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Panola County, Mississippi severe weather history spans 305 recorded events between 1962 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,756 nationally and #49 in Mississippi.
305
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
26
Direct injuries
$33.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Panola County, Mississippi severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Panola County, Mississippi severe weather history averages 4.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 89 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 46 events fall before 1990 and 259 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Panola County, Mississippi record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $30.1M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Panola County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 151 | 3 | $1.8M | 84 | 1963–2025 |
| Hail | 96 | 0 | $20K | 4 | 1968–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 27 | 1 | $998K | 0 | 2002–2023 |
| Tornado | 24 | 1 | $30.1M | F2 | 1962–2023 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $602K | 0 | 2002–2018 |
| Lightning | 2 | 1 | $6K | 0 | 2002–2013 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2021–2021 |
Decade by decade
Panola County, Mississippi severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
26 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 20 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-12-23 | EF3 | 2 | 28 | 61.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-11-24 | EF2 | 3 | 33 | 43.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-04-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 33.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1976-04-24 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-03-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-11-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 17.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1955-06-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 34.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-03-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Panola County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | BLUFF SPGS | 2 | 1 | $0 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | Tornado | CRENSHAW | 1 | 12 | $2.0M |
| Apr 25, 2015 | Flash Flood | BATESVILLE | 1 | 1 | $50K |
| Apr 13, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | ASA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 25, 2002 | Lightning | SARDIS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 20, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| Feb 23, 1962 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $3K | |
| Dec 23, 2015 | Tornado | CURTIS STATION | 0 | 2 | $1.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado moved into the far western part of Panola county from Quitman county and tracked northeast eventually moving into Tate county. One girl was killed when the mobile home where she was staying was destroyed. A cluster of homes and a Baptist church were destroyed. In all 35 homes damaged or destroyed.
Heavy rain fell near Batesville which produced 1.5 inches in one hour and a total of 3.50 inches over an 8 hour span. This caused a creek to rise out of its banks and flood eight businesses and two homes in the southern part of town. In addition, a possibly impaired driver drove into flood waters on a road that was currently under construction with the installation of new culverts. One fatality and one injury occurred from the accident.
This tornado moved from Quitman County into Panola County. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted. As the tornado approached Interstate 55 the tornado damaged several homes. This is where the tornado reached peak intensity with winds estimated at 160 mph. The tornado crossed Interstate 55 between Sardis and Como and then dissipated east of Como. A total of 29 homes were affected in Panola. Eight homes were either destroyed or suffered major damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
32,808
Population (ACS)
$128K
Median home value
26
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Mar 26, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Oct 22, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDA | DR |
| Aug 28, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDA | EM |
| Apr 16, 2020 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Batesville 122
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Panola County, Mississippi?
305 events are on record between 1962 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths and $33.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Panola County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 151 recorded events — 49.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Panola County?
26 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 20 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Panola County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Panola County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Panola County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Panola County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 69 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Panola 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
- Oktibbeha County 397
- Pearl River County 350
- Noxubee County 335
- Perry County 211
- Newton County 584
- Pike County 349
Cite this page
“Panola County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/panola-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.