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Rankin County, Mississippi severe weather history spans 1,335 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 47.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #54 nationally and #2 in Mississippi.
1,335
Recorded events
16
Direct deaths
152
Direct injuries
$392.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Rankin County, Mississippi severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Rankin County, Mississippi severe weather history averages 17.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 392 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 157 events fall before 1990 and 1,178 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Rankin County, Mississippi record is tornado, responsible for 12 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $172.6M 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 Rankin County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 636 | 2 | $23.7M | 90 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 318 | 0 | $172.6M | 4.5 | 1958–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 223 | 1 | $45.3M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 114 | 12 | $147.5M | F5 | 1950–2026 |
| Lightning | 24 | 1 | $2.6M | 0 | 2001–2025 |
| Flood | 15 | 0 | $263K | 0 | 2002–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2014 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2018 |
Decade by decade
Rankin County, Mississippi severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
121 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 96 touched down inside it and 25 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 |
| 1969-01-23 | EF4 | 32 | 241 | 117.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-11-21 | EF4 | 12 | 122 | 128.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1976-03-29 | EF4 | 0 | 8 | 126.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1958-02-26 | EF3 | 8 | 26 | 69.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2014-04-28 | EF3 | 1 | 10 | 29.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1958-02-26 | EF3 | 1 | 34 | 71.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-04-06 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-04-24 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-06-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Rankin County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 22, 1992 | Tornado | 10 | 98 | $25.0M | |
| Feb 27, 1958 | Tornado | 1 | 14 | $250K | |
| Apr 28, 2014 | Tornado | LAKELAND | 1 | 10 | $13.0M |
| May 11, 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | BARNETT RES WEST | 1 | 3 | $25K |
| May 10, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | LUCKNEY | 1 | 2 | $750K |
| Apr 22, 2025 | Lightning | BARNETT RES EAST | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 3, 2017 | Flash Flood | FLORENCE | 1 | 0 | $20K |
| Apr 6, 2005 | Tornado | FLORENCE | 0 | 6 | $11.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A few fences were blown down and minor shingle damage to a few homes. One vehicle had all the windows blown out. The three people inside suffered minor injuries from the flying broken glass. Along Fannin Landing Circle several more trees and large limbs were also blown down. Other trees were blown down in the Buckingham neighborhood with 1 tree down on a car. Winds were estimated around 70 mph.
A large storm producing extremely large hail continued moving across the Jackson metro area and then across the rest of Rankin County. Hail up to 2.5 inches in diameter fell as this storm moved east causing substantial damage to vehicles and buildings. Baseball size hail fell at the MEMA State EOC causing extensive damage to state and personal vehicles. The Whitfield State Hospital had numerous windows blown out and extensive roof damage with glass ending up in patients' beds.
This strong tornado moved directly through downtown Brandon damaging or destroying several businesses, one school and dozens of homes. In addition to structural damage, hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted as the tornado move to the NE.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
158,854
Population (ACS)
$237K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| 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 |
| May 4, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Flowood 174
- Brandon 171
- Florence 158
- Luckney 143
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Rankin County, Mississippi?
1,335 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 16 direct deaths and $392.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Rankin County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 636 recorded events — 47.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Rankin County?
121 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 96 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Rankin County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Rankin County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Rankin County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rankin County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 85 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Rankin 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
- Quitman County 80
- Scott County 546
- Prentiss County 245
- Sharkey County 215
- Pontotoc County 376
- Simpson County 594
Cite this page
“Rankin County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/rankin-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.