41
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
96
Direct injuries
$133.6M
Property damage
Tornado in Lee County, Mississippi: 41 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #598 nationally and #35 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Lee County, Mississippi: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Lee County is the 2020s, when 14 of the county's 41 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 Lee County archive, tornado makes up 5.8% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #598 for this hazard and #35 within Mississippi, putting it in the 79.7 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in Lee County with 10 recorded events, while Jul 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-04-29 | EF4 | 4.7 mi | 1,000 yd | Touched down here |
| 2001-02-24 | EF3 | 52.0 mi | 1,000 yd | Crossed in |
| 1988-11-19 | EF3 | 12.5 mi | 120 yd | Touched down here |
| 2014-04-28 | EF3 | 31.0 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-08 | EF3 | 7.6 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1975-03-23 | EF3 | 17.2 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-04-01 | EF2 | 1.6 mi | 750 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-31 | EF2 | 13.1 mi | 750 yd | Crossed in |
| 2019-12-16 | EF2 | 9.4 mi | 250 yd | Touched down here |
| 2018-11-05 | EF2 | 10.2 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 30, 1963 | F4 | 3 | 20 | $250K | |
| Nov 20, 1988 | F3 | 2 | 11 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 28, 2014 | BISSELL | EF3 | 0 | 30 | $15.0M |
| May 13, 1978 | F1 | 0 | 18 | $250K | |
| Dec 24, 1977 | F1 | 0 | 7 | $25K | |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F2 | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| Sep 16, 1996 | VERONA | F0 | 0 | 3 | $600K |
| Oct 4, 1990 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 6, 2025 | FROG IS | EF1 | $30K |
| Feb 16, 2025 | SHANNON | EF1 | $250K |
| Apr 1, 2023 | TUPELO | EF1 | $105.0M |
| Apr 1, 2023 | BALDWYN | EF2 | $0 |
| Apr 1, 2023 | CORRONA | EF2 | $1.0M |
| Mar 25, 2023 | BIRMINGHAM | EF1 | $300K |
| Jun 8, 2021 | MOOREVILLE | EF0 | $10K |
| Jun 8, 2021 | VERONA | EF0 | $50K |
| Jun 8, 2021 | VERONA | EF0 | $5K |
| May 3, 2021 | EGGVILLE | EF0 | $15K |
Other hazards here
More from Lee County
- Thunderstorm Wind 341
- Hail 241
- Flash Flood 70
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down near the Pontotoc County line west of Tupelo. The tornado strengthened as it moved into Tupelo reaching a peak intensity along Clayton Avenue and Country Club Road and in the commercial area along North Gloster from Hillcrest Drive to North Green Street. The Joyner Elementary School and Maintenance Shop suffered major damage. Maximum winds were estimated at 150 mph. A woman was killed when her vehicle hydroplaned and hit a tree during the storm. The tornado continued northeast and caused significant damage near Elvis Presley Lake including toppling a 400 foot communication tower. 84 homes were destroyed in Lee County while 169 homes suffered major damage. 351 other homes had minor damage. Six mobile homes were destroyed. Nine mobile homes had major damage while 6 others had minor damage. 17 businesses were destroyed while 9 suffered major damage. The tornado then tracked into Itawamba County.
The tornado developed in far eastern Pontotoc County along Lee Line Road. The tornado then caused EF-0 and EF-1 damage to homes and trees just west and north of the Tupelo Airport. As it approached Colonial Estates Road the tornado intensified and damaged numerous homes. Two homes had roofs completely removed and non-brick exterior walls collapsed on one of them. Several homes saw partial roof damage. As the tornado crossed McCullough Blvd., several businesses were damaged including one which had the roof partially removed. The tornado weakened and continued on snapping trees and causing some slight structural damage as it crossed I-22 where it hit buildings just south of Barnes Crossing Mall. The tornado intensified again as it crossed Bog Oaks Golf Club and approached an assisted living center. The tornado caused considerable roof damage to the assisted living center. The final damage seen before it lifted was observed along County Road 851.
The continued into Lee county from Union county and tracked northeast producing damage in Baldwyn. The tornado then moved out of Lee county into Prentiss county. In Guntown, eight homes and 1 business were heavily damaged while 13 other structures were damaged. In Saltillo, a mobile homes overturned. The tornado did significant damage in Baldwyn, which is located on the Lee/Prentiss county line. Nearly 100 homes were damaged or destroyed including the Baldwyn High School which lost the roof to its gymnasium.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Lee County, Mississippi?
41 tornado events are recorded in Lee County between 1955 and 2025, causing 5 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Lee County?
The strongest tornado on record in Lee County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Lee 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 Lee County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/lee-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.