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Oktibbeha County, Mississippi severe weather history spans 397 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,267 nationally and #35 in Mississippi.
397
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
44
Direct injuries
$26.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Oktibbeha County, Mississippi severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Oktibbeha County, Mississippi severe weather history averages 5.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 144 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 39 events fall before 1990 and 358 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Oktibbeha County, Mississippi record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $13.8M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Oktibbeha County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 226 | 0 | $13.8M | 81 | 1963–2026 |
| Hail | 79 | 0 | $2.4M | 2.75 | 1971–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 48 | 0 | $2.1M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 33 | 1 | $7.5M | F4 | 1951–2024 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $245K | 0 | 2005–2021 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $141K | 0 | 2009–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $3K | 0 | 2011–2014 |
Decade by decade
Oktibbeha County, Mississippi severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
33 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 26 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-04-24 | EF4 | 10 | 146 | 149.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1963-03-11 | EF4 | 2 | 7 | 45.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1951-02-20 | EF3 | 1 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-04-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-11-29 | EF2 | 0 | 15 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-01-28 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-03-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-01-20 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 17.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-11-10 | EF1 | 1 | 0 | 51.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Oktibbeha County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 20, 1951 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $3K | |
| Nov 30, 2010 | Tornado | STARKVILLE BRYAN ARP | 0 | 15 | $850K |
| Apr 10, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 15 | $0 | |
| Sep 25, 2005 | Tornado | STARKVILLE | 0 | 7 | $2.0M |
| Jan 28, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Jan 20, 1954 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Mar 3, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | STARKVILLE | 0 | 1 | $50K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A major derecho storm moved northeastward across the county from Sturgis to Longview to Starkville. The storm caused thousands of trees to be blown down, and numerous homes received damage from the wind and from large trees that landed on the homes. The Mississippi State University campus in Starkville had an estimated $6 million in damage. Damage to power lines and transformers was estimated to be around $300,000 in the county. Across the county, 24 houses and 22 mobile homes were destroyed, 147 houses and 32 mobile homes sustained major damage, and 655 houses and 55 mobile homes received minor damage. Additionally, 74 apartment units in Starkville were destroyed, 101 units sustained major damage, and 841 units had minor damage. A number of businesses received roof damage and damage to signs. The Starkville Academy had major roof damage. Despite the widespread damage, no serious injuries were reported.
This tornado touched down on the southeast side of Starkville, just southwest of the MSU Campus, in the Sherwood Forest subdivision and tracked northeast for 3.5 miles through the MSU Campus then dissipated at Highway 82.The Sherwood Forest subdivision had several trees uprooted and about 5 homes with shingle damage. The tornado then moved across an open field toward the MSU Campus. The MSU Seed Technology Building sustained major damage to most of the metal/tin structures. A RV was rolled over at this location. The rest of the campus sustained broken windows, downed trees and roof damage to several buildings. The tornado exited MSU Campus and continued northeast. For the last mile, numerous homes sustained minor roof damage and broken windows. Just before the tornado dissipated the University Mobile Home park was severely hit. Eleven mobile homes were flipped over and destroyed along with many others sustaining minor damage. Seven injuries occurred at the mobile home park, all in the destroyed mobile homes. The tornado dissipated shortly there after just before reaching Highway 82.
An intense supercell storm produced a swath of significant hail across the north side of Starkville. Hail size ranged from ping pong ball size to 2.25 inches diameter. This hail damaged homes and vehicles along with the stripping of foliage along a portion Highway 82 and near Reed and Garrard roads to where MS State Highway 182 intersects Highway 12 and 82. In the Clayton Village area the hail damaged roofs, broke windows, smashed car windows, and cracked car headlights.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
51,771
Population (ACS)
$238K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Oct 22, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDA | DR |
| Aug 28, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDA | EM |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Starkville 188
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi?
397 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $26.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Oktibbeha County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 226 recorded events — 56.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Oktibbeha County?
33 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 26 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Oktibbeha County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Oktibbeha County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Oktibbeha County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Oktibbeha County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 63 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Oktibbeha County, Mississippi severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Noxubee County 335
- Panola County 305
- Newton County 584
- Pearl River County 350
- Neshoba County 616
- Perry County 211
Cite this page
“Oktibbeha County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/oktibbeha-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.