82
Recorded events
16
Direct deaths
181
Direct injuries
$28.8M
Property damage
Tornado in Simpson County, Mississippi: 82 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #107 nationally and #5 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Simpson County, Mississippi: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Simpson County is the 2020s, when 25 of the county's 82 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 Simpson County archive, tornado makes up 13.8% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #107 for this hazard and #5 within Mississippi, putting it in the 96.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in Simpson County with 19 recorded events, while Jun 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-01-23 | EF4 | 117.8 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1992-11-21 | EF4 | 128.0 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 1975-01-10 | EF4 | 56.5 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1976-03-26 | EF4 | 18.5 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-29 | EF4 | 126.5 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 1994-11-27 | EF3 | 40.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1958-02-26 | EF3 | 71.0 mi | 60 yd | Touched down here |
| 1957-04-04 | EF3 | 40.2 mi | 167 yd | Touched down here |
| 2019-12-16 | EF3 | 18.6 mi | 1,320 yd | Touched down here |
| 2009-03-26 | EF3 | 17.4 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 1969 | F4 | 12 | 65 | $250K | |
| Nov 28, 1994 | F3 | 2 | 0 | $2.0M | |
| Apr 26, 1966 | F1 | 1 | 10 | $250K | |
| Apr 26, 1980 | F2 | 1 | 7 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 4, 1957 | F3 | 0 | 50 | $250K | |
| Mar 26, 2009 | JAYNESVILLE | EF3 | 0 | 25 | $5.0M |
| Mar 27, 1976 | F4 | 0 | 11 | $2.5M | |
| Oct 13, 1970 | F2 | 0 | 3 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 2026 | MAGEE | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 25, 2026 | MERIT | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 25, 2026 | MERIT | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 25, 2026 | TOUCHSTONE | EF1 | $0 |
| Mar 31, 2025 | UNION | EF1 | $300K |
| Mar 15, 2025 | MENDENHALL | EF0 | $0 |
| Jan 6, 2025 | JAYNESVILLE | EF0 | $1K |
| Jan 6, 2025 | SHIVERS | EF0 | $1K |
| Dec 29, 2024 | MERIT | EF1 | $500K |
| Dec 29, 2024 | GEORGETOWN | EF1 | $2K |
Other hazards here
More from Simpson County
- Thunderstorm Wind 309
- Hail 154
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 1 mile northwest of Magee in Simpson County moved northeast and moved into Smith County, 4 miles southwest of Cohay, at 2225CST. The tornado moved across Smith County and moved into Jasper County, 4 miles west of Louin, at around 2300CST. The tornado lifted at 2315CST 3 miles south of Baxter. The most intense segment of this tornado (F3) was when it moved across the north portions of Magee. Forty to fifty houses or mobile homes had major damage. Two people were killed in Magee when a large tree fell across their mobile home. Most of the damage in Smith County was to trees and power lines. In Jasper County, several chicken houses were destroyed around Montrose and most other damage as to trees. The tornado was weaker in Smith and Jasper counties and ranged from F0-F1. F38M M02M
The tornado first touched down just north of Mount Zion Road in Southwest Simpson County and continued northeast through the northwest side of Magee and then across the Smith County line before lifting near South County Road 503. Along the path, 60 homes were damaged or destroyed. A large, well-built church was destroyed. A warehouse was significantly damaged and a radio tower was snapped. Hundreds of hardwood and softwood trees were snapped and uprooted. The highest winds occurred at the church and nearby houses and trees just southwest of Magee along and just off Highway 28. Maximum winds were around 150 mph.||The EF3 rating was in Simpson County while the highest rated damage in Smith County was EF1. Total path length across both counties was near 18 miles.
This tornado continued out of northern Lawrence county and moved into southwest Simpson county 5 miles southwest of the Shivers community. As this tornado tracked northeast, several hundred trees were uprooted and snapped. Several chicken houses sustained major damage along with a few totally destroyed. Three homes sustained major damage and nine mobile homes sustained major damage. This tornado tracked across several highways including State Highway 28 and 13. This tornado also crossed US Highway 49, 4 miles northwest of Magee. Here the tornado severely damaged the VFW Post 9122 building and rolled over an RV. This tornado weakened as moved a little more northeast and dissipated 4 miles north of Magee.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Simpson County, Mississippi?
82 tornado events are recorded in Simpson County between 1953 and 2026, causing 16 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Simpson County?
The strongest tornado on record in Simpson County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Simpson 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 Simpson County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/simpson-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.