Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi

Tornadoes in Wayne County, Mississippi

44 tornadoes have crossed Wayne County since 1950, 4 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 34th of the 82 counties in Mississippi with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 10 people and injured 412. 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.

  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
44
Deaths
10
Injuries
412
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, February 28, 1987

The deadliest in Wayne County

  1. F4, Jones, Wayne and Clarke counties, MississippiFebruary 28, 19876 killed, 350 injured
  2. F3, Perry, Greene and Wayne counties, MississippiFebruary 26, 19584 killed, 20 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Jones, Wayne and Clarke counties, MississippiFebruary 28, 1987F4, 35.0 mi (56 km)
  2. EF3, Jones, Wayne, Clarke and Choctaw counties, Mississippi and AlabamaDecember 16, 2019EF3, 61.2 mi (98 km)
  3. F3, Perry, Greene and Wayne counties, MississippiFebruary 26, 1958F3, 29.1 mi (47 km)
  4. EF3, Wayne County, MississippiFebruary 12, 2025EF3, 27.5 mi (44 km)
  5. F3, Jones and Wayne counties, MississippiJanuary 9, 1972F3, 23.6 mi (38 km)
  6. F3, Jones and Wayne counties, MississippiNovember 15, 2006F3, 15.9 mi (26 km)
  7. EF3, Jones and Wayne counties, MississippiApril 28, 2014EF3, 10.5 mi (17 km)
  8. F3, Wayne County, MississippiNovember 4, 1988F3, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  9. EF2, Wayne, Choctaw, Clarke and Marengo counties, Mississippi and AlabamaMarch 17, 2021EF2, 36.6 mi (59 km)
  10. F2, Greene and Wayne counties, MississippiFebruary 19, 1996F2, 18.0 mi (29 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 25 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Wayne County. Each year links to every tornado in Mississippi that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20264EF1
202526EF3
20242EF2
20227EF2
202122EF2
20201EF1
201912EF3
20171EF0
20161EF1
2014215EF3
20133EF1
20112EF1
200611F3
20041F0
20031F0
199644F2
19951F0
19881F3
198716350F4
19731F1
1972112F3
19601F1
19591F1
19581420F3
19571F2

Every tornado that crossed Wayne County

44 tornadoes, newest first. 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
March 11, 20269:48 PM CDTEF1Jones1.1150
March 11, 20269:50 PM CDTEF1Wayne1.4250
March 11, 20269:50 PM CDTEF1Wayne0.950
March 16, 20261:43 AM CDTEF1Wayne2.0200
March 4, 20256:24 PM CSTEF2Wayne4.01504
February 12, 20257:43 PM CSTEF3Wayne27.59102
December 28, 20249:33 PM CSTEF2Wayne6.5550
December 27, 20243:01 PM CSTEF1Jones13.0330$10,000
April 5, 20228:36 AM CDTEF1Wayne0.350
April 5, 20228:19 AM CDTEF1Wayne2.6100
April 5, 20228:14 AM CDTEF2Wayne2.2250
March 30, 20228:55 PM CDTEF1Wayne0.350
March 30, 20228:47 PM CDTEF1Wayne1.930
March 30, 20228:45 PM CDTEF1Wayne0.250
March 30, 20228:43 PM CDTEF1Wayne0.550
March 17, 20213:44 PM CDTEF2Wayne to AL36.65002
March 17, 202112:03 PM CDTEF2Wayne13.1325
April 23, 20204:33 AM CDTEF1Wayne1.8350
December 16, 20195:59 PM CSTEF3Jones to AL61.23502$1.2 million
October 7, 20179:28 PM CDTEF0Wayne0.6200$25,000
February 23, 20165:45 PM CSTEF1Greene1.6150$200,000
April 28, 201410:09 PM CDTEF2Wayne9.2250$1.0 million
April 28, 20149:40 PM CDTEF3Jones10.588015$1.6 million
February 10, 20137:14 PM CSTEF1Wayne3.1200$50,000
February 10, 20136:46 PM CSTEF1Wayne3.1250$100,000
January 13, 20136:15 PM CSTEF1Wayne3.4200$100,000
April 15, 201111:41 AM CDTEF1Washington to AL5.1200$312,000
April 15, 201110:11 AM CDTEF0Wayne0.050
November 15, 20063:31 AM CSTF3Jones15.98501$1.9 million
November 24, 20043:25 AM CSTF0Wayne0.230$10,000
May 17, 20037:25 PM CDTF0Wayne0.120$10,000
March 18, 19964:45 PM CSTF0Wayne12.0200$40,000
March 18, 19964:22 PM CSTF1Wayne3.0200$10,000
March 18, 19963:50 PM CSTF1Wayne12.0300$10,000
February 19, 19962:20 PM CSTF2Greene18.04004$150,000
October 27, 19955:45 PM CDTF0Wayne0.123
November 4, 19887:10 PM CSTF3Wayne8.0200$50,000 to $500,000
February 28, 19879:05 AM CSTF4Jones35.01,2306350$5 million to $50 million
May 8, 19736:00 AM CDTF1Wayne0.5300$50,000 to $500,000
January 9, 197211:20 PM CSTF3Jones23.630012$500,000 to $5 million
February 4, 19606:00 PM GMT-6F1Wayne0.110$500 to $5,000
May 11, 195911:30 PM GMT-5F1Wayne0.110$500 to $5,000
February 26, 19587:45 PM GMT-6F3Perry29.1100420$50,000 to $500,000
June 28, 19577:30 AM GMT-5F2Wayne10.050$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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