89
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
81
Direct injuries
$64.1M
Property damage
Tornado in Harrison County, Mississippi: 89 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #84 nationally and #4 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Harrison County, Mississippi: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Harrison County is the 2020s, when 20 of the county's 89 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 Harrison County archive, tornado makes up 16.6% of all recorded severe weather across 10 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #84 for this hazard and #4 within Mississippi, putting it in the 97.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Aug is the peak month for tornado in Harrison County with 16 recorded events, while Jan 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.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-10-30 | EF3 | 2.0 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1980-05-19 | EF3 | 13.1 mi | 800 yd | Crossed in |
| 1980-05-19 | EF3 | 10.6 mi | 800 yd | Touched down here |
| 1980-04-13 | EF3 | 15.9 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1980-05-16 | EF3 | 11.5 mi | 800 yd | Touched down here |
| 1968-11-03 | EF3 | 2.0 mi | 123 yd | Touched down here |
| 1966-04-18 | EF3 | 23.8 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1994-04-12 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2004-11-24 | EF2 | 1.5 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1988-03-03 | EF2 | 1.2 mi | 30 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 30, 1967 | F3 | 4 | 17 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 13, 1994 | Woolmarket | F2 | 2 | 15 | $5.0M |
| Apr 13, 1980 | F3 | 0 | 25 | $25.0M | |
| Feb 1, 1970 | F0 | 0 | 10 | $250K | |
| Nov 3, 1968 | F3 | 0 | 5 | $0 | |
| May 20, 1980 | F3 | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Feb 1, 1970 | F2 | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| May 7, 1972 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $3K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 2026 | GULFPORT | EF1 | $25K |
| Apr 25, 2026 | NORTH GULFPORT | EF1 | $25K |
| Apr 10, 2024 | LIGANA | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 10, 2024 | LIGANA | EF0 | $0 |
| Dec 14, 2022 | BEAUVOIR | EF1 | $0 |
| Oct 29, 2022 | LIGANA | EF0 | $2K |
| Aug 30, 2021 | BEAUVOIR | EF0 | $150K |
| Aug 30, 2021 | BEAUVOIR | EF0 | $100K |
| Aug 30, 2021 | HANDSBORO | EF0 | $100K |
| Aug 30, 2021 | (GPT)GULFPORT RGNL A | EF0 | $50K |
Other hazards here
More from Harrison County
- Thunderstorm Wind 229
- Hail 96
- Flash Flood 62
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Twenty mobile homes were totally destroyed and four brick homes were partially destroyed. At least four businesses were damaged. The two deaths and the fifteen injuries all occurred in mobile homes. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Damage was estimated at near one million dollars. F57M M08M
A tornado traveled east to west on path along Dedeaux Road between Highway 49 and Three Rivers Road in the Orange Grove community. Most of the damage was rated a F1 intensity by a NWS ground survey, however there were areas of F2 damage. A large church under-construction was heavily damaged or destroyed. Three homes and five businesses received major damage while twenty homes had minor damage. Early estimates were that damage would approach 3 million dollars.
A tornado touched down just north of the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. A half dozen houses along Pinewood Dr and Arbor Dr sustained minor roof damage. An air conditioner was blown off its pad and several trees and large branches were snapped. The tornado tracked north across Pass Rd where a portion of the roof was torn off a restaurant and bank, and several trees were downed in an adjoining parking lot. The tornado then tracked to the north-northwest, eventually crossing Popps Ferry Rd toward Carter Rd, Martin Rd, and Old Bay Rd. Numerous houses with shingle damage, downed fences and a few downed trees were noted in the tornado's path. The tornado tracked along Carmargue Ln and either dissipated shortly thereafter or continued as waterspout in Big Lake. Survey conducted remotely via high-res aerial photography. Estimated peak winds of 80 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Harrison County, Mississippi?
89 tornado events are recorded in Harrison County between 1953 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Harrison County?
The strongest tornado on record in Harrison County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Harrison 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
“Tornado in Harrison County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/harrison-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.