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Tippah County, Mississippi severe weather history spans 224 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,291 nationally and #67 in Mississippi.
224
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
14
Direct injuries
$7.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Tippah County, Mississippi severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Tippah County, Mississippi severe weather history averages 3.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 66 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 41 events fall before 1990 and 183 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Tippah County, Mississippi record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.2M in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Tippah County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 109 | 0 | $980K | 70 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 68 | 0 | $150K | 2.75 | 1960–2026 |
| Tornado | 23 | 1 | $5.2M | F4 | 1962–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 19 | 0 | $1.6M | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $26K | 0 | 1998–2012 |
Decade by decade
Tippah 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: 19 touched down inside it and 10 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-02-21 | EF4 | 58 | 795 | 202.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-12-23 | EF4 | 9 | 36 | 75.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-04-19 | EF4 | 4 | 78 | 47.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-02 | EF3 | 3 | 9 | 29.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2000-01-03 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 43.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-03-22 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 23.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1975-02-22 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 26.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1972-09-29 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 45.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 12.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-04-05 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 39.7 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Tippah County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 23, 2015 | Tornado | TIPLERSVILLE | 1 | 5 | $2.5M |
| Apr 3, 2025 | Tornado | BROWNFIELD | 0 | 3 | $300K |
| Mar 22, 1991 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| May 6, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | CHALYBEATE | 0 | 2 | $75K |
| Feb 16, 2023 | Tornado | RIPLEY ARPT | 0 | 1 | $500K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado crossed from Benton County Mississippi into Tippah County. The tornado moved across far northwestern Tippah County damaging several homes in the Three Forks Community. One fatality occurred in Tippah County. Over 100 houses were affected and about 45 homes were destroyed. The tornado then crossed the Tennessee state line into Hardeman County.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding in Tippah County. Numerous roads were flooded as a result. In total, nine roads and two bridges were destroyed with eight roads receiving major damage. Two roads sustained minor damage. Six homes were flooded sustaining major damage with 68 homes receiving minor damage.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding in Ripley and Falkner. Numerous roads were flooded as a result. In total, nine roads and two bridges were destroyed with eight roads receiving major damage. Two roads sustained minor damage. Numerous homes were flooded sustaining major and minor damage. One building and one utility company received major damage as well from the flooding.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
21,523
Population (ACS)
$124K
Median home value
20
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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Tippah County, Mississippi?
224 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $7.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Tippah County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 109 recorded events — 48.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Tippah County?
29 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 19 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Tippah County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Tippah County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Tippah County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Tippah County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 44 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Tippah 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
- Tate County 196
- Tishomingo County 302
- Tallahatchie County 202
- Tunica County 155
- Sunflower County 446
- Union County 303
Cite this page
“Tippah County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/tippah-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.