64
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
20
Direct injuries
$10.4M
Property damage
Tornado in Scott County, Mississippi: 64 recorded events between 1954 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #203 nationally and #14 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Scott County, Mississippi: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Scott County is the 2010s, when 24 of the county's 64 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 Scott County archive, tornado makes up 11.7% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #203 for this hazard and #14 within Mississippi, putting it in the 93.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in Scott County with 22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-03-03 | EF5 | 202.5 mi | 900 yd | Crossed in |
| 1969-01-23 | EF4 | 117.8 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1967-12-02 | EF4 | 7.6 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2014-04-28 | EF3 | 29.7 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 1976-02-18 | EF3 | 27.3 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1958-02-26 | EF3 | 71.0 mi | 60 yd | Crossed in |
| 2014-04-28 | EF3 | 4.3 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 2012-10-17 | EF3 | 7.6 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
| 2012-10-17 | EF3 | 6.8 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-18 | EF2 | 6.0 mi | 560 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2, 1967 | F4 | 2 | 10 | $25K | |
| Apr 18, 1966 | 0 | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Apr 29, 2014 | FOREST | EF3 | 0 | 3 | $700K |
| Oct 18, 2012 | STEEL | EF3 | 0 | 1 | $1.5M |
| Feb 21, 1997 | LILLIAN | F2 | 0 | 1 | $150K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 29, 2024 | BRANCH | EF1 | $125K |
| Jun 19, 2023 | INDEPENDENCE | EF1 | $10K |
| Jun 19, 2023 | FORKVILLE | EF1 | $10K |
| Dec 14, 2022 | LAKE | EF1 | $50K |
| Dec 14, 2022 | NORRIS | EF1 | $40K |
| Apr 14, 2022 | NORRIS | EF1 | $2K |
| Apr 14, 2022 | INDEPENDENCE | EF1 | $25K |
| Apr 5, 2022 | LAKE | EF1 | $5K |
| Apr 5, 2022 | OTHO | EF1 | $25K |
| Apr 5, 2022 | INDEPENDENCE | EF1 | $40K |
Other hazards here
More from Scott County
- Thunderstorm Wind 297
- Hail 120
- Flash Flood 57
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 in a rural area just southwest of Lake and downed many trees as it approached the City of Lake. Before it crossed I-20, two homes sustained roof damage. It then crossed the interstate, more trees were blown down along with a highway sign. The most extensive damage occurred in the City of Lake. Several homes suffered roof damage, three large grain bins were destroyed, two railroad light standards were bent, two cinder block buildings were nearly destroyed, and a mobile home was destroyed by a large tree which fell on it. After the tornado moved through Lake, it continued to produce tree damage which gradually became lesser. It finally dissipated just after crossing into Newton County. Maximum wind speed was 100 mph. Total path length was 4 miles with a total rating of EF-1.
This tornado developed just east of Forest, and quickly became intense along Old Highway 80. Just south of this road, it nearly destroyed a wood frame home, downing all but the most interior walls and carrying the debris away from the foundation. Three people were injured in this home, one seriously. It also completely destroyed a chicken house and also carried that debris well away. Numerous trees were snapped and uprooted in this area as well. Shortly after causing this damage…the tornado weakened, and it dissipated after crossing Mcmillan Road. Maximum winds were around 140 mph.
This was the second tornado to develop from a "Cyclic Supercell" thunderstorm. This tornado touched down just to the S of Leesburg on W E Franklin Road and tracked NE into Scott county where it dissipated 2 miles NW of Forkville. Several hundred trees were snapped or uprooted along the path. A few homes sustained roof damage and one chicken house was destroyed. The total path length across Rankin and Scott counties was 7 miles.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Scott County, Mississippi?
64 tornado events are recorded in Scott County between 1954 and 2024, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Scott County?
The strongest tornado on record in Scott County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Scott 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 Scott County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/scott-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.