County Hazards

Storm events on record through

Clay County, Mississippi Storm events, disaster declarations and flood insurance claims on record

This page is a county record of past events and claims. It does not show the flood zone or the risk of an address. For the flood map of an address, use FEMA's address search (opens in a new tab).

NCEI has 323 storm events on record for Clay County, Mississippi, from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.

The newest event on record is a drought event on 1 May 2026.

FEMA has 27 disaster declarations on record for the county from 1964 through 1 Oct 2026. The newest is DR-4899 of 6 Feb 2026.

OpenFEMA has 121 NFIP claims on record for the county from 1978 through 8 Sep 2026. The NFIP paid $1.3 million on these claims.

The NWS collects event reports from a variety of sources, which include (but are not limited to): county, state, and federal emergency management officials, local law enforcement officials, SKYWARN spotters, NWS damage surveys, newspaper clipping services, the insurance industry, and the general public, among others.

The National Weather Service reports property and crop damage estimates using available data at the time of event reporting. These values should therefore be considered broad estimates. Damage amounts are not adjusted for inflation.

Zone (NWS Forecast Zone): A zone is a geographic area defined by the NWS for issuing forecasts, watches, and warnings. While zones often align with counties, they can also represent smaller or subdivided areas within a county to account for differences in weather conditions, such as elevation or proximity to water. Larger-scale events—such as heat, cold, drought, and winter storms—are typically recorded by zone.

The words of the agency. Source: NOAA NCEI, Storm Events Database, page "Frequently Asked Questions", copied on .

This is raw, unedited data from FEMA's National Emergency Management Information System (NEMIS) and as such is subject to a small percentage of human error.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-10-01.

It is derived from the National Flood Insurance Program system of record, staged in the program's reporting platform and redacted to protect policy holder personally identifiable information.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "NFIP Redacted Claims - v3", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-09-09.

Dates of the data: NCEI storm events through . OpenFEMA disaster declarations through . NFIP claims through .

Since the last update: no change is on record for Clay County. The site compares the agency data at each update. Updates of the data

The five hazards

Storm events on record for Clay County by hazard and period (NCEI, through 30 Jun 2026)
Hazard1950 to 20262000 to 20092010 to 20192020 to 2026Newest event
Hail6328175
Tornado17242
Flood23696
Wind164474630
Winter244108
Other event types32Heat, cold, drought, wildfire, lightning, fog, tropical and other types
All storm events3231039657

A hazard name opens the page of that hazard for the county. A hazard has a page from 10 events. The year 2026 has the events through 30 Jun 2026 only.

Forecast zones with the name of the county give 60 of the 323 events. A county count has the events that NCEI gives to the county. It also has the events of a forecast zone that has the name of the county. A zone with another name counts for the state only.

Rates of Clay County beside the total of the counties of Mississippi and of the United States
MeasureClayAll counties of MississippiAll counties of the United States
Storm events for each 100 square miles, 1950 to 202678.888.749.3
Storm events for each 10,000 residents, 1950 to 2026174.3141.152.5
NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force, 2016 to 2025288.1128.1185.3

The columns for the state and the United States total the counties. They count the events of each county in the same way as the county column. The site gives a rate for each 10,000 residents only from 10,000 residents. Residents and area: Census Bureau, 2021.

Newest storm events on record

Drought

On record for the forecast zone

Thunderstorm Wind63 mph (55 knots, estimated gust)

3 miles SSE of MONTPELIER

Thunderstorm Wind63 mph (55 knots, estimated gust)

3 miles NW of WEST PT

Thunderstorm Wind60 mph (52 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile N of WEST PT

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill

On record for the forecast zone

Ice Storm

On record for the forecast zone

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

At WEST PT

Thunderstorm Wind52 mph (45 knots, estimated gust)

3 miles NW of GRIFFITH. Damage estimate: $500

Thunderstorm Wind60 mph (52 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile NW of WEST PT. Damage estimate: $5 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind52 mph (45 knots, estimated gust)

