Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi

Tornadoes in Marion County, Mississippi

57 tornadoes have crossed Marion County since 1950, 4 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 21st of the 82 counties in Mississippi with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.3 years. They have killed 16 people and injured 91. 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
57
Deaths
16
Injuries
91
F4 and above
3
Worst on record
EF4, March 15, 2025

The deadliest in Marion County

  1. EF4 Tylertown tornado, Louisiana and MississippiMarch 15, 20256 killed, 6 injured
  2. EF4 Hope–Bassfield tornado, MississippiApril 12, 20204 killed, 3 injured
  3. EF3, Marion County, MississippiDecember 23, 20143 killed, 50 injured
  4. EF3, Walthall and Marion counties, MississippiMarch 15, 20251 killed, 2 injured
  5. EF2, Marion, Jefferson Davis and Covington counties, MississippiMarch 15, 20251 killed, 1 injured
  6. EF4 Sandy Hook–Camp Shelby tornado, MississippiApril 19, 20201 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4 Tylertown tornado, Louisiana and MississippiMarch 15, 2025EF4, 67.2 mi (108 km)
  2. EF4 Sandy Hook–Camp Shelby tornado, MississippiApril 19, 2020EF4, 53.8 mi (86 km)
  3. EF4 Hope–Bassfield tornado, MississippiApril 12, 2020EF4, 22.1 mi (36 km)
  4. EF3, Walthall and Marion counties, MississippiMarch 15, 2025EF3, 26.1 mi (42 km)
  5. F3, Marion County, MississippiDecember 10, 1971F3, 19.1 mi (31 km)
  6. EF3, Marion County, MississippiDecember 23, 2014EF3, 12.5 mi (20 km)
  7. F2, Marion and Walthall counties, MississippiNovember 18, 1957F2, 25.3 mi (41 km)
  8. F2, Walthall and Marion counties, MississippiApril 11, 1995F2, 23.0 mi (37 km)
  9. F2, Washington, Walthall and Marion parishes, Louisiana and MississippiNovember 15, 2006F2, 22.2 mi (36 km)
  10. EF2, Marion, Jefferson Davis and Covington counties, MississippiMarch 15, 2025EF2, 18.2 mi (29 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 31 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Marion County. Each year links to every tornado in Mississippi that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20264EF1
2025589EF4
20231EF0
20222EF2
20211EF1
2020454EF4
20192EF2
20161EF1
20152EF1
20142350EF3
201313EF2
201222EF2
20111EF1
20082EF1
20071EF0
200631F2
20051F0
20021F1
200167F1
19951F2
19941F1
19881F1
19871F1
19861F0
19821F2
197135F3
19651F2
196118F2
19592F1
195712F2
19501F2

Every tornado that crossed Marion County

57 tornadoes, newest first. 2 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Mississippi. The 4 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 9, 20266:33 AM CSTEF1Walthall3.0125
March 11, 20268:43 PM CDTEF0Marion1.175
May 6, 202610:42 PM CDTEF1Walthall13.3150
May 6, 202611:06 PM CDTEF1Marion3.350
March 31, 20256:30 AM CDTEF2Marion7.3300$2.3 million
March 15, 20253:03 PM CDTEF2Marion18.21,16011
March 15, 20251:24 PM CDTEF3Walthall26.188012$5.0 million
March 15, 202512:17 PM CDTEF4Tylertown tornado67.21,40066$5.5 million
February 12, 20254:09 PM CSTEF0Marion1.970$75,000
June 19, 20238:49 AM CDTEF0Marion2.0200$60,000
November 30, 20221:49 AM CSTEF2Marion6.0150$150,000
November 29, 20225:03 PM CSTEF0Jefferson Davis3.470$5,000
April 9, 202112:31 AM CDTEF1Marion7.61,200$90,000
June 24, 20207:35 AM CDTEF0Marion0.450$12,000
April 23, 20203:57 AM CDTEF0Marion6.5200$20,000
April 19, 20207:09 PM CDTEF4Sandy Hook–Camp Shelby tornado53.82,27511$700,000
April 12, 20203:38 PM CDTEF4Hope–Bassfield tornado22.11,93643$2.8 million
December 16, 20194:56 PM CSTEF1Marion6.2440$50,000
December 16, 20194:41 PM CSTEF2Marion7.4350$300,000
February 23, 20163:50 PM CSTEF1Pearl River5.2200$25,000
October 31, 20153:46 PM CDTEF0Marion1.150$5,000
October 31, 20153:27 PM CDTEF1Marion1.6200$75,000
December 23, 20142:20 PM CSTEF3Marion12.5880350$25 million
February 20, 20147:48 PM CSTEF0Marion0.550$15,000
February 10, 20134:23 PM CSTEF2Marion18.14003$375,000
December 10, 20127:52 AM CSTEF1Walthall19.2100$140,000
January 17, 20124:02 PM CSTEF2Marion2.84402$250,000
November 16, 20114:11 AM CSTEF1Marion9.6440$300,000
September 1, 20082:00 PM CDTEF0Jefferson Davis1.350$2,000
March 3, 20089:25 PM CSTEF1Marion0.650$250,000
April 14, 200710:10 AM CDTEF0Marion0.330$1,000
November 15, 20062:50 AM CSTF2Washington Parish to MS22.24401$690,000
October 27, 20066:48 AM CDTF1Marion5.0500$700,000
January 1, 20063:25 PM CSTF1Marion1.050$100,000
April 30, 20054:20 AM CDTF0Marion4.050$10,000
November 11, 200212:50 AM CSTF1Marion4.025$70,000
October 13, 200112:55 PM CDTF0Marion0.225$1,000
March 12, 20019:38 AM CSTF1Marion18.04407$4.5 million
March 12, 20019:30 AM CSTF1Marion6.0440$700,000
March 12, 20019:16 AM CSTF1Walthall5.5440$10,000
March 12, 20018:32 AM CSTF1Marion8.0440$100,000
February 16, 20013:35 PM CSTF0Marion3.0150$20,000
April 11, 19955:50 AM CDTF2Walthall23.0500$50,000 to $500,000
November 5, 19942:40 PM CSTF1Marion3.0100$5,000 to $50,000
November 4, 19888:20 PM CSTF1Marion4.040$5,000 to $50,000
February 15, 198712:50 PM CSTF1Marion0.850$5,000 to $50,000
August 10, 19864:10 PM CDTF0Marion0.550$50,000 to $500,000
November 30, 19826:00 PM CSTF2Marion0.5100$50,000 to $500,000
December 10, 19719:00 AM CSTF3Marion19.11335$5,000 to $50,000
June 4, 19716:23 PM CDTF2Marion0.510$50,000 to $500,000
May 5, 197111:45 AM CDTF1Marion5.210$500 to $5,000
July 6, 19651:00 PM GMT-5F2Marion0.110
February 20, 19615:10 PM GMT-6F2Marion17.0738$5,000 to $50,000
June 11, 19599:00 PM GMT-5F1Marion0.110$500 to $5,000
January 21, 195910:30 AM GMT-6F1Marion0.110$5,000 to $50,000
November 18, 19573:00 PM GMT-6F2Marion25.3772$50,000 to $500,000
April 29, 195012:00 PM GMT-6F2Marion11.3100$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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