40
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
55
Direct injuries
$7.0M
Property damage
Tornado in Lawrence County, Mississippi: 40 recorded events between 1968 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #620 nationally and #37 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Lawrence County, Mississippi: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Lawrence County is the 2020s, when 14 of the county's 40 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 Lawrence County archive, tornado makes up 9.5% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #620 for this hazard and #37 within Mississippi, putting it in the 78.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in Lawrence County with 9 recorded events, while Jun 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-01-10 | EF4 | 56.5 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1978-04-18 | EF4 | 19.1 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-12 | EF3 | 83.2 mi | 2,041 yd | Touched down here |
| 1999-02-27 | EF3 | 17.0 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-02-21 | EF3 | 9.8 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2019-12-16 | EF2 | 10.7 mi | 600 yd | Touched down here |
| 2012-12-25 | EF2 | 8.4 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 2004-11-24 | EF2 | 28.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1986-04-12 | EF2 | 21.8 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1969-04-13 | EF2 | 5.6 mi | 140 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 18, 1978 | F4 | 4 | 31 | $250K | |
| Apr 12, 2020 | TILTON | EF3 | 2 | 3 | $750K |
| Feb 21, 1974 | F3 | 0 | 13 | $250K | |
| Dec 25, 2012 | LAMBERTS STORE | EF2 | 0 | 7 | $200K |
| Aug 26, 1992 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 11, 2026 | VERNA | EF1 | $0 |
| Mar 11, 2026 | VERNA | EF1 | $0 |
| Feb 15, 2026 | ARM | EF0 | $9K |
| Feb 15, 2026 | ROBINWOOD | EF1 | $0 |
| Jan 10, 2026 | WANILLA | EF0 | $5K |
| Jan 6, 2025 | OMA | EF0 | $15K |
| May 13, 2024 | DIVIDE | EF1 | $100K |
| May 13, 2024 | TOPEKA | EF1 | $120K |
| Nov 21, 2023 | TRYUS | EF1 | $50K |
| Feb 9, 2023 | TILTON | EF1 | $40K |
Other hazards here
More from Lawrence County
- Thunderstorm Wind 238
- Hail 106
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This strong tornado moved across Northern Lawrence county through mainly rural areas knocking down many trees and power lines. Many homes received damage, particularly near the towns of Sontag and New Hebron. Several homes received major damage.
An EF-1 tornado touched down just west of Holmesville Road and damaged the Calvary United Church, then quickly dissipated just east of the road. This tornado developed on the north side of am intense downburst and wind swath as a brief spin-up. Despite the brevity, numerous trees were uprooted or snapped along the path with trees blown down to the NE/N/NW direction in a well defined convergent pattern. Power lines were down as well. Roof damage to the church build occurred as the debris was blown into the trees to the north side of the property. Max winds were around 100 mph.
An EF-1 tornado touched down just west of Renfroe Road and Gaskin Lane. This tornado developed on the north side of an intense downburst and wind swath as a brief spin-up. Despite the brevity, numerous trees were uprooted or snapped along the path with trees blown down to the northeast, north, and northwest in a well defined convergent pattern. Maximum winds were estimated to be around 95 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Lawrence County, Mississippi?
40 tornado events are recorded in Lawrence County between 1968 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Lawrence County?
The strongest tornado on record in Lawrence County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Lawrence 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 Lawrence County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/lawrence-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.