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Sunflower County, Mississippi severe weather history spans 446 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,075 nationally and #29 in Mississippi.
446
Recorded events
28
Direct deaths
352
Direct injuries
$24.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Sunflower County, Mississippi severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Sunflower County, Mississippi severe weather history averages 6.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 125 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 65 events fall before 1990 and 381 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Sunflower County, Mississippi record is tornado, responsible for 28 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $9.0M 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 Sunflower County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 231 | 0 | $9.0M | 80 | 1971–2026 |
| Hail | 128 | 0 | $3.1M | 3 | 1968–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 45 | 0 | $3.2M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Tornado | 36 | 28 | $8.3M | F5 | 1954–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2017 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $202K | 0 | 2009–2010 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $200K | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Sunflower 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: 26 touched down inside it and 8 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 | EF3 | 3 | 0 | 8.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-11-24 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-11-19 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-01-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-01-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 11.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-09-24 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 18.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-01-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-11-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Sunflower County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 1971 | Tornado | 25 | 342 | $2.5M | |
| Feb 21, 1971 | Tornado | 3 | 0 | $0 | |
| Apr 27, 2011 | Tornado | SUNFLOWER | 0 | 3 | $300K |
| Nov 20, 1988 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Apr 3, 1956 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Apr 13, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | MOORHEAD | 0 | 1 | $20K |
| May 9, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An EF-2 tornado touched down in northern Sunflower County on the grounds of Mississippi State Penitentiary. It caused minor damage on the penitentiary grounds before tracking northeast toward Rome. The tornado damaged or destroyed several homes and businesses in Rome including the Rome Post Office. It also snapped several wooden power poles along US 49W. The tornado lifted as it approached the Sunflower/Tallahatchie/Coahoma county line. The estimated peak wind was 115 mph.
This tornado touched down 6 miles southwest of Indianola and raced northeast toward and across the southern part of town. Numerous trees were snapped along with a few power poles and metal signs blown down. Several sheds were also destroyed along the path. The Kingdom Hall Church, along Highway 49, had half of its roof blown off along with the entire car port destroyed. An area fence was severe damaged as debris was blown along the path. An irrigation pivot system was flipped over and severely damaged just east of town.
Heavy rainfall, between 4 and 5 inches, fell around the Ruleville area. Significant flooding occurred throughout the city and outlying areas. Many roads were under water and impassable with 50 to 60 homes flooded. Large sections of farmland were under water and some damage was done to crops.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
24,333
Population (ACS)
$100K
Median home value
22
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 16, 2020 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Sunflower County, Mississippi?
446 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 28 direct deaths and $24.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Sunflower County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 231 recorded events — 51.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Sunflower County?
34 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 26 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Sunflower County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Sunflower County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Sunflower County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sunflower County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 70 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Sunflower 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
- Stone County 194
- Tallahatchie County 202
- Smith County 610
- Tate County 196
- Simpson County 594
- Tippah County 224
Cite this page
“Sunflower County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/sunflower-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.