355
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
48
Direct injuries
$5.2M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Forrest County, Mississippi: 355 recorded events between 1963 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 78. That places the county #292 nationally and #8 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Forrest County, Mississippi: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Forrest County is the 2000s, when 109 of the county's 355 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Forrest County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 47.5% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #292 for this hazard and #8 within Mississippi, putting it in the 90.7 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Forrest County with 68 recorded events, while Sep is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 6, 1998 | HATTIESBURG | 0 | 2 | 45 | $1.0M |
| May 13, 2024 | MACEDONIA | 52 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
| Apr 24, 2021 | CARNES | 50 | 0 | 1 | $2K |
| Oct 26, 1996 | HATTIESBURG | 0 | 0 | 1 | $50K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 11, 2026 | CARNES | 65 | $30K |
| Mar 11, 2026 | PETAL | 61 | $0 |
| Aug 13, 2025 | BROOKLYN | 50 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2025 | (HBG)HATTIESBURG ARP | 50 | $1K |
| Mar 5, 2025 | FRUITLAND PARK | 52 | $5K |
| Mar 5, 2025 | (HBG)HATTIESBURG ARP | 50 | $0 |
| Mar 5, 2025 | RAGLAND | 52 | $5K |
| Mar 5, 2025 | (HBG)HATTIESBURG ARP | 50 | $1K |
| Mar 4, 2025 | MAYBANK | 50 | $1K |
| Feb 16, 2025 | HATTIESBURG | 55 | $55K |
Other hazards here
More from Forrest County
- Hail 177
- Flash Flood 136
- Tornado 47
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across the city of Hattiesburg blocking many of the roads and highways. Winds heavily damaged twenty-five homes and twenty-five mobile homes. Forty-five people were injured and two people were killed. The two fatalities were both in automobiles which ran into falling trees or the trees fell on them.
This swath of significant straight line winds started near the Leaf River and moved generally ESE. Heaviest damage was along Highway 11 and then again along Leeville near the intersections of Miller and Deermont. Numerous trees were uprooted, snapped or had large sections broken out of them. Several powerlines were downed as well. A few homes had shingle damage or roof damage from large limbs along with some fences damaged. One shed had the roof blown off. The tree fall pattern was to the SE. Peak winds in this swath are around 90 mph. Swath length was almost 3 miles and about a mile wide.
This swath of wind started on the south side of Petal near Boxtel Street and Crabapple Drive and moved SSE across Carterville Road into the Carterville community. Initially a shed had the roof torn off and many large limbs broken in trees. Tree damage increased quickly between Corinth Road and Carterville Road. Numerous trees were uprooted or had large limbs snapped along Carterville Road as well as Harvey Ave, Jones St and Azalea Ave. Three homes had shingle pealed off and one had a large section of siding removed. Power lines were down as well. The tree fall pattern was to the south and SSE. Peak winds were around 80 mph. Swath length was roughly a mile long, width 1/3rd of a mile.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Forrest County, Mississippi?
355 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Forrest County between 1963 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Forrest County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Forrest County measured 78.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Forrest County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Forrest County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/forrest-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.