47
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
141
Direct injuries
$46.1M
Property damage
Tornado in Forrest County, Mississippi: 47 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #432 nationally and #31 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Forrest County, Mississippi: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Forrest County is the 2000s, when 10 of the county's 47 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, tornado makes up 6.3% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #432 for this hazard and #31 within Mississippi, putting it in the 85.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Mar is the peak month for tornado in Forrest County with 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-04-19 | EF4 | 53.8 mi | 2,275 yd | Crossed in |
| 2013-02-10 | EF4 | 21.7 mi | 1,320 yd | Crossed in |
| 2017-01-21 | EF3 | 31.1 mi | 900 yd | Crossed in |
| 2006-11-15 | EF3 | 13.0 mi | 500 yd | Crossed in |
| 1982-05-07 | EF3 | 13.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-06 | EF2 | 6.5 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2022-03-30 | EF2 | 11.3 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 2022-12-14 | EF2 | 1.9 mi | 125 yd | Touched down here |
| 2012-12-25 | EF2 | 28.6 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 2012-12-25 | EF2 | 8.0 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 21, 2017 | BONHOMIE | EF3 | 4 | 56 | $9.0M |
| Feb 10, 2013 | HATTIESBURG | EF3 | 0 | 63 | $25.0M |
| Mar 4, 2008 | MC LAURIN | EF1 | 0 | 14 | $1.5M |
| Mar 12, 2001 | HATTIESBURG | F1 | 0 | 5 | $6.0M |
| Apr 20, 2020 | BONHOMIE | EF1 | 0 | 1 | $100K |
| Oct 18, 2007 | MAMMOTH SPGS | EF1 | 0 | 1 | $100K |
| May 7, 1982 | F3 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 6, 2025 | MAMMOTH SPGS | EF2 | $1.0M |
| Dec 27, 2024 | MAXIE | EF0 | $3K |
| Dec 14, 2022 | CARNES | EF1 | $40K |
| Dec 14, 2022 | MACEDONIA | EF2 | $100K |
| Dec 14, 2022 | MACEDONIA | EF0 | $40K |
| Mar 31, 2022 | CARNES | EF2 | $250K |
| Mar 31, 2022 | BONHOMIE | EF0 | $10K |
| Apr 20, 2020 | BONHOMIE | EF1 | $100K |
| Jul 14, 2019 | MACEDONIA | EF0 | $3K |
| Aug 30, 2017 | PETAL | EF1 | $200K |
Other hazards here
More from Forrest County
- Thunderstorm Wind 355
- Hail 177
- Flash Flood 136
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado touched down at Camp Shelby and snapped or uprooted numerous trees, and downed several power lines along the short path. Twelve buildings, mostly barracks, were damaged. Several buildings had the roofs severely damaged with one roof nearly completely torn off. Several walls of the barrack buildings collapsed where the roof support was lost. A hummer was turned over and windows were blown out of several other vehicles. Maximum wind speed was 110 mph.
Tornado touched down east of I-59, snapping trees and causing damage to a billboard sign near the interstate. The tornado traveled northeast, causing shingle damage to roofs and uprooting trees between Eatonville Rd and Monroe Rd. Tornado cross Leaf River, where it reached EF-2 intensity of 115 mph and total width of 400 yds. EF-2 damage found west of HWY 11 near Pierce Construction where 2 homes sustained roof damage. Both homes had a significant portion of their roofs missing. Two RVs where also overturned with numerous trees snapped and uprooted. Tornado crossed HWY 11 and damaged a single wide mobile building and large construction building at Dunn Roadbuilders. The tornado continued northeast to produce tree damage before lifting west of Greens Creek. Tornado path length was 6.5 miles and maximum estimated winds were 115 mph.
This tornado touched down in Petal along West Central Ave. Here, two businesses sustained minor roof damage with a portion of the roof peeled off. Several trees were uprooted and a fence was blown down. As the tornado moved northward, a few more trees were downed along with limbs broken off trees. Along Stevens St, a large tree crushed two vehicles. More minor tree damage occurred across several streets before the tornado crossed the intersection of Highway 11 and the Evelyn Gandy Parkway, where more trees were damaged. The tornado lifted after it crossed into the wooded area north of the Parkway near the Leaf River. Maximum winds were around 90 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Forrest County, Mississippi?
47 tornado events are recorded in Forrest County between 1957 and 2025, causing 4 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Forrest County?
The strongest tornado on record in Forrest County measured F3.
Where does the tornado 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
“Tornado in Forrest County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/forrest-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.