Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi

Tornadoes in Lawrence County, Mississippi

42 tornadoes have crossed Lawrence County since 1950, 7 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 38th of the 82 counties in Mississippi with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.8 years. They have killed 17 people and injured 291. 3 were 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
42
Deaths
17
Injuries
291
F4 and above
3
Worst on record
F4, January 10, 1975

The deadliest in Lawrence County

  1. F4, Pike, Lincoln, Lawrence and Simpson counties, MississippiJanuary 10, 19759 killed, 210 injured
  2. F4, Lawrence and Jefferson Davis counties, MississippiApril 18, 19784 killed, 31 injured
  3. EF4, Walthall, Lawrence, Marion and Jefferson Davis counties, MississippiApril 12, 20204 killed, 3 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Pike, Lincoln, Lawrence and Simpson counties, MississippiJanuary 10, 1975F4, 56.5 mi (91 km)
  2. EF4, Walthall, Lawrence, Marion and Jefferson Davis counties, MississippiApril 12, 2020EF4, 22.1 mi (36 km)
  3. F4, Lawrence and Jefferson Davis counties, MississippiApril 18, 1978F4, 19.1 mi (31 km)
  4. EF3, Lawrence, Jefferson Davis, Covington and Jones counties, MississippiApril 12, 2020EF3, 83.2 mi (134 km)
  5. EF3, Adams and Lawrence counties, MississippiMay 6, 2026EF3, 81.9 mi (132 km)
  6. F3, Lawrence County, MississippiFebruary 27, 1999F3, 17.0 mi (27 km)
  7. F3, Lawrence County, MississippiFebruary 21, 1974F3, 9.8 mi (16 km)
  8. F2, Lawrence and Simpson counties, MississippiNovember 24, 2004F2, 28.0 mi (45 km)
  9. F2, Lincoln and Lawrence counties, MississippiApril 12, 1986F2, 21.8 mi (35 km)
  10. F2, Lawrence and Jefferson Davis counties, MississippiNovember 17, 1968F2, 10.8 mi (17 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 24 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Lawrence County. Each year links to every tornado in Mississippi that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
2026723EF3
20251EF0
20242EF1
20233EF1
20221EF1
2020245EF4
201911EF2
20151EF0
20131EF1
201217EF2
20111EF1
20081EF0
20051F1
20043F2
19993F3
19941F0
199231F1
19862F2
19781431F4
197519210F4
1974113F3
19701F0
19692F2
19681F2

Every tornado that crossed Lawrence County

42 tornadoes, newest first. The 7 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
January 10, 20261:58 AM CSTEF0Lawrence0.760
February 15, 202612:10 AM CSTEF1Lincoln7.0250
February 15, 202612:22 AM CSTEF1Lawrence3.9200
February 15, 202612:27 AM CSTEF0Lawrence2.0200
March 11, 20267:57 PM CDTEF1Lincoln10.51,000
March 11, 20268:04 PM CDTEF1Lincoln6.31,000
May 6, 20266:22 PM CDTEF3Adams81.92,64023
January 5, 20258:18 PM CSTEF0Lawrence6.075$16,000
May 13, 20243:37 AM CDTEF1Lawrence0.8230$100,000
May 13, 20243:32 AM CDTEF1Lawrence0.5280$120,000
November 20, 20236:29 PM CSTEF1Lincoln9.0100$300,000
February 8, 20237:30 PM CSTEF1Lawrence0.250$40,000
February 8, 20237:22 PM CSTEF0Lawrence0.775$30,000
November 29, 20224:23 PM CSTEF1Lawrence2.0200$15,000
April 12, 20204:36 PM CDTEF3Lawrence83.22,0412$18 million
April 12, 20203:38 PM CDTEF4Walthall22.11,93643$2.8 million
December 16, 20194:44 PM CSTEF2Lawrence10.76001$585,000
January 3, 20152:05 PM CSTEF0Lawrence0.150$1,000
February 10, 20133:39 PM CSTEF1Lawrence1.6140$75,000
December 25, 20123:35 PM CSTEF2Lawrence8.44407$200,000
April 4, 20115:48 PM CDTEF1Lincoln17.3600$1.5 million
December 9, 200811:12 PM CSTEF0Lawrence1.350
April 6, 20058:32 AM CDTF1Lawrence3.550$80,000
November 24, 20041:32 AM CSTF1Lawrence7.075$30,000
November 24, 200412:54 AM CSTF2Lawrence28.0200$1.5 million
May 1, 20044:03 PM CDTF1Walthall9.0100$70,000
February 27, 19995:50 PM CSTF0Lawrence1.050$30,000
February 27, 19993:25 PM CSTF3Lawrence17.0440$200,000
January 22, 19995:45 PM CSTF0Lawrence1.00$10,000
January 27, 19945:55 PM CSTF0Lawrence1.050$5,000 to $50,000
August 26, 19929:25 AM CDTF0Lawrence1.5100$500 to $5,000
August 26, 19928:05 AM CDTF0Lawrence1.580$50 to $500
August 26, 19928:00 AM CDTF1Lawrence2.01001$5,000 to $50,000
April 12, 19864:32 AM CSTF1Lawrence5.2100$50,000 to $500,000
April 12, 19864:20 AM CSTF2Lincoln21.8100$500,000 to $5 million
April 18, 197812:30 AM CSTF4Lawrence19.1100431$50,000 to $500,000
January 10, 19758:14 AM CSTF4Pike56.52009210$5 million to $50 million
February 21, 19743:30 PM CDTF3Lawrence9.820013$50,000 to $500,000
September 23, 19702:30 PM CDTF0Lawrence0.110
April 13, 19692:30 PM GMT-6F1Lawrence4.510$5,000 to $50,000
April 13, 19691:50 PM GMT-6F2Lawrence5.6140$5,000 to $50,000
November 17, 19687:45 AM GMT-6F2Lawrence10.810

Nearby

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