2 miles WNW of CEDARBLUFF. Damage estimate: $1 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind46 mph (40 knots, estimated gust)

4 miles NNW of PINEBLUFF. Damage estimate: $500

Hail1.00 in, quarter size

2 miles NNW of WAVERLY STATION

Hail0.75 in, penny size

1 mile N of WEST PT

Strong Wind52 mph (45 knots, estimated gust)

On record for the forecast zone. Damage estimate: $10 thousand

Heavy Snow

On record for the forecast zone

Winter Weather

On record for the forecast zone

TornadoEF0

4 miles E of TIBBEE. Damage estimate: $40 thousand

Strong Wind52 mph (45 knots, estimated gust)

On record for the forecast zone. Damage estimate: $10 thousand

Lightning

1 mile N of WEST PT. Damage estimate: $3 thousand

Winter Storm

On record for the forecast zone

Thunderstorm Wind63 mph (55 knots, estimated gust)

2 miles N of WAVERLY STATION. Damage estimate: $2 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

2 miles N of WEST PT. Damage estimate: $1 thousand

Hail1.00 in, quarter size

7 miles N of BIGSPRINGS. Damage estimate: $30 thousand

Drought

On record for the forecast zone. Damage estimate: $50 thousand

Drought

On record for the forecast zone. Damage estimate: $1.0 million

The 25 events above are the newest in the NCEI record. A place is the text of the NCEI record: a distance and a direction from a reference place. Wind speed is in miles per hour, with the knots that NCEI gives. The site does not show a place text that names a private property or reads as a person. Download these events (CSV)

Storm events on record for Clay County by year, 1950 to 2026
DecadeYear that ends in 0Year that ends in 1Year that ends in 2Year that ends in 3Year that ends in 4Year that ends in 5Year that ends in 6Year that ends in 7Year that ends in 8Year that ends in 9All
1950s10020010004
1960s10000112016
1970s00001111004
1980s301002002311
1990s323342784642
2000s73385915121922103
2010s15141154214681796
2020s7116116106 (part of the year)57

A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.

NCEI recorded tornado events from 1950, and hail and thunderstorm wind events from 1955. It recorded all event types from 1996. A count before 1996 has fewer event types.

FEMA disaster declarations

FEMA has 27 disaster declarations on record for Clay County from 1964 through 1 Oct 2026. The newest is DR-4899: SEVERE WINTER STORM.

Disaster declarations that name Clay County (OpenFEMA, through 1 Oct 2026)
DeclaredNumberTypeIncident typeTitle in the FEMA recordAssistance
DR-4899Major disasterWinter StormSEVERE WINTER STORMPublic
EM-3640EmergencyWinter StormSEVERE WINTER STORMPublic
DR-4626Major disasterHurricaneHURRICANE IDAPublic
EM-3569EmergencyHurricaneHURRICANE IDAPublic
DR-4598Major disasterSevere Ice StormSEVERE WINTER STORMSPublic
DR-4538Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDESPublic
DR-4536Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODINGPublic
DR-4528Major disasterBiologicalCOVID-19 PANDEMICIndividual, Public
EM-3474EmergencyBiologicalCOVID-19Public
DR-4478Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODINGPublic
DR-4450Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODINGPublic
DR-4429Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODINGIndividual, Public
DR-4248Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODINGPublic
DR-1972Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND ASSOCIATED FLOODINGIndividual, Public
EM-3291EmergencyHurricaneHURRICANE GUSTAVPublic
DR-1604Major disasterHurricaneHURRICANE KATRINAPublic
DR-1594Major disasterHurricaneHURRICANE DENNISPublic
DR-1550Major disasterHurricaneHURRICANE IVANPublic
DR-1470Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES AND HIGH WINDSIndividual
DR-1443Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOESIndividual
DR-1360Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOESIndividual, Public
DR-1265Major disasterSevere Ice StormSEVERE WINTER STORMS, ICE AND FREEZING RAINPublic
DR-906Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES & FLOODINGIndividual
DR-895Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS & FLOODINGIndividual
DR-888Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES & FLOODINGIndividual
DR-577Major disasterSevere StormSTORMS, TORNADOES, FLOODSIndividual, Public
DR-368Major disasterSevere StormHEAVY RAINS, TORNADOES & FLOODINGIndividual, Public

