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Prentiss County, Mississippi severe weather history spans 245 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 47.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,137 nationally and #63 in Mississippi.
245
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
42
Direct injuries
$6.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Prentiss County, Mississippi severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Prentiss County, Mississippi severe weather history averages 3.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 61 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 33 events fall before 1990 and 212 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Prentiss County, Mississippi record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $4.4M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Prentiss County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 116 | 0 | $930K | 87 | 1967–2025 |
| Hail | 70 | 0 | $125K | 2.75 | 1958–2026 |
| Tornado | 30 | 2 | $4.4M | F3 | 1953–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 26 | 0 | $522K | 0 | 1997–2026 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 1998–2019 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
Prentiss County, Mississippi severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
29 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-02-24 | EF3 | 6 | 73 | 52.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2014-04-28 | EF3 | 0 | 32 | 31.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-11-04 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-03-23 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 17.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1972-09-29 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 45.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-03-17 | EF3 | 0 | 10 | 14.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1959-01-21 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 33.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-12-21 | EF2 | 1 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-03-14 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-12-15 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Prentiss County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 21, 1967 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $25K | |
| Mar 14, 1953 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $25K | |
| Feb 25, 2001 | Tornado | WHEELER | 0 | 30 | $2.0M |
| Mar 17, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $250K | |
| Nov 18, 1957 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Dec 15, 1987 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| Sep 30, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado continued from Lee county into Prentiss county finally lifting up near the town of Wheeler. The most significant damage occurred in Baldwyn along the Lee/Prentiss county line. Nearly 100 homes were damaged or destroyed. The Baldwyn High School lost the roof to its gymnasium and had another building damaged. Six homes were damaged in Wheeler.
This tornado tracked from Lee County. Many trees were uprooted in Baldwyn, with a few trees falling on houses. The tornado damaged the roof of the high school and an industrial building on the northeast side of town. The last observed damage was to trees south of the Wheeler community. Peak winds were estimated at 90 mph. A total of 54 homes and five apartments were damaged by tornadoes and straight-line winds on this date across Prentiss County.
The tornado damage was spotty and intermittent along the path. Tree damage occurred along County roads 5141,5051,and 5091. A mobile home was damaged along County road 5091. A stand of pine trees was damaged north of Highway 4, approximately 1.5 miles northeast of Hobo Station. The last damage was observed west of New Site. Although the tornado was rated an EF1, the EF1 damage was confined to isolated areas. Peak winds were estimated at 90 mph. Other wind damage occurred across the county, especially in the Wheeler vicinity and just south of Booneville.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
25,184
Population (ACS)
$123K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| May 21, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 22, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDA | DR |
| Aug 28, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDA | EM |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Booneville 107
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Prentiss County, Mississippi?
245 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $6.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Prentiss County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 116 recorded events — 47.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Prentiss County?
29 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 22 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Prentiss County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Prentiss County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Prentiss County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Prentiss County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 52 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Prentiss 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
- Pontotoc County 376
- Quitman County 80
- Pike County 349
- Rankin County 1,335
- Perry County 211
- Scott County 546
Cite this page
“Prentiss County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/prentiss-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.