Mississippi Tornado & Hail Guide

Mississippi averages approximately 27 tornadoes per year, but its position in “Dixie Alley” means those tornadoes are disproportionately deadly. Mississippi has one of the highest per-capita tornado fatality rates in the country, driven by high rates of mobile home residency, frequent nighttime tornadoes, dense tree cover that reduces warning dissemination and visibility, and historically lower rates of access to robust shelter infrastructure.

Mississippi Tornado Season

Mississippi’s primary tornado season runs February through April, with March being historically the most dangerous month. A secondary season occurs in November and December. Nighttime tornadoes are particularly common and dangerous — major March outbreaks across Mississippi have caused significant fatalities because residents were asleep and did not receive or respond to warnings in time.

Mississippi Hail Season

Hail season in Mississippi runs primarily from February through May. Large hail events are less common than in the central plains states, but one-inch and larger hail is possible during major supercell outbreaks.

Historical Significant Events

• 1840 Natchez tornado (F5): 317 fatalities; one of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history, striking a steamboat-heavy river area.
• 1971 Delta outbreak: Multiple violent tornadoes across the Mississippi Delta.
• 2011 April 27 outbreak: Part of the catastrophic Super Outbreak; multiple EF4 tornadoes struck Mississippi, killing dozens.
• 2023 Rolling Fork EF4: March 2023 tornado killed 21 in Sharkey and Humphreys counties in the Mississippi Delta; among the most significant U.S. tornadoes in recent years.

Regional NWS Offices for Mississippi

| Region | WFO | Website |

|——–|—–|———|

| Central Mississippi (Jackson) | NWS Jackson | weather.gov/jan |

| Northern Mississippi (Memphis area) | NWS Memphis | weather.gov/meg |

| Southern Mississippi / Gulf Coast | NWS Mobile | weather.gov/mob |

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