82
Recorded events
15
Direct deaths
590
Direct injuries
$85.3M
Property damage
Tornado in Jones County, Mississippi: 82 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #107 nationally and #5 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Jones County, Mississippi: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Jones County is the 2000s, when 19 of the county's 82 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 Jones County archive, tornado makes up 8.6% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #107 for this hazard and #5 within Mississippi, putting it in the 96.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in Jones County with 21 recorded events, while Aug 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-04-12 | EF4 | 67.4 mi | 3,960 yd | Crossed in |
| 1987-02-28 | EF4 | 35.0 mi | 1,230 yd | Touched down here |
| 1951-04-21 | EF3 | 33.5 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-14 | EF3 | 25.5 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 1973-05-27 | EF3 | 15.0 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2019-12-16 | EF3 | 61.2 mi | 350 yd | Touched down here |
| 2014-04-28 | EF3 | 10.5 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
| 2006-11-15 | EF3 | 15.9 mi | 850 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 12.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1972-01-09 | EF3 | 23.6 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 28, 1987 | F4 | 6 | 350 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 12, 2020 | HEBRON | EF4 | 3 | 80 | $11.8M |
| Apr 22, 1951 | F3 | 2 | 10 | $25K | |
| Dec 23, 2014 | SERVICE | EF2 | 2 | 0 | $2.2M |
| May 27, 1973 | F3 | 1 | 35 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 15, 1999 | HEBRON | F3 | 1 | 30 | $4.0M |
| Dec 29, 1954 | F3 | 0 | 25 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 29, 2014 | ERRATA | EF3 | 0 | 15 | $1.5M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 9, 2026 | HOY | EF0 | $50K |
| Apr 6, 2025 | SOSO | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 6, 2025 | GITANO | EF0 | $5K |
| Mar 15, 2025 | HEBRON | EF1 | $0 |
| Dec 27, 2024 | MILL CREEK | EF0 | $10K |
| Apr 3, 2023 | HOY | EF1 | $20K |
| Jan 4, 2023 | ERRATA | EF1 | $50K |
| Dec 14, 2022 | OVETT | EF1 | $20K |
| Apr 18, 2022 | HOY | EF1 | $3K |
| Apr 14, 2022 | OAK BOWERY | EF1 | $75K |
Other hazards here
More from Jones County
- Thunderstorm Wind 486
- Hail 215
- Flash Flood 123
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This strong tornado entered from Covington County and crossed northwest Jones County before entering Southwest Jasper county. One man was killed just north of Hebron when his mobile home was thrown more than fifty yards and destroyed. There were thirty injuries and many homes were destroyed. Tree and power line damage was widespread along the path of the tornado.
Thirty-three houses were damaged in northwest Laurel. Two houses were destroyed, 12 houses had major damage, and 19 houses had minor damage. Eleven business were damaged. Much of the damage occurred when large trees fell on buildings.
A tornado formed about three miles northwest of Laurel or between the cities of Laurel and Soso in northwest Jones County. The tornado moved northeast 1 mile, before dissipating two miles northwest of the Laurel. West Jones County High School and Middle School sustained significant, structural damage. Most of the roof had collapsed along with other, structural damage which made the facility inhabitable. Damage costs to the school alone exceeded 2.5 million dollars per one county official. One home and one mobile home were also destroyed. Otherwise, ten to twelve homes sustained major damage along with several trees that were uprooted by the tornado.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Jones County, Mississippi?
82 tornado events are recorded in Jones County between 1951 and 2026, causing 15 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Jones County?
The strongest tornado on record in Jones County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Jones 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 Jones County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/jones-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.