Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi

Tornadoes in Madison County, Mississippi

78 tornadoes have crossed Madison County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 8th of the 82 counties in Mississippi with a tornado on record, an average of 1.0 a year. They have killed 14 people and injured 258. 2 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
78
Deaths
14
Injuries
258
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, March 29, 1976

The deadliest in Madison County

  1. F3, Copiah, Hinds, Rankin and Madison counties, MississippiFebruary 26, 19588 killed, 26 injured
  2. F4, Madison County, MississippiMarch 29, 19763 killed, 177 injured
  3. F4 Madison–Canton tornado, MississippiNovember 24, 20012 killed, 21 injured
  4. F1, Madison County, MississippiFebruary 9, 19901 killed, 4 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Madison County, MississippiMarch 29, 1976F4, 22.3 mi (36 km)
  2. F4 Madison–Canton tornado, MississippiNovember 24, 2001F4, 11.5 mi (19 km)
  3. F3, Warren, Madison, Leake and Attala counties, MississippiDecember 2, 1967F3, 82.3 mi (132 km)
  4. F3, Copiah, Hinds, Rankin and Madison counties, MississippiFebruary 26, 1958F3, 69.7 mi (112 km)
  5. F3, Madison County, MississippiNovember 11, 1995F3, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  6. F3, Madison County, MississippiDecember 21, 1990F3, 11.0 mi (18 km)
  7. F2, Yazoo and Madison counties, MississippiNovember 16, 1987F2, 21.0 mi (34 km)
  8. F2, Yazoo and Madison counties, MississippiOctober 17, 1980F2, 17.2 mi (28 km)
  9. F2, Hinds and Madison counties, MississippiJanuary 10, 1975F2, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  10. EF2, Hinds, Rankin and Madison counties, MississippiApril 4, 2008EF2, 13.0 mi (21 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 40 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Madison County. Each year links to every tornado in Mississippi that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF0
20243EF1
20233EF1
20228EF2
20212EF1
20201EF0
20191EF1
20183EF1
20173EF1
20151EF1
20142EF1
20111EF1
20101EF0
20094EF1
2008320EF2
20052F0
20041F0
20033F0
20021F1
20012221F4
19973F0
199522F3
1990214F3
19892F1
19881F1
19871F2
198312F2
198111F2
19802F2
19772F2
197653177F4
197511F2
196713F3
19661F1
19621F2
19601F0
19582826F3
19571F2
19541F1
195211F0