DR is a major disaster declaration. EM is an emergency declaration. FM is a fire management assistance declaration. A declaration for the whole state is on the Mississippi page. What a disaster declaration is

The dataset includes declared recovery programs and geographic areas (county not available before 1964; Fire Management records are considered partial due to historical nature of the dataset).

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-10-01.

Flood insurance claims (NFIP)

OpenFEMA has 121 NFIP claims on record for Clay County from 1978 through 8 Sep 2026.

The NFIP paid $1,318,999 on 96 claims.

The county has 288.1 NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force. The rate uses 34 claims with a year of loss from 2016 to 2025. FEMA counts 118 residential policies in force on 3 Aug 2026. The claims have every type of building. FEMA counts residential policies only.

NFIP claims in Clay County by year of loss, 1978 to 2026
DecadeYear that ends in 0Year that ends in 1Year that ends in 2Year that ends in 3Year that ends in 4Year that ends in 5Year that ends in 6Year that ends in 7Year that ends in 8Year that ends in 9All
1970s099
1980s0021601003022
1990s1130041230024
2000s10301300008
2010s12100110102348
2020s9100000 (part of the year)10

A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.

NFIP claims by year of loss with the amount paid: 23 years
NFIP claims in Clay County by year of loss, with the amount paid (OpenFEMA, through 8 Sep 2026)
Year of lossClaimsClaims with a paymentAmount paid
20211not shownnot shown
202098$69,049
20192316$471,645
20171not shownnot shown
20151not shownnot shown
20141not shownnot shown
20112120$499,547
20101not shownnot shown
20053not shownnot shown
20041not shownnot shown
20023not shownnot shown
20001not shownnot shown
19973not shownnot shown
19962not shownnot shown
19951not shownnot shown
19944not shownnot shown
19911311$78,379
19901not shownnot shown
19883not shownnot shown
19851not shownnot shown
19831613$31,940
19822not shownnot shown
197998$17,966

A year with fewer than 5 claims shows the count of claims and no amount. A year with 1 to 4 claims with a payment shows no amount either. Such an amount could point to one property. The amount is the sum of the building, contents and increased cost of compliance payments. FEMA counts 14 multiple-loss properties in the county (2 Aug 2026). How FEMA redacts NFIP claims

This dataset is not intended to be an official federal report, and should not be considered an official federal report.

Note, the County Code field may not reflect the individual county the property is located as projects can be associated with more than one county

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "NFIP Redacted Claims - v3", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-09-09.

FEMA cannot verify the quality and/or timeliness of any data or any analysis derived therefrom after the data has been retrieved from FEMA.gov.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Terms and Conditions, copied on . The page gives: last updated 2025-01-22.

National Risk Index

Risk Index rating
Very Low
Risk Index score
42.5 of 100
Expected Annual Loss rating
Very Low
Expected Annual Loss
$8.8 million
Social Vulnerability rating
Very High
Community Resilience rating
Relatively Moderate
National Risk Index of Clay County by hazard type (FEMA, December 2025 release)
Hazard typeRisk Index ratingExpected Annual Loss
Cold waveRelatively Moderate$1,369,741
DroughtRelatively Low$208,787
EarthquakeRelatively Low$1,036,358
HailRelatively Low$203,233
Heat waveRelatively Low$419,853
HurricaneRelatively Low$376,579
Ice stormRelatively Low$63,446
Inland floodingVery Low$2,582,608
LandslideVery Low$133
LightningRelatively Moderate$219,965
Strong windRelatively Low$263,563
TornadoRelatively Moderate$2,061,301
WildfireVery Low$7,625
Winter weatherVery Low$4,089

The National Risk Index dataset leverages available source data for natural hazard and community risk factors to develop a baseline relative risk measurement for each United States county and Census tract.

