Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi

Tornadoes in Tippah County, Mississippi

24 tornadoes have crossed Tippah County since 1950, 65th of the 82 counties in Mississippi with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.2 years. They have killed 16 people and injured 137. 2 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
24
Deaths
16
Injuries
137
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
EF4, December 23, 2015

The deadliest in Tippah County

  1. EF4 Holly Springs–Ashland tornado, Mississippi and TennesseeDecember 23, 20159 killed, 36 injured
  2. F4, Tippah, Alcorn and Hardin counties, Mississippi and TennesseeApril 19, 19704 killed, 78 injured
  3. EF3, Benton, Tippah, Hardeman and McNairy counties, Mississippi and TennesseeMay 2, 20103 killed, 9 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4 Holly Springs–Ashland tornado, Mississippi and TennesseeDecember 23, 2015EF4, 75.1 mi (121 km)
  2. F4, Tippah, Alcorn and Hardin counties, Mississippi and TennesseeApril 19, 1970F4, 47.6 mi (77 km)
  3. F3, Tippah, Prentiss and Tishomingo counties, MississippiSeptember 29, 1972F3, 45.5 mi (73 km)
  4. EF3, Benton, Tippah, Hardeman and McNairy counties, Mississippi and TennesseeMay 2, 2010EF3, 29.6 mi (48 km)
  5. F3, Lafayette, Union and Tippah counties, MississippiFebruary 22, 1975F3, 26.3 mi (42 km)
  6. F3, Benton and Tippah counties, MississippiMarch 22, 1991F3, 23.0 mi (37 km)
  7. EF2, Lafayette, Pontotoc, Union and Tippah counties, MississippiApril 5, 2025EF2, 39.7 mi (64 km)
  8. EF2, Benton, Tippah and Hardeman counties, Mississippi and TennesseeApril 2, 2025EF2, 12.5 mi (20 km)
  9. EF2, Tippah County, MississippiFebruary 16, 2023EF2, 11.0 mi (18 km)
  10. F2, Tippah County, MississippiFebruary 23, 1962F2, 5.6 mi (9 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 18 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Tippah County. Each year links to every tornado in Mississippi that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202524EF2
202311EF2
20192EF0
20151936EF4
20111EF1
2010239EF3
20082EF0
20041F1
20031F0
19943F0
199113F3
19841F1
19831F1
197512F3
197214F3
19701478F4
19651F1
19621F2

Every tornado that crossed Tippah County

24 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 5, 20256:12 PM CDTEF2Lafayette39.76001$2.3 million
April 2, 202512:07 AM CDTEF2Benton to TN12.54503$725,000
February 16, 20231:33 PM CSTEF2Tippah11.05001$500,000
March 9, 20192:36 PM CSTEF0Tippah3.1100$250,000
March 9, 20192:31 PM CSTEF0Tippah0.050
December 23, 20154:10 PM CSTEF4Holly Springs–Ashland tornado75.11,300936$11 million
April 27, 20114:40 PM CDTEF1Tippah2.1100$30,000
May 2, 20102:48 AM CDTEF3Benton to TN29.688039$1.8 million
May 1, 20101:34 PM CDTEF1Union10.3300$135,000
February 5, 20086:50 PM CSTEF0Tippah2.550$100,000
February 5, 20086:36 PM CSTEF0Tippah1.450$50,000
May 30, 200411:05 PM CDTF1Tippah0.275$100,000
May 5, 20038:15 AM CDTF0Tippah0.550$1,000
June 26, 19949:30 PM CDTF0Tippah1.540$500 to $5,000
June 26, 19949:05 PM CDTF0Tippah2.050$5,000 to $50,000
June 26, 19948:30 PM CDTF0Tippah2.050$5,000 to $50,000
March 22, 19914:00 PM CSTF3Benton23.05003$50,000 to $500,000
April 21, 19843:02 PM CSTF1Tippah0.577$5,000 to $50,000
May 18, 19837:00 PM CDTF1Tippah0.540$5,000 to $50,000
February 22, 197510:00 PM CSTF3Lafayette26.32002$5,000 to $50,000
September 29, 19727:00 PM CDTF3Tippah45.58804$50,000 to $500,000
April 19, 197012:06 PM CSTF4Tippah to TN47.6100478$500,000 to $5 million
September 10, 19657:30 PM GMT-5F1Tippah0.110$500 to $5,000
February 23, 19623:17 PM GMT-6F2Tippah5.6100$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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