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Kemper County, Mississippi severe weather history spans 343 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,538 nationally and #45 in Mississippi.
343
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
43
Direct injuries
$49.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Kemper County, Mississippi severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Kemper County, Mississippi severe weather history averages 4.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 103 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 39 events fall before 1990 and 304 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Kemper County, Mississippi record is tornado, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $44.3M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Kemper County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 189 | 0 | $2.0M | 87 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 95 | 0 | $1.2M | 4.5 | 1960–2026 |
| Tornado | 37 | 5 | $44.3M | F4 | 1954–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 19 | 0 | $1.6M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $270K | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2022–2022 |
Decade by decade
Kemper County, Mississippi severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
42 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 29 touched down inside it and 13 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-03-03 | EF5 | 58 | 518 | 202.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-27 | EF5 | 3 | 6 | 28.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1986-03-12 | EF4 | 0 | 8 | 23.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-04-02 | EF3 | 3 | 40 | 42.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-04-11 | EF3 | 1 | 9 | 66.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-03-22 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 9.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-15 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 48.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-27 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 23.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-04-04 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 11.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-11-22 | EF2 | 1 | 1 | 27.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Kemper County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | Tornado | PRINCE CHAPEL | 3 | 6 | $100K |
| Apr 11, 2013 | Tornado | DAMASCUS | 1 | 5 | $700K |
| Nov 22, 1992 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $250K | |
| Jan 5, 2007 | Tornado | BLACKWATER | 0 | 9 | $600K |
| Dec 29, 1954 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $0 | |
| Apr 15, 2011 | Tornado | CLEVELAND | 0 | 5 | $11.0M |
| Jan 5, 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | DAMASCUS | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jan 13, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | DE KALB | 0 | 2 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This EF2 tornado began near Willie Clark Road in the Cleveland community, tracking east northeastward across MS Highway 16, Lynville Road, and Anderson Road before lifting just north of MS Highway 16. Along the path, multiple barns were demolished or heavily damaged, and several trees were snapped and uprooted. Along Lynville Road, multiple box trucks and tractors were turned on their sides and a home sustained minor damage. On Anderson Road, a large portion of roof was removed from a home and a portion of the outer walls fell. Path length 1.9 miles, max path width 300 yards, max winds 115 mph.
The tornado began near Kellis Store Road where several soft and hardwood trees were snapped and uprooted. The tornado continued northeast to Weaver Sciples Mill Road where it took the roof off of a home along with a couple of load bearing walls. Numerous hardwood and softwood trees were also snapped at this location. Across the street, a portion of a roof was taken off and a shed was also destroyed. The tornado continued northeast and crossed into Noxubee County where it caused significant damage along Gholson Road. One home sustained roof damage and windows were blown out. In addition, numerous hardwood and softwood trees were snapped. Two outbuildings were also destroyed at this location. Across the street, a well built garage was destroyed along with significant damage to a couple of other outbuildings. Trees were blown down and a shop was damaged along Gholson Road. Maximum winds were around 125 mph. Total path length across both Kemper and Noxubee Counties was 6 miles.
This strong tornado touched down in the Blackwater Community and caused extensive damage along its 2 mile path. Six homes were destroyed, five of which were mobile homes and one modular home. Nine people were injured with three serious. One car was flipped over and rolled along with extensive damage to trees and power lines along the path of this high end F2 tornado.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,729
Population (ACS)
$100K
Median home value
21
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 |
| May 4, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Kemper County, Mississippi?
343 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $49.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Kemper County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 189 recorded events — 55.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Kemper County?
42 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 29 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Kemper County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Kemper County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Kemper County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Kemper County as very low risk, placing it in the 15 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Kemper 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
- Jones County 950
- Lafayette County 366
- Jefferson Davis County 424
- Lamar County 590
- Jefferson County 269
- Lauderdale County 896
Cite this page
“Kemper County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/kemper-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.