The rating is a qualitative categorization that describes the community in comparison to all other communities at the same level, ranging from “Very Low” to “Very High.”

The National Risk Index data are meant for planning purposes only.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, National Risk Index Data: Frequently Asked Questions (December 2025, v1.20), copied on .

The labels and the ratings are those of FEMA. Expected Annual Loss is a figure for a whole county. It is not a figure for a property. How to read the National Risk Index

Tropical storm and hurricane tracks

The HURDAT2 record of the National Hurricane Center has 25 tracks within 100 miles of the centre point of the county, through the 2025 season. 0 of them were within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

Storm names, years and distances: 25 tracks
Tropical storm and hurricane tracks within 100 miles of the centre point of Clay County (NHC HURDAT2)
Storm nameYearNearest point of the trackHighest wind within 100 miles
Zeta202095 miles69 mph
Katrina200532 miles58 mph
Erin199596 miles40 mph
Frederic197951 miles52 mph
Camille196978 miles58 mph
Audrey195773 miles40 mph
Baker195038 miles46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm194896 miles40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm193451 miles40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm193264 miles46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm193284 miles40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm192356 miles46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm191616 miles46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm191670 miles52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm191522 miles58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm191248 miles40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm190647 miles58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm190146 miles40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm189325 miles46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm189291 miles40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm188127 miles46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm187920 miles46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm186064 miles46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm186071 miles46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm185553 miles46 mph

A name is the storm name that the National Hurricane Center gave. The distance is from the centre line of the track. It does not show how far the wind, the rain or the surge of a storm went.

ZIP Codes, cities and towns of Clay County

Each ZIP Code below has a page with its NFIP claims by year. 1 more ZIP Code has fewer than 5 claims and no page.

A city or town has no page of its own. This page is the record for the whole county, which has these places:

  • Pheba
  • West Point

Official channels

These links open the pages of the agencies. The site checked the links on .

Cite this page

County Hazards. "Clay County, Mississippi: storm events, disaster declarations and flood insurance claims on record". https://countyhazards.com/county/ms/clay/. Data: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database through 30 Jun 2026; FEMA OpenFEMA disaster declarations through 1 Oct 2026; FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP claims through 8 Sep 2026. Page made on .

Where the data comes from

  • Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026.
  • Disaster declarations: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, read on 1 Oct 2026.
  • NFIP claims: OpenFEMA NFIP Claims, as of 8 Sep 2026. Multiple-loss properties: 2 Aug 2026. Policies in force: 3 Aug 2026.
  • National Risk Index: FEMA, December 2025 release. Storm tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through the 2025 season.
  • Residents, area, places and adjacent counties: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage.

How the counts are made · Corrections · Hazards in all states: hail, tornado, flood, wind, winter

Questions

How many tornado events are on record for Clay County?
NCEI has 17 tornado events on record for Clay County from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026. 7 events have a rating of EF2 or F2, or a higher rating.
How large is the hail on record for Clay County?
NCEI has 63 hail events on record from 1955 through 30 Jun 2026. 10 events have a hail size of 1.75 inches or more. NCEI names 1.75 inches a golf ball.
Which month has the most storm events on record for Clay County?
April has 55 of the 323 storm events on record from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.
How many NFIP claims are there for each 1,000 policies in force in Clay County?
The county has 288.1 NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force. The rate uses 34 claims with a year of loss from 2016 to 2025. FEMA counts 118 residential policies in force on 3 Aug 2026. The claims have every type of building. FEMA counts residential policies only.