Tornadoes · United States · Mississippi

Tornadoes in Winston County, Mississippi

36 tornadoes have crossed Winston County since 1950, 44th of the 82 counties in Mississippi with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.1 years. They have killed 17 people and injured 110. 3 were rated F4 or EF4 and above, 1 at the top of the scale.

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
36
Deaths
17
Injuries
110
F4 and above
3
Worst on record
EF5, April 27, 2011

The deadliest in Winston County

  1. EF4 Louisville tornado, MississippiApril 28, 201410 killed, 84 injured
  2. EF5 Philadelphia tornado, MississippiApril 27, 20113 killed, 6 injured
  3. F4, Winston County, MississippiFebruary 23, 19772 killed, 5 injured
  4. F3, Winston, Neshoba and Noxubee counties, MississippiNovember 24, 20041 killed, 2 injured
  5. F1, Winston, Oktibbeha, Noxubee, Lowndes and Pickens counties, Mississippi and AlabamaNovember 10, 20021 killed

The strongest

  1. EF5 Philadelphia tornado, MississippiApril 27, 2011EF5, 28.3 mi (46 km)
  2. EF4 Louisville tornado, MississippiApril 28, 2014EF4, 33.4 mi (54 km)
  3. F4, Winston County, MississippiFebruary 23, 1977F4, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  4. F3, Winston, Neshoba and Noxubee counties, MississippiNovember 24, 2004F3, 21.0 mi (34 km)
  5. F2, Winston, Noxubee and Lowndes counties, MississippiApril 4, 1957F2, 40.7 mi (65 km)
  6. EF2, Oktibbeha and Winston counties, MississippiApril 13, 2019EF2, 8.8 mi (14 km)
  7. F2, Neshoba and Winston counties, MississippiJanuary 18, 1973F2, 7.6 mi (12 km)
  8. F2, Winston County, MississippiApril 20, 1995F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  9. F2, Winston County, MississippiMay 1, 1985F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 17 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Winston County. Each year links to every tornado in Mississippi that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF1
20224EF1
20197EF2
20182EF1
20162EF1
20154EF1
201411084EF4
2011336EF5
200821EF1
2004112F3
200221F1
19951F2
19851F2
1977125F4
197318F2
195724F2
19511F1

Every tornado that crossed Winston County

36 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
January 5, 20257:41 PM CSTEF1Winston4.3250$40,000
November 29, 20226:47 PM CSTEF1Winston5.1300$11,000
April 13, 20228:51 PM CDTEF1Oktibbeha5.8700$6,000
April 13, 20228:51 PM CDTEF1Oktibbeha10.7150$8,000
April 13, 20228:21 PM CDTEF1Neshoba24.71,500$170,000
April 18, 20195:13 PM CDTEF1Winston6.7700$11,000
April 18, 20195:08 PM CDTEF0Winston1.450$2,000
April 18, 20195:04 PM CDTEF1Winston2.9100$5,000
April 18, 20194:57 PM CDTEF0Winston6.1800$5,000
April 18, 20194:54 PM CDTEF0Winston9.31,000$10,000
April 18, 20194:50 PM CDTEF1Winston1.3100$5,000
April 13, 20199:55 PM CDTEF2Oktibbeha8.8830$210,000
November 1, 20185:22 AM CDTEF0Winston2.075$70,000
April 14, 20189:23 AM CDTEF1Winston0.8150$55,000
November 29, 20165:49 PM CSTEF1Winston5.5170$180,000
February 15, 201612:45 PM CSTEF1Winston2.5200$45,000
November 18, 201512:45 AM CSTEF1Winston1.7150$20,000
November 18, 201512:41 AM CSTEF1Winston2.2300$8,000
November 18, 201512:30 AM CSTEF1Leake3.0300$13,000
May 25, 201510:19 AM CDTEF0Winston0.925$20,000
April 28, 20143:51 PM CDTEF4Louisville tornado33.41,3201084$117 million
April 27, 20112:30 PM CDTEF5Philadelphia tornado28.390036$1.1 million
April 27, 20112:47 AM CDTEF1Winston7.3200$60,000
April 27, 20112:29 AM CDTEF1Winston4.2150$85,000
April 18, 20086:04 PM CDTEF1Winston8.95001$3.0 million
April 18, 20085:33 PM CDTEF1Leake7.875$200,000
November 24, 20042:25 AM CSTF3Winston21.060012$2.7 million
November 10, 20028:20 PM CSTF1Winston15.0500$200,000
November 10, 20027:20 PM CSTF1Winston to AL51.04001$140,000
April 20, 19955:55 PM CDTF2Winston1.050$5,000 to $50,000
May 1, 19852:30 AM CDTF2Winston1.050$50,000 to $500,000
February 23, 19774:00 PM CSTF4Winston15.035025$50,000 to $500,000
January 18, 19738:00 PM CSTF2Neshoba7.64008$50,000 to $500,000
November 7, 195711:30 PM GMT-6F1Winston0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 4, 195712:15 AM GMT-6F2Winston40.72004$5,000 to $50,000
December 20, 19513:15 PM GMT-6F1Winston2.0900$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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