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Covington County, Mississippi severe weather history spans 423 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 57.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,161 nationally and #32 in Mississippi.
423
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
156
Direct injuries
$76.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Covington County, Mississippi severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Covington County, Mississippi severe weather history averages 5.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 156 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 29 events fall before 1990 and 394 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Covington County, Mississippi record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $66.4M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Covington County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 242 | 0 | $5.6M | 87 | 1969–2026 |
| Hail | 67 | 0 | $1.5M | 2.75 | 1962–2024 |
| Tornado | 55 | 2 | $66.4M | F3 | 1952–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 53 | 0 | $3.4M | 0 | 1998–2026 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $35K | 0 | 2014–2017 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2006 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2014–2014 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Covington County, Mississippi severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
53 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 39 touched down inside it and 14 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-04-12 | EF4 | 7 | 98 | 67.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-15 | EF4 | 6 | 6 | 67.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-04-14 | EF3 | 1 | 33 | 25.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-12 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 83.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-12-16 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-04-06 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 28.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-11-11 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-11-21 | EF3 | 0 | 105 | 27.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-12-15 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 15.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-15 | EF2 | 1 | 1 | 18.2 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Covington County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 2025 | Tornado | WILLIAMSBURG | 1 | 4 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | Tornado | SEMINARY | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 100 | $25.0M | |
| Mar 15, 2025 | Tornado | HOT COFFEE | 0 | 11 | $0 |
| Apr 13, 1969 | Tornado | 0 | 11 | $250K | |
| Apr 7, 2014 | Tornado | WILLIAMSBURG | 0 | 8 | $2.0M |
| Apr 22, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $250K | |
| Apr 12, 2020 | Tornado | WILLIAMSBURG | 0 | 5 | $25.9M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Across W and SW Covington county, winds increased again as the core of the storm moved generally SE and SSE. Numerous trees were blown down and Several outbuildings had roof damage, and tree fall was extensive. As the stronger winds approached the Covington/Lamar county line, damage notably increased particularly in a narrow corridor near Lott Town Road and New Hope Road. In these areas tree fall was more consolidated, and damage occurred to numerous outbuildings. A chicken house was destroyed with most of the roof and a portion of the wall blown away. Three other chicken houses in the vicinity sustained damage. Swaths of large oaks were completely uprooted, and several pines were snapped. Some homes sustained roofing damage including one garage door that appeared to have suffered wind damage. This area likely experienced the highest winds of the event, with gusts estimated to have reached a maximum of 100 mph. This was part of a long swath of wind damage that started in central Copiah county near Hazlehurst and continued to roughly Hattiesburg.
Flooding around the Lux Community caused a culvert washout along McConnel Foster Road, and several unoccupied campers had to be towed away from flooding along Okatoma River Road. Flood waters eroded the railroad embankment along a stretch of tracks near the Lux Community. Three train cars later derailed after passing over the weakened tracks. An estimated 3 to 6 inches of rain fell nearby.
This strong tornado tracked across northeast Covington County before entering northwest Jones County. Many homes were damaged with several homes receiving major damage. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down and there were many livestock fatalities.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
18,148
Population (ACS)
$105K
Median home value
32
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| May 21, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 12, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES. | DR |
| Oct 22, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDA | DR |
| Aug 28, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDA | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Covington County, Mississippi?
423 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $76.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Covington County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 242 recorded events — 57.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Covington County?
53 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 39 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Covington County?
32 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Covington County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Covington County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Covington County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 51 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Covington 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
- Copiah County 638
- DeSoto County 498
- Coahoma County 247
- Forrest County 748
- Clay County 263
- Franklin County 278
Cite this page
“Covington County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/covington-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.