Pearl River County, Mississippi severe weather history spans 350 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,489 nationally and #42 in Mississippi.
350
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
41
Direct injuries
$14.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Pearl River County, Mississippi severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Pearl River County, Mississippi severe weather history averages 5.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 127 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 57 events fall before 1990 and 293 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Pearl River County, Mississippi record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $5.9M 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 Pearl River County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 182 | 1 | $5.9M | 84 | 1960–2026 |
| Hail | 74 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1968–2026 |
| Tornado | 56 | 0 | $5.3M | F2 | 1956–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 0 | $2.9M | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2007 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $90K | 0 | 1996–2004 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $600K | 0 | 1997–2019 |
Decade by decade
Pearl River County, Mississippi severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
60 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 57 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-12-25 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 24.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-12-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-02-19 | EF2 | 0 | 10 | 23.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-02-15 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-05-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-27 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-11-03 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 43.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Pearl River County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 24, 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | HILLSDALE | 1 | 0 | $20K |
| Feb 19, 1996 | Tornado | WHITE SAND | 0 | 10 | $700K |
| Dec 25, 2012 | Tornado | MILL CREEK | 0 | 8 | $2.5M |
| Nov 3, 1968 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $0 | |
| May 26, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $25K | |
| Feb 27, 1958 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Aug 14, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | PICAYUNE | 0 | 2 | $50K |
| Nov 21, 1997 | Tornado | NICHOLSON | 0 | 2 | $700K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A severe thunderstorms produced damaging thunderstorm winds gusts across southern Pearl River County, particularly in the vicinity of Picayune. The thunderstorm wind gusts downed numerous trees and utility poles and caused damage to a few hundred homes and businesses in Picayune and surrounding areas of southern Pearl River County. Most of the property damage occurred when trees and large tree limbs were blown onto houses and businesses. Approximately 9,500 customers lost power during the storm.
Rainbands associated with Tropical Storm Isaac produced torrential rainfall across the county. Extensive secondary roadway flooding was reported and some houses flooded. A number of water rescues were conducted due to the flooding. Interstate Highway 59 at mile marker 31 was closed for several hours due to flooding.
Widespread heavy rain of 6 to 10 inches and some areas near 15 inches of rainfall occurred over northern Pearl River resulting in significant flash floodng. Time of heaviest rainfall was between 1 am and 4 am CDT. Significant damage was reported in the Hillsdale area. Interstate 59 was closed at Mile Marker 32 during the morning hours, due to the Wolf River getting out of its banks. Numerous small streams getting out of their banks and washing out several bridges. Twenty rail cars derailed on the rail line near Hillsdale. A report was received of two local earthen dams compromised in the area. Some residents in rural areas were trapped in the homes by flood waters and some homes were flooded. Flood waters moved downstream along the Wolf River and also the east and west Hobolochitto Rivers creating additional flooding over the next couple of days that did not directly receive heavy rainfall. Heavy rainfall, limited visibility and traffic stopped on the Interstate 59 also contributed to a fatality auto accident.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
57,458
Population (ACS)
$182K
Median home value
36
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 |
| Oct 28, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ZETA | EM |
| Oct 8, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE DELTA | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Pearl River County, Mississippi?
350 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $14.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Pearl River County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 182 recorded events — 52.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Pearl River County?
60 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 57 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Pearl River County?
36 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Pearl River County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Pearl River County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pearl River County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 86 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Pearl River 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
- Panola County 305
- Perry County 211
- Oktibbeha County 397
- Pike County 349
- Noxubee County 335
- Pontotoc County 376
Cite this page
“Pearl River County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/pearl-river-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.