Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi

Tornadoes in Prentiss County, Mississippi

29 tornadoes have crossed Prentiss County since 1950, 51st of the 82 counties in Mississippi with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.6 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 51. 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
29
Deaths
2
Injuries
51
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, April 28, 2014

The deadliest in Prentiss County

  1. F2, Prentiss County, MississippiDecember 21, 19671 killed, 1 injured
  2. F2, Prentiss County, MississippiMarch 14, 19531 killed

The strongest

  1. F3, Tippah, Prentiss and Tishomingo counties, MississippiSeptember 29, 1972F3, 45.5 mi (73 km)
  2. F3, Pontotoc, Union and Prentiss counties, MississippiJanuary 21, 1959F3, 33.8 mi (54 km)
  3. EF3, Lee, Itawamba and Prentiss counties, MississippiApril 28, 2014EF3, 31.0 mi (50 km)
  4. F3, Lee and Prentiss counties, MississippiMarch 23, 1975F3, 17.2 mi (28 km)
  5. F3, Union and Prentiss counties, MississippiMarch 17, 1965F3, 14.7 mi (24 km)
  6. F3, Prentiss County, MississippiNovember 4, 1988F3, 12.0 mi (19 km)
  7. F2, Tishomingo and Prentiss counties, MississippiNovember 18, 1957F2, 17.9 mi (29 km)
  8. F2, Prentiss County, MississippiDecember 15, 1987F2, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  9. F2, Prentiss County, MississippiMarch 14, 1953F2, 3.3 mi (5 km)
  10. F2, Prentiss County, MississippiDecember 21, 1967F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 22 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Prentiss County. Each year links to every tornado in Mississippi that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20211EF1
20203EF1
20191EF0
20172EF1
20151EF1
2014132EF3
20081EF1
20001F0
19992F0
19951F0
19882F3
198721F2
19861F1
19751F3
19741F1
197214F3
19701F1
1967211F2
1965110F3
195911F3
195712F2
195311F2

Every tornado that crossed Prentiss County

29 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
December 11, 20214:30 AM CSTEF1Prentiss4.5100$125,000
January 11, 20207:08 AM CSTEF1Tishomingo5.7120$90,000
January 11, 20206:56 AM CSTEF1Prentiss8.2150$75,000
January 11, 20206:45 AM CSTEF1Prentiss7.2100$200,000
December 16, 20194:14 PM CSTEF0Prentiss0.375$50,000
August 31, 20171:43 PM CDTEF0Prentiss0.330$50,000
April 22, 20172:45 PM CDTEF1Prentiss6.5200$100,000
December 23, 20156:16 PM CSTEF1Prentiss3.980$100,000
April 28, 20142:38 PM CDTEF3Lee31.044032$18 million
May 2, 20086:41 PM CDTEF1Prentiss13.8150$100,000
November 8, 20004:47 PM CSTF0Prentiss1.010$1,000
January 22, 19995:20 PM CSTF0Prentiss0.110
January 22, 19993:15 PM CSTF0Prentiss0.220$10,000
May 18, 19954:40 PM CDTF0Prentiss1.023$5,000 to $50,000
November 4, 19884:35 PM CSTF1Prentiss2.070$5,000 to $50,000
November 4, 19882:50 PM CSTF3Prentiss12.0150$50,000 to $500,000
December 15, 198712:20 AM CSTF1Prentiss2.073$5,000 to $50,000
December 15, 198712:15 AM CSTF2Prentiss8.01001$50,000 to $500,000
November 8, 19867:40 PM CSTF1Prentiss2.577$50,000 to $500,000
March 23, 197510:30 PM CDTF3Lee17.2100$5,000 to $50,000
June 7, 19748:40 PM CDTF1Prentiss0.5500$500 to $5,000
September 29, 19727:00 PM CDTF3Tippah45.58804$50,000 to $500,000
October 13, 197010:00 AM CDTF1Prentiss0.150$500 to $5,000
December 21, 19674:05 PM GMT-6F2Prentiss0.11011$5,000 to $50,000
April 23, 196710:00 PM GMT-6F1Prentiss4.7100$500 to $5,000
March 17, 19656:00 AM GMT-6F3Union14.740010$50,000 to $500,000
January 21, 19599:20 AM GMT-6F3Pontotoc33.8101$50,000 to $500,000
November 18, 195712:10 PM GMT-6F2Tishomingo17.9502$50,000 to $500,000
March 14, 19532:30 PM GMT-6F2Prentiss3.3101$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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