Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi

Tornadoes in Walthall County, Mississippi

39 tornadoes have crossed Walthall County since 1950, 4 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 41st of the 82 counties in Mississippi with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 13 people and injured 30. 3 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
39
Deaths
13
Injuries
30
F4 and above
3
Worst on record
EF4, March 15, 2025

The deadliest in Walthall County

  1. EF4 Tylertown tornado, Louisiana and MississippiMarch 15, 20256 killed, 6 injured
  2. EF4 Hope–Bassfield tornado, MississippiApril 12, 20204 killed, 3 injured
  3. EF3, Walthall and Marion counties, MississippiMarch 15, 20251 killed, 2 injured
  4. EF4 Sandy Hook–Camp Shelby tornado, MississippiApril 19, 20201 killed, 1 injured
  5. F1, Walthall County, MississippiApril 11, 19951 killed

The strongest

  1. EF4 Tylertown tornado, Louisiana and MississippiMarch 15, 2025EF4, 67.2 mi (108 km)
  2. EF4 Sandy Hook–Camp Shelby tornado, MississippiApril 19, 2020EF4, 53.8 mi (86 km)
  3. EF4 Hope–Bassfield tornado, MississippiApril 12, 2020EF4, 22.1 mi (36 km)
  4. EF3, Walthall and Marion counties, MississippiMarch 15, 2025EF3, 26.1 mi (42 km)
  5. F2, Marion and Walthall counties, MississippiNovember 18, 1957F2, 25.3 mi (41 km)
  6. F2, Walthall and Marion counties, MississippiApril 11, 1995F2, 23.0 mi (37 km)
  7. F2, Washington, Walthall and Marion parishes, Louisiana and MississippiNovember 15, 2006F2, 22.2 mi (36 km)
  8. F2, Pike and Walthall counties, MississippiApril 6, 2005F2, 16.0 mi (26 km)
  9. F2, Pike and Walthall counties, MississippiMarch 31, 1981F2, 13.7 mi (22 km)
  10. F2, Walthall County, MississippiMarch 1, 1965F2, 7.2 mi (12 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 24 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Walthall County. Each year links to every tornado in Mississippi that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20264EF1
2025278EF4
20231EF0
2020354EF4
20191EF1
20171EF1
201612EF1
20142EF0
20122EF1
200611F2
200532F2
20041F1
20011F1
199615F1
199531F2
19941F1
198722F2
19861F1
19811F2
19711F1
196922F1
19652F2
196012F1
195712F2

Every tornado that crossed Walthall County

39 tornadoes, newest first. 2 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Mississippi. The 4 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
January 9, 20266:23 AM CSTEF1Walthall4.1125
January 9, 20266:33 AM CSTEF1Walthall3.0125
May 6, 20265:45 PM CDTEF1Pike7.4175
May 6, 202610:42 PM CDTEF1Walthall13.3150
March 15, 20251:24 PM CDTEF3Walthall26.188012$5.0 million
March 15, 202512:17 PM CDTEF4Tylertown tornado67.21,40066$5.5 million
February 8, 20237:11 PM CSTEF0Walthall1.040$10,000
June 24, 20207:20 AM CDTEF1Walthall6.1150$5,000
April 19, 20207:09 PM CDTEF4Sandy Hook–Camp Shelby tornado53.82,27511$700,000
April 12, 20203:38 PM CDTEF4Hope–Bassfield tornado22.11,93643$2.8 million
April 13, 20198:10 PM CDTEF1Pike7.5125
December 20, 20176:35 AM CSTEF1Walthall9.980
February 15, 20161:15 PM CSTEF1Walthall5.02502
December 15, 201411:18 PM CSTEF0Walthall1.3150
February 20, 20147:11 PM CSTEF0Walthall0.540$5,000
December 10, 20127:52 AM CSTEF1Walthall19.2100$140,000
August 9, 20124:07 PM CDTEF0Walthall0.3170$30,000
November 15, 20062:50 AM CSTF2Washington Parish to MS22.24401$690,000
April 11, 20056:55 PM CDTF0Walthall0.125
April 6, 20057:50 AM CDTF2Pike16.01002$500,000
January 7, 20058:10 PM CSTF0Walthall0.220$4,000
May 1, 20044:03 PM CDTF1Walthall9.0100$70,000
March 12, 20019:16 AM CSTF1Walthall5.5440$10,000
March 5, 199611:00 PM CSTF1Walthall8.0655$150,000
November 11, 19955:15 AM CSTF1Walthall3.020$5,000 to $50,000
April 11, 19955:50 AM CDTF2Walthall23.0500$50,000 to $500,000
April 11, 19955:15 AM CDTF1Walthall5.0301
November 5, 19942:40 PM CSTF1Marion3.0100$5,000 to $50,000
March 17, 19878:00 PM CSTF0Walthall0.573$5,000 to $50,000
February 15, 198712:30 PM CSTF2Walthall3.0732$50,000 to $500,000
April 12, 19864:32 AM CSTF1Lawrence5.2100$50,000 to $500,000
March 31, 19816:40 PM CSTF2Pike13.7127$50,000 to $500,000
September 16, 19712:30 PM CDTF1Walthall0.110$500 to $5,000
May 8, 19694:30 PM GMT-5F1Walthall0.5100$500 to $5,000
April 13, 196912:15 PM GMT-6F1Walthall0.1102$5,000 to $50,000
June 6, 196512:30 PM GMT-5F2Walthall0.173$500 to $5,000
March 1, 19656:25 AM GMT-6F2Walthall7.2110$5,000 to $50,000
May 6, 19602:30 PM GMT-5F1Walthall12.3102$50,000 to $500,000
November 18, 19573:00 PM GMT-6F2Marion25.3772$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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