,000 to $5 million
May 27, 19736:30 PM CDTF2Lauderdale0.110$50,000 to $500,000
May 27, 19734:20 PM CDTF2Lauderdale0.1103$50,000 to $500,000
March 1, 19502:30 AM GMT-6F1Lauderdale0.110

Nearby

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