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Leflore County, Mississippi severe weather history spans 432 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,127 nationally and #30 in Mississippi.
432
Recorded events
17
Direct deaths
207
Direct injuries
$45.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Leflore County, Mississippi severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Leflore County, Mississippi severe weather history averages 6.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 136 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 102 events fall before 1990 and 330 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Leflore County, Mississippi record is tornado, responsible for 16 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $33.7M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Leflore County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 228 | 1 | $5.3M | 85 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 116 | 0 | $2.6M | 2 | 1958–2025 |
| Tornado | 47 | 16 | $33.7M | F4 | 1956–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 36 | 0 | $3.3M | 0 | 1998–2021 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $53K | 0 | 2005–2012 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2009 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 2024–2024 |
Decade by decade
Leflore County, Mississippi severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
41 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 32 touched down inside it and 9 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 | EF5 | 47 | 510 | 109.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-02-21 | EF4 | 58 | 795 | 202.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-11-07 | EF3 | 2 | 1 | 31.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-02-24 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 22.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-11-24 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-04-21 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 12.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 35.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-09-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-12-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-12-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Leflore County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 1971 | Tornado | 14 | 192 | $0 | |
| Apr 21, 1984 | Tornado | 2 | 4 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 5, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | GREENWOOD | 1 | 0 | $25K |
| Jan 26, 1967 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $250K | |
| Apr 1, 1970 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous roads were flooded in and north of the Greenwood area, including portions of US Highway 82 and MS Highway 7. About 50 homes were flooded in Greenwood and around the surrounding area including several along MS Highway 7 and several in the Yalobusha mobile home park. About 15 homes were flooded in Itta Bena. Stranded motorists and residents had to be rescued from flooded roads and neighborhoods.
A swath of thunderstorm wind damage occurred from Itta Bena to Greenwood. At Itta Bena, several large trees as well as power lines were blown down. A couple of homes were damage. One home sustained roof damage and the other some window damage. The roof was completely blown off of a large church and a grain bin was torn down. Trees were blown down around Greenwood and a large fence was blow down at the Industrial park.
Significant flooding occurred in and around Greenwood. Roughly 80 to 90 percent of the roads in town were flooded. Several homes were flooded along with several cars stalled. One car was submerged on Main Street with the driver having to be rescued.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
27,141
Population (ACS)
$101K
Median home value
25
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 |
| Oct 22, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDA | DR |
| Aug 28, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDA | EM |
| Apr 23, 2020 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Greenwood 127
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Leflore County, Mississippi?
432 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 17 direct deaths and $45.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Leflore County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 228 recorded events — 52.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Leflore County?
41 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 32 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Leflore County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Leflore County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Leflore County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Leflore County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 74 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Leflore 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
- Lee County 704
- Lincoln County 578
- Leake County 546
- Lowndes County 628
- Lawrence County 423
- Madison County 816
Cite this page
“Leflore County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/leflore-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.