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Benton County, Mississippi severe weather history spans 102 recorded events between 1968 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,876 nationally and #81 in Mississippi.
102
Recorded events
8
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$5.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Benton County, Mississippi severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Benton County, Mississippi severe weather history averages 1.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 29 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 9 events fall before 1990 and 93 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Benton County, Mississippi record is tornado, responsible for 8 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $4.0M in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Benton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 53 | 0 | $687K | 70 | 1968–2025 |
| Hail | 29 | 0 | $78K | 2.75 | 1968–2026 |
| Tornado | 12 | 8 | $4.0M | F3 | 1971–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $762K | 0 | 1999–2014 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $75K | 0 | 1996–2007 |
Decade by decade
Benton County, Mississippi severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
15 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 11 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-02-21 | EF4 | 58 | 795 | 202.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-12-23 | EF4 | 9 | 36 | 75.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-05-02 | EF3 | 3 | 9 | 29.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-03 | EF3 | 2 | 3 | 39.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-03-22 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 23.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-02-22 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 26.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1950-02-12 | EF2 | 3 | 2 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 12.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-02-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-03-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Benton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 23, 2015 | Tornado | ASHLAND | 6 | 1 | $2.0M |
| May 2, 2010 | Tornado | ASHLAND | 2 | 7 | $1.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado crossed from Marshall County into Benton County near Highway 4 west of Ashland. The tornado appeared to strengthen as it entered Benton County. Several houses west-northwest of Ashland has damage approaching EF-4 with EF-4 damage observed in Northeast Benton County. Six fatalities occurred in Benton County. Eighty-five structures were affected in Benton County. Seventeen homes and fifteen mobile homes were destroyed. Fifteen homes and three mobile homes suffered major damage. Twenty homes and seven mobile homes had minor damage. Many acres of timber were also damaged or destroyed. The tornado then continued into Tippah County.
A tornado touched down near Highway 5 approximately 2 miles south of Ashland. The tornado traveled northeast crossing into Tippah County. Eleven homes and mobile homes were destroyed with six receiving major damage. Twenty-three homes sustained minor damage. Numerous trees were snapped and debarked along the path. Power lines were also knocked down. A free standing transmission tower collapsed and was severely twisted as well. Two deaths and one critical injury occurred when a double wide mobile home was destroyed just east of Ashland. Four additional injuries, three of them critical, occurred when a mobile home was picked up by the tornado.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding across Benton County. Twenty roads sustained major damage. Forty roads received minor damage. Highway 4 west of Ashland was one road that was closed as a result of the flooding. Several homes and mobile homes sustained damage from the flooding.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,589
Population (ACS)
$105K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Oct 22, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDA | DR |
| Aug 28, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDA | EM |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Benton County, Mississippi?
102 events are on record between 1968 and 2026, causing 8 direct deaths and $5.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Benton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 53 recorded events — 52.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Benton County?
15 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 11 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Benton County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Benton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Benton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Benton County as very low risk, placing it in the 15 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Benton County, Mississippi severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Attala County 456
- Bolivar County 562
- Amite County 207
- Calhoun County 231
- Alcorn County 303
- Carroll County 345
Cite this page
“Benton County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/benton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.