Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi
Tornadoes in Perry County, Mississippi
23 tornadoes have crossed Perry County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 67th of the 82 counties in Mississippi with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.3 years. They have killed 8 people and injured 156. 1 was 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
- 23
- Deaths
- 8
- Injuries
- 156
- F4 and above
- 1
- Worst on record
- EF4, February 10, 2013
The deadliest in Perry County
The strongest
- EF4 Hattiesburg tornado, MississippiFebruary 10, 2013
- EF3, Lamar, Forrest and Perry counties, MississippiJanuary 21, 2017
- F3, Perry, Greene and Wayne counties, MississippiFebruary 26, 1958
- F3, Forrest and Perry counties, MississippiMay 7, 1982
- EF2, Forrest, Perry and Greene counties, MississippiDecember 25, 2012
- EF2, Forrest and Perry counties, MississippiMarch 30, 2022
- EF2, Perry and Greene counties, MississippiMarch 30, 2022
- EF2, Perry County, MississippiApril 17, 2022
Every year with a tornado
The 16 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Perry County. Each year links to every tornado in Mississippi that year.
Every tornado that crossed Perry County
23 tornadoes, newest first. The 2 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 11, 2026 | 10:32 PM CDT | EF0 | Perry | 0.4 | 150 | |||
| May 6, 2026 | 7:37 PM CDT | EF1 | Perry | 12.1 | 700 | |||
| April 17, 2022 | 8:52 PM CDT | EF2 | Perry | 1.7 | 275 | |||
| April 17, 2022 | 8:19 PM CDT | EF1 | Perry | 0.3 | 50 | |||
| March 30, 2022 | 8:46 PM CDT | EF2 | Perry | 2.0 | 250 | |||
| March 30, 2022 | 8:11 PM CDT | EF2 | Forrest | 11.3 | 500 | $250,000 | ||
| January 21, 2017 | 3:35 AM CST | EF3 | Lamar | 31.1 | 900 | 4 | 57 | $9.5 million |
| February 10, 2013 | 5:03 PM CST | EF4 | Hattiesburg tornado | 21.6 | 1,320 | 71 | $39 million | |
| December 25, 2012 | 3:55 PM CST | EF2 | Forrest | 28.6 | 300 | 4 | $200,000 | |
| November 24, 2004 | 2:40 AM CST | F0 | Perry | 0.2 | 30 | $10,000 | ||
| April 24, 2003 | 6:20 PM CDT | F0 | Perry | 0.1 | 20 | $10,000 | ||
| April 24, 2003 | 5:45 PM CDT | F0 | Perry | 0.1 | 20 | $10,000 | ||
| December 23, 2002 | 9:10 PM CST | F0 | Perry | 0.1 | 20 | $10,000 | ||
| December 13, 2001 | 9:50 PM CST | F0 | Perry | 0.1 | 20 | $10,000 | ||
| March 18, 1996 | 4:16 PM CST | F1 | Perry | 8.0 | 200 | $10,000 | ||
| March 18, 1996 | 3:30 PM CST | F1 | Perry | 12.0 | 300 | $30,000 | ||
| February 19, 1996 | 2:35 PM CST | F1 | Perry | 21.0 | 400 | $90,000 | ||
| June 5, 1989 | 12:00 PM CDT | F1 | Perry | 0.3 | 30 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| May 7, 1982 | 1:50 PM CDT | F3 | Forrest | 13.0 | 100 | 1 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| June 1, 1976 | 4:57 PM CDT | F1 | Perry | 0.2 | 33 | 2 | $5,000 to $50,000 | |
| May 7, 1975 | 12:50 PM CDT | F1 | Perry | 9.7 | 440 | 1 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| February 6, 1974 | 6:45 PM CDT | F1 | Perry | 0.1 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| February 26, 1958 | 7:45 PM GMT-6 | F3 | Perry | 29.1 | 100 | 4 | 20 | $50,000 to $500,000 |
Nearby
Warnings in force in Perry CountyThe forecast for Perry CountyThe live radar over Perry 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.