Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi

Tornadoes in Monroe County, Mississippi

48 tornadoes have crossed Monroe County since 1950, 31st of the 82 counties in Mississippi with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.6 years. They have killed 32 people and injured 336. 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
48
Deaths
32
Injuries
336
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
EF5, April 27, 2011

The deadliest in Monroe County

  1. EF5 Smithville tornado, Mississippi and AlabamaApril 27, 201123 killed, 137 injured
  2. EF3, Webster, Calhoun, Chickasaw and Monroe counties, MississippiApril 27, 20114 killed, 25 injured
  3. EF3, Chickasaw, Monroe and Itawamba counties, MississippiMarch 24, 20232 killed, 55 injured
  4. F3, Monroe County, MississippiFebruary 16, 19561 killed, 55 injured
  5. EF2, Monroe County, MississippiApril 13, 20191 killed, 19 injured
  6. F3, Webster, Clay and Monroe counties, MississippiMarch 20, 19761 killed, 9 injured

The strongest

  1. EF5 Smithville tornado, Mississippi and AlabamaApril 27, 2011EF5, 37.3 mi (60 km)
  2. F3, Webster, Clay and Monroe counties, MississippiNovember 26, 1973F3, 54.4 mi (88 km)
  3. EF3, Webster, Calhoun, Chickasaw and Monroe counties, MississippiApril 27, 2011EF3, 51.5 mi (83 km)
  4. F3, Webster, Clay and Monroe counties, MississippiMarch 20, 1976F3, 49.4 mi (79 km)
  5. EF3, Chickasaw, Monroe and Itawamba counties, MississippiMarch 24, 2023EF3, 36.6 mi (59 km)
  6. F3, Monroe County, MississippiMarch 17, 1965F3, 8.5 mi (14 km)
  7. F3, Monroe County, MississippiFebruary 16, 1956F3, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  8. F2, Chickasaw and Monroe counties, MississippiMay 7, 2003F2, 27.5 mi (44 km)
  9. F2, Monroe County, MississippiJune 19, 1980F2, 22.5 mi (36 km)
  10. F2, Clay and Monroe counties, MississippiMay 14, 1953F2, 18.7 mi (30 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 30 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Monroe County. Each year links to every tornado in Mississippi that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20253EF1
20233255EF3
20222EF1
20212EF1
20192119EF2
20163EF1
20152EF1
20131EF1
20121EF0
2011227162EF5
2010212EF2
20091EF1
20052F1
20041F1
200316F2
19952F0
19894F2
19882F1
19861F1
19821F1
19801F2
1976119F3
197511F2
197315F3
197014F1
196511F3
196315F2
19561155F3
195311F2
195211F1

Every tornado that crossed Monroe County

48 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 23, 20259:09 PM CDTEF0Monroe1.950$2,000
March 15, 20251:16 PM CDTEF0Monroe2.050$10,000
January 5, 20257:08 PM CSTEF1Monroe0.7120$10,000
March 24, 202310:38 PM CDTEF3Chickasaw36.61,600255$80 million
February 16, 20233:52 PM CSTEF1Monroe1.6100$25,000
January 12, 20236:29 AM CSTEF1Monroe2.450$75,000
March 30, 20227:16 PM CDTEF0Monroe7.7150$50,000
March 22, 20223:04 PM CDTEF1Clay15.5650$115,000
March 31, 20211:49 AM CDTEF1Monroe4.3200$200,000
March 17, 20217:39 PM CDTEF0Lee4.960$35,000
April 13, 201911:22 PM CDTEF2Monroe13.2800$500,000
April 13, 201911:06 PM CDTEF2Monroe11.3800119$3.0 million
November 29, 20166:12 PM CSTEF1Clay8.9200$220,000
April 29, 20163:41 PM CDTEF0Monroe0.950$10,000
April 29, 20163:26 PM CDTEF0Monroe5.2150$10,000
May 25, 20158:51 AM CDTEF1Monroe2.5150$150,000
May 25, 20158:41 AM CDTEF0Monroe4.170$50,000
January 30, 20134:25 AM CSTEF1Monroe to AL10.8300$50,000
February 1, 20128:14 PM CSTEF0Monroe0.125$25,000
April 27, 20113:42 PM CDTEF5Smithville tornado37.31,32023137$14 million
April 27, 20112:48 PM CDTEF3Webster51.51,320425$3.3 million
November 29, 201011:52 PM CSTEF2Monroe0.312511$250,000
April 24, 20102:40 PM CDTEF1Monroe6.51501$350,000
April 2, 20097:23 PM CDTEF1Monroe2.875
April 29, 200512:42 AM CDTF1Monroe2.075$30,000
January 13, 20057:07 AM CSTF1Monroe0.440$50,000
December 7, 20042:32 AM CSTF1Monroe0.825$30,000
May 7, 20039:25 AM CDTF2Chickasaw27.54406$3.0 million
April 20, 19957:45 PM CDTF0Monroe0.510$500 to $5,000
April 20, 19957:00 PM CDTF0Monroe0.110$500 to $5,000
March 5, 19895:10 AM CSTF1Monroe1.060$5,000 to $50,000
February 20, 198910:00 PM CSTF2Monroe2.5100$50,000 to $500,000
January 7, 198910:05 PM CSTF1Monroe2.060$5,000 to $50,000
January 7, 198910:00 PM CSTF2Monroe4.0100$50,000 to $500,000
December 22, 198811:55 PM CSTF1Chickasaw11.050$50,000 to $500,000
November 4, 19884:46 PM CSTF1Monroe0.530$5,000 to $50,000
May 18, 19861:45 PM CDTF1Monroe1.010$5,000 to $50,000
September 12, 19825:15 PM CDTF1Monroe0.3100$5,000 to $50,000
June 19, 19803:10 AM CDTF2Monroe22.5200$50,000 to $500,000
March 20, 19768:20 PM CSTF3Webster49.41,40019$50,000 to $500,000
March 12, 197510:45 AM CDTF2Chickasaw16.8601$50,000 to $500,000
November 26, 19731:30 PM CSTF3Webster54.4105$500,000 to $5 million
May 10, 19709:30 PM CDTF1Monroe20.1104$50,000 to $500,000
March 17, 19657:15 AM GMT-6F3Monroe8.52301$5,000 to $50,000
March 11, 19637:20 PM GMT-6F2Monroe2.0235$50,000 to $500,000
February 16, 19566:10 PM GMT-6F3Monroe8.0200155$500,000 to $5 million
May 14, 19532:30 PM GMT-5F2Clay18.7101
February 13, 195210:00 PM GMT-6F1Monroe0.1101$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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