Wayne County, Mississippi severe weather history spans 272 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,950 nationally and #56 in Mississippi.
272
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
16
Direct injuries
$29.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Wayne County, Mississippi severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wayne County, Mississippi severe weather history averages 3.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 75 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 27 events fall before 1990 and 245 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wayne County, Mississippi record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $27.6M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Wayne County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 132 | 0 | $662K | 83 | 1979–2026 |
| Hail | 60 | 0 | $14K | 1.75 | 1985–2025 |
| Tornado | 44 | 2 | $27.6M | F4 | 1957–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 30 | 0 | $1.2M | 0 | 1997–2022 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $62K | 0 | 1996–2003 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2011–2011 |
| Strong Wind | 1 | 0 | $5K | 55 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Wayne County, Mississippi severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
38 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 26 touched down inside it and 12 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-02-28 | EF4 | 6 | 350 | 35.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1958-02-26 | EF3 | 4 | 20 | 29.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-02-12 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 27.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-12-16 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 61.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2014-04-28 | EF3 | 0 | 15 | 10.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-11-15 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 15.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-11-04 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-01-09 | EF3 | 0 | 12 | 23.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-04 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-12-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wayne County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 27, 1958 | Tornado | 2 | 0 | $3K | |
| Nov 14, 1983 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 7 | $0 | |
| Mar 5, 2025 | Tornado | WHISTLER | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Feb 13, 2025 | Tornado | WHISTLER | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 11, 2001 | Lightning | WAYNESBORO | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 10, 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | ROBINSON JCT | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A swatch of 10 to 15 inches of rain caused major flash flooding over a large part of Wayne County. The heaviest axis of rain and most significant area of flash flooding impacts was located from southwest of Clara northeast into and just north of Waynesboro. Numerous roads across the county were closed due to the flooding. In total, 11 roads and 4 bridges suffered major damage. Another 17 roads had minor damage. One home and 2 mobile homes suffered major flood damage. Another 8 homes suffered minor flood damage.||The costs of damage listed is a very rough estimate as a more detailed estimate was not available.
The NWS Survey team found evidence of a strong tornado that tracked across north central and northeast Wayne County. The tornado tracked from the west to the east at around 50 mph. A single family home located on Waller Ridge Road and several single family homes and mobile homes on Spinkes Hayes Road were destroyed. Minor to moderate damage occurred to numerous other residences from Spinkes Hayes Road to Matherville Diamond Road.
A tornado entered the southwest part of Wayne County from Jones County just south of US Highway 84. The tornado moved northeast causing mostly tree damage and crossed Highway 84. The tornado then crossed Harry Pippen Drive where it pushed a large tree on to a house. The tornado continued northeast over private property where it strengthened to an F1. Here it caused considerable tree damage and damaged a barn near Pleasant Grove Altair Road. The tornado crossed the road and this is where most of the damage occurred. A mobile home that was tied down was flipped and demolished. A large shed was flattened. Other homes in this area lost shingles and trees. The tornado lifted near Pleasant Grove Altair Road and Jack Fleming Road intersection.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
19,718
Population (ACS)
$91K
Median home value
31
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Aug 12, 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 |
| Dec 31, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ZETA | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wayne County, Mississippi?
272 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $29.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wayne County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 132 recorded events — 48.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wayne County?
38 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 26 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wayne County?
31 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wayne County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wayne County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wayne County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 56 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wayne 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
- Washington County 552
- Webster County 269
- Warren County 729
- Wilkinson County 115
- Walthall County 199
- Winston County 389
Cite this page
“Wayne County, Mississippi.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/mississippi/wayne-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.