Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi

Tornadoes in Pearl River County, Mississippi

57 tornadoes have crossed Pearl River County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 23rd of the 82 counties in Mississippi with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.3 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 45. None was rated F4 or 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
0
Injuries
45
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, December 25, 2012

The strongest

  1. EF3, Pearl River County, MississippiDecember 25, 2012EF3, 24.1 mi (39 km)
  2. F2, Pearl River and Stone counties, MississippiNovember 3, 1968F2, 43.5 mi (70 km)
  3. F2, Pearl River and Lamar counties, MississippiFebruary 26, 1958F2, 23.1 mi (37 km)
  4. F2, Pearl River County, MississippiFebruary 19, 1996F2, 23.0 mi (37 km)
  5. F2, Pearl River County, MississippiMarch 27, 1976F2, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  6. F2, Pearl River County, MississippiMay 7, 1972F2, 4.3 mi (7 km)
  7. F2, Pearl River County, MississippiOctober 3, 1964F2, 3.3 mi (5 km)
  8. F2, Pearl River County, MississippiFebruary 15, 1987F2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  9. F2, Pearl River County, MississippiMay 8, 1969F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  10. F2, Pearl River County, MississippiNovember 3, 1968F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 37 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Pearl River County. Each year links to every tornado in Mississippi that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF0
20231EF0
20221EF0
20211EF1
20201EF1
20183EF0
20172EF1
20162EF1
20151EF1
20131EF1
201238EF3
20113EF1
20091EF1
20071EF0
20051F0
20033F1
20021F0
20012F0
20002F0
19991F0
199811F1
199732F1
1996210F2
19951F1
198712F2
19802F2
197621F2
19741F1
197324F2
19722F2
19711F1
19691F2
196828F2
19641F2
195819F2
19571F0
19561F0

Every tornado that crossed Pearl River County

57 tornadoes, newest first. 1 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files it under that state rather than Mississippi. 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
February 15, 20261:32 AM CSTEF0Pearl River2.870
December 1, 20236:10 AM CSTEF0Pearl River0.375$4,000
December 14, 20223:56 PM CSTEF0Pearl River2.075
October 27, 20216:49 PM CDTEF1Pearl River2.4125$50,000
April 19, 20209:50 PM CDTEF1Pearl River4.475
November 1, 20185:16 AM CDTEF0Pearl River1.465
April 14, 201811:48 AM CDTEF0Pearl River4.630
April 14, 201811:30 AM CDTEF0Pearl River0.225
August 30, 201710:12 AM CDTEF1Pearl River4.6100
January 2, 20172:51 PM CSTEF0Pearl River1.450
February 23, 20163:50 PM CSTEF1Pearl River5.2200$25,000
February 23, 20163:49 PM CSTEF1Pearl River9.5150
October 31, 20154:42 PM CDTEF1Pearl River0.575
January 13, 20134:45 PM CSTEF1Pearl River1.0150$40,000
December 25, 20123:20 PM CSTEF3Pearl River24.11758$2.5 million
December 9, 20123:50 PM CSTEF0Pearl River2.520$10,000
January 26, 20126:44 AM CSTEF0Pearl River0.1100$10,000
September 4, 20117:43 AM CDTEF1Pearl River0.6100$50,000
April 4, 20117:43 PM CDTEF1Pearl River0.350$30,000
March 9, 20115:25 AM CSTEF1Pearl River3.0100$20,000
May 4, 20096:35 AM CDTEF1Pearl River2.025$8,000
February 13, 20074:45 AM CSTEF0Pearl River0.325$2,000
January 13, 20058:35 AM CSTF0Pearl River0.120$10,000
April 24, 20034:06 PM CDTF0Pearl River2.025$2,000
April 24, 20034:00 PM CDTF1Washington Parish to MS22.030$100,000
April 7, 20033:08 PM CDTF1Pearl River8.530$100,000
October 3, 200212:00 PM CDTF0Pearl River0.330$10,000
August 13, 20013:50 PM CDTF0Pearl River0.120$1,000
March 12, 200110:15 AM CSTF0Pearl River0.220$30,000
July 22, 20005:59 PM CDTF0Pearl River0.120
July 22, 20005:22 PM CDTF0Pearl River0.120$3,000
May 30, 199912:09 PM CDTF0Pearl River0.530
September 20, 19988:30 AM CDTF1Pearl River0.1401$70,000
November 21, 19972:33 PM CSTF1Pearl River4.01002$700,000
October 25, 19973:00 PM CDTF1Pearl River0.240$60,000
January 15, 19975:30 PM CSTF1Pearl River0.110
February 19, 19962:05 PM CSTF1Pearl River7.040$100,000
February 19, 19961:30 PM CSTF2Pearl River23.043010$700,000
May 19, 19951:10 AM CDTF1Pearl River0.323
February 15, 19871:25 PM CSTF2Pearl River3.01002$50,000 to $500,000
May 19, 19807:00 PM CDTF2Pearl River0.350$5,000 to $50,000
March 7, 19803:05 PM CSTF1Pearl River0.330$5,000 to $50,000
March 27, 19761:20 AM CSTF2Pearl River15.04401$5,000 to $50,000
March 8, 19762:45 PM CSTF1Pearl River0.710$500 to $5,000
April 2, 19742:32 AM CDTF1Pearl River0.110$5,000 to $50,000
November 27, 19738:00 PM CSTF1Pearl River0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 26, 197310:23 AM CDTF2Pearl River0.1104$5,000 to $50,000
May 7, 19722:04 PM CDTF2Pearl River4.350$5,000 to $50,000
May 7, 19722:00 PM CDTF1Pearl River0.850$50 to $500
August 25, 19714:35 PM CDTF1Pearl River1.0100$5,000 to $50,000
May 8, 19694:40 PM GMT-5F2Pearl River2.030$5,000 to $50,000
November 3, 19685:00 PM GMT-6F2Pearl River2.0505
November 3, 19684:50 PM GMT-6F2Pearl River43.51803$5,000 to $50,000
October 3, 19644:20 PM GMT-5F2Pearl River3.310
February 26, 19586:00 PM GMT-6F2Pearl River23.1509$50,000 to $500,000
May 2, 19579:30 AM GMT-5F0Pearl River0.110under $50
July 23, 19567:50 PM GMT-5F0Pearl River0.110

Nearby

Warnings in force in Pearl River CountyThe forecast for Pearl River CountyThe live radar over Pearl River 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.