Every tornado that crossed Madison County

78 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
January 9, 20266:29 AM CSTEF0Madison4.675
December 28, 20246:25 PM CSTEF1Hinds23.6570$105,000
April 10, 20244:35 AM CDTEF0Madison0.7150$25,000
March 25, 20249:08 PM CDTEF1Hinds8.8880$60,000
November 20, 20236:01 PM CSTEF1Madison2.3350$60,000
June 18, 20237:57 PM CDTEF1Madison1.4300$500,000
June 18, 20237:38 PM CDTEF0Madison1.6250$15,000
December 14, 20226:02 AM CSTEF1Madison9.01,000$51,000
March 30, 20224:56 PM CDTEF1Madison5.3350$20,000
March 22, 202212:59 PM CDTEF1Madison6.4200$50,000
March 22, 202212:42 PM CDTEF1Madison5.0250$75,000
March 22, 202212:30 PM CDTEF1Yazoo5.5600$10,000
March 22, 202212:29 PM CDTEF1Madison2.6350$75,000
March 22, 202212:20 PM CDTEF1Hinds9.1800$70,000
March 22, 202212:13 PM CDTEF2Hinds8.6880$2,000
May 4, 20212:24 PM CDTEF1Hinds30.7880$855,000
May 2, 20217:41 PM CDTEF1Madison3.4250$8,000
December 23, 202010:40 PM CSTEF0Madison0.950$5,000
December 29, 20193:35 PM CSTEF1Leake7.3400$29,000
November 1, 20183:33 AM CDTEF1Madison1.3300$15,000
August 17, 20185:03 PM CDTEF1Madison1.7250$500,000
March 11, 20181:49 AM CSTEF0Madison6.1150$35,000
April 30, 20178:51 AM CDTEF1Yazoo5.01,500$20,000
April 30, 20178:50 AM CDTEF1Madison6.0400$40,000
April 30, 20178:22 AM CDTEF1Hinds20.3880$300,000
April 25, 20151:58 AM CDTEF1Madison1.775$20,000
April 28, 20146:13 PM CDTEF0Madison0.875$50,000
April 28, 20146:00 PM CDTEF1Madison3.8200$450,000
April 15, 201111:22 AM CDTEF1Rankin7.4200$6,000
January 20, 20106:01 PM CSTEF0Madison1.040$40,000
May 3, 20097:00 AM CDTEF0Leake4.3100$8,000
March 25, 200912:20 AM CDTEF0Madison0.9125$55,000
March 25, 200912:17 AM CDTEF1Madison4.9250$300,000
March 25, 200912:00 AM CDTEF1Hinds12.3500$70,000
April 18, 20084:52 PM CDTEF1Leake6.0150$100,000
April 18, 20084:50 PM CDTEF1Madison8.275$350,000
April 4, 200812:28 PM CDTEF2Hinds13.090020$46 million
September 25, 20052:05 PM CDTF0Madison3.075
April 6, 20057:36 AM CDTF0Madison2.530$1,000
November 24, 200412:35 AM CSTF0Madison6.040$2,000
May 6, 20037:52 PM CDTF0Madison1.030$30,000
April 6, 20037:15 PM CDTF0Madison0.325$30,000
April 6, 200312:58 PM CDTF0Madison0.325$30,000
November 10, 20028:34 PM CSTF1Madison2.050$10,000
December 13, 20016:30 PM CSTF0Madison0.225$1,000
November 24, 20015:25 AM CSTF4Madison–Canton tornado11.5880221$12 million
May 27, 199711:10 PM CDTF0Madison0.530
February 28, 19974:55 PM CSTF0Madison1.040
February 28, 19974:40 PM CSTF0Madison2.040$3,000
November 11, 19953:10 AM CSTF3Madison15.02002$50,000 to $500,000
March 6, 19955:13 PM CSTF0Madison1.0200$500 to $5,000
December 21, 19907:32 PM CSTF3Madison11.0880$500,000 to $5 million
February 9, 199011:50 PM CSTF1Madison1.04014$50,000 to $500,000
March 4, 19897:35 PM CSTF1Madison5.060$5,000 to $50,000
March 4, 19897:05 PM CSTF1Hinds11.070$5,000 to $50,000
December 28, 198812:30 AM CSTF1Madison0.330
November 16, 198711:35 AM CSTF2Yazoo21.073$50,000 to $500,000
May 19, 19834:00 AM CDTF2Madison4.0772$500,000 to $5 million
May 18, 198110:05 PM CDTF2Madison7.13001$50,000 to $500,000
October 17, 19805:08 PM CDTF2Yazoo17.2900$50,000 to $500,000
October 17, 19805:08 PM CDTF2Madison0.5100$5,000 to $50,000
March 3, 19776:00 PM CSTF2Madison4.1440$5,000 to $50,000
January 9, 19778:20 AM CSTF1Madison0.110$500 to $5,000
April 24, 19764:02 PM CSTF1Madison2.0150$500 to $5,000
March 30, 19761:50 PM CSTF1Madison3.0100
March 29, 19762:03 PM CSTF4Madison22.38803177$5 million to $50 million
March 26, 19764:59 PM CSTF1Madison5.4200$500 to $5,000
March 20, 19768:20 PM CSTF1Madison2.0100$5,000 to $50,000
January 10, 19759:55 AM CSTF2Hinds15.0501$50,000 to $500,000
December 2, 19678:30 AM GMT-6F3Warren82.3503$50,000 to $500,000
November 10, 19664:30 AM GMT-6F1Madison0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 10, 19628:45 PM GMT-6F2Madison4.91,000$5,000 to $50,000
May 11, 19602:30 PM GMT-5F0Madison0.110$500 to $5,000
February 26, 19586:50 PM GMT-6F1Madison11.510$5,000 to $50,000
February 26, 19585:30 PM GMT-6F3Copiah69.760826$50,000 to $500,000
February 1, 19577:00 AM GMT-6F2Madison1.0100$500 to $5,000
May 27, 19543:30 PM GMT-5F1Madison0.110$50 to $500
March 21, 19528:30 PM GMT-6F0Madison0.1201$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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