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Pontotoc County, Mississippi severe weather history spans 376 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,351 nationally and #39 in Mississippi.
376
Recorded events
9
Direct deaths
62
Direct injuries
$36.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Pontotoc County, Mississippi severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Pontotoc County, Mississippi severe weather history averages 5.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 98 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 50 events fall before 1990 and 326 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Pontotoc County, Mississippi record is tornado, responsible for 8 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $33.5M 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 Pontotoc County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 198 | 1 | $1.5M | 87 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 116 | 0 | $736K | 2.75 | 1958–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 30 | 0 | $370K | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Tornado | 25 | 8 | $33.5M | F3 | 1953–2025 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $166K | 0 | 2003–2008 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2017–2017 |
Decade by decade
Pontotoc County, Mississippi severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
34 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-04-21 | EF3 | 15 | 76 | 71.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-02-24 | EF3 | 6 | 73 | 52.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-03-01 | EF3 | 0 | 16 | 30.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-03-01 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-01-21 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 33.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-04-01 | EF2 | 1 | 5 | 16.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-05 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 39.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-03-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-11-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-18 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Pontotoc County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 25, 2001 | Tornado | ROBBS | 6 | 43 | $28.0M |
| Apr 1, 2023 | Tornado | SPRINGVILLE | 1 | 5 | $0 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | Tornado | ROBBS | 1 | 4 | $100K |
| Apr 8, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | THAXTON | 1 | 0 | $50K |
| May 18, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| May 20, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Apr 5, 2025 | Tornado | TOCCOPOLA | 0 | 1 | $300K |
| Nov 24, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | FURRS | 0 | 1 | $50K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado continued in Pontotoc moving in near Robbs and tracking northeast through the county. The tornado moved through the entire county eventually moving into extreme southeast Union county near the town of Blue Springs. The tornado produced much of its damage between Algona and Pontotoc. At least 360 homes, 15 businesses and 2 churches were damaged or destroyed in Pontotoc. Among the homes destroyed was a restored antebellum plantation home listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down.
One person was killed when his mobile home was demolished. One house had its windows blown out of it. A shed lost its roof. Two mobile homes and one house were damaged. A horse was killed in the storm. Numerous trees were blown down.
The tornado crossed into northwest Pontotoc County, causing significant damage to trees and utility poles northwest of Thaxton, especially along Highway 336 and Carter Road. As the tornado moved northeast toward Hurricane, it produced substantial damage to several farm outbuildings and removed part of a roof from a home on Wells Road. Additional tree and utility pole damage was noted along Todd Road and Highways 346 and 355. The storm also had a substantial rear flank downdraft, resulting in straight-line wind damage in the Hurricane community east of the tornado track. The tornado then moved over forested bottomland around Mud Creek before crossing into Union County. Estimated peak winds across Pontotoc were 120 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
31,550
Population (ACS)
$157K
Median home value
20
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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Pontotoc 104
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Pontotoc County, Mississippi?
376 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 9 direct deaths and $36.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Pontotoc County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 198 recorded events — 52.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Pontotoc County?
34 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 25 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Pontotoc County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Pontotoc County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Pontotoc County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pontotoc County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 50 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Pontotoc 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
- Pike County 349
- Prentiss County 245
- Perry County 211
- Quitman County 80
- Pearl River County 350
- Rankin County 1,335
Cite this page
“Pontotoc County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/pontotoc-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.