50
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
99
Direct injuries
$78.7M
Property damage
Tornado in Lowndes County, Mississippi: 50 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #372 nationally and #28 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Lowndes County, Mississippi: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Lowndes County is the 2010s, when 15 of the county's 50 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 Lowndes County archive, tornado makes up 8.0% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #372 for this hazard and #28 within Mississippi, putting it in the 86.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in Lowndes County with 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-02-23 | EF3 | 9.7 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 2013-04-11 | EF3 | 66.4 mi | 1,320 yd | Crossed in |
| 2008-01-10 | EF3 | 13.3 mi | 2,500 yd | Touched down here |
| 2002-11-10 | EF3 | 29.2 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 1965-03-17 | EF3 | 8.5 mi | 230 yd | Touched down here |
| 1962-03-31 | EF3 | 3.0 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
| 1957-11-17 | EF2 | 14.8 mi | 70 yd | Crossed in |
| 2022-11-29 | EF2 | 8.4 mi | 1,100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2014-04-28 | EF2 | 14.3 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 2014-04-28 | EF2 | 10.3 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 23, 2019 | COLUMBUS | EF3 | 1 | 11 | $2.0M |
| Nov 11, 2002 | CRAWFORD | F1 | 1 | 0 | $100K |
| Nov 11, 2002 | ARTESIA | F3 | 0 | 55 | $60.0M |
| Oct 10, 1992 | F2 | 0 | 16 | $2.5M | |
| Jan 10, 2008 | KOLOLA SPGS | EF3 | 0 | 11 | $7.0M |
| Dec 28, 1968 | F2 | 0 | 5 | $0 | |
| Mar 31, 1962 | F3 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2025 | WELLS | EF1 | $200K |
| Mar 31, 2025 | WELLS | EF0 | $5K |
| Mar 15, 2024 | STEENS | EF0 | $20K |
| Mar 15, 2024 | CALEDONIA | EF1 | $75K |
| Nov 30, 2022 | CRAWFORD | EF1 | $3K |
| Nov 30, 2022 | WELLS | EF2 | $1.0M |
| Apr 14, 2022 | TRINITY | EF1 | $20K |
| Apr 14, 2022 | ARTESIA | EF1 | $30K |
| Apr 18, 2019 | TRINITY | EF1 | $20K |
| Feb 23, 2019 | COLUMBUS | EF3 | $2.0M |
Other hazards here
More from Lowndes County
- Thunderstorm Wind 350
- Hail 156
- Flash Flood 55
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado originally developed in Winston County, almost 8 miles northeast of Louisville around 7:20 PM. After moving through parts of Noxubee and Oktibbeha Counties, the tornado moved into Southwest Lowndes County around 7:45 PM. As it moved through the town of Crawford, a man was killed while trying to warn his neighbors of the impending storm. Several homes and trees were also destroyed. The tornado moved into Pickens County, Alabama about 4.5 miles southeast of New Hope around 8:15 PM.
A tornado formed in Lowndes County, about 3 miles southeast of Artesia. It moved 22 miles across the county, resulting in numerous injuries. Most of the damage and injuries was seen in Columbus around 7:20 PM. Here, extensive damage was received by several buildings on the campuses of the Mississippi University for Women and the Mississippi School for Math and Science. Major damage was received by approximately 60 homes in the southern part of Columbus as the tornado moved through. The tornado then moved into Lamar County, Alabama 2.5 miles southeast of Steens, Mississippi.
This tornado touched down on the southeast side of Columbus and snapped/uprooted numerous trees along its roughly 6.3 mile path. Some trees caused damage to some roofs, and some outbuildings were also damaged. Maximum winds were around 105 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Lowndes County, Mississippi?
50 tornado events are recorded in Lowndes County between 1951 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Lowndes County?
The strongest tornado on record in Lowndes County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Lowndes 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 Lowndes County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/lowndes-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.