County Hazards

States › Mississippi › Jackson County

Jackson County, Mississippi

Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.

FIPS 28059 · 143,987 residents (2021) · 723 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 86Tornado · 79Flood · 48Wind · 156Winter · 6
1969-04-23: Hail1980-07-07: Hail1980-05-19: Hail1981-03-22: Hail1982-06-11: Hail1984-03-24: Hail1984-03-24: Hail1985-07-15: Hail1988-04-18: Hail1988-04-18: Hail1989-05-23: Hail1989-06-30: Hail1990-04-22: Hail1991-01-30: Hail1992-05-26: Hail1996-04-14: Hail1996-03-18: Hail1996-03-30: Hail1997-01-08: Hail1997-09-01: Hail1998-05-06: Hail1998-05-06: Hail1999-05-28: Hail1999-04-29: Hail1999-04-29: Hail1999-04-29: Hail1999-04-29: Hail2000-03-29: Hail2000-07-21: Hail2001-03-11: Hail2002-03-31: Hail2002-08-02: Hail2003-05-03: Hail2003-07-17: Hail2004-04-29: Hail2004-07-25: Hail2005-03-31: Hail2005-04-01: Hail2005-05-29: Hail2006-06-23: Hail2006-06-23: Hail2007-12-28: Hail2007-07-13: Hail2008-05-25: Hail2009-04-02: Hail2009-05-15: Hail2009-07-26: Hail2011-06-05: Hail2011-05-26: Hail2013-07-12: Hail2013-05-01: Hail2015-04-25: Hail2015-04-25: Hail2016-02-23: Hail2016-04-28: Hail2016-04-28: Hail2017-01-21: Hail2017-01-21: Hail2018-05-17: Hail2018-05-17: Hail2018-05-17: Hail2018-05-17: Hail2019-06-27: Hail2021-04-09: Hail2022-06-18: Hail2022-06-18: Hail2022-06-18: Hail2023-04-01: Hail2023-04-27: Hail2023-04-27: Hail2023-04-27: Hail2023-04-27: Hail2023-04-27: Hail2023-06-17: Hail2023-06-17: Hail2024-03-08: Hail2024-03-08: Hail2025-03-15: Hail1958-02-26: Tornado1963-04-06: Tornado1966-04-27: Tornado1969-08-09: Tornado1969-12-21: Tornado1969-05-08: Tornado1971-05-08: Tornado1971-05-08: Tornado1971-02-12: Tornado1973-02-13: Tornado1974-06-13: Tornado1974-06-20: Tornado1974-11-04: Tornado1974-09-08: Tornado1975-01-10: Tornado1975-01-10: Tornado1977-05-02: Tornado1977-07-15: Tornado1977-06-01: Tornado1978-07-29: Tornado1979-04-23: Tornado1980-05-19: Tornado1981-02-10: Tornado1982-04-25: Tornado1983-02-01: Tornado1985-05-21: Tornado1985-05-21: Tornado1988-09-16: Tornado1990-02-10: Tornado1994-12-03: Tornado1994-03-01: Tornado1995-05-09: Tornado1995-05-09: Tornado1996-01-18: Tornado1996-04-29: Tornado1999-03-13: Tornado2000-08-20: Tornado2000-07-16: Tornado2001-06-11: Tornado2001-08-07: Tornado2006-11-15: Tornado2007-02-13: Tornado2007-10-18: Tornado2009-03-26: Tornado2009-04-02: Tornado2009-12-24: Tornado2011-05-26: Tornado2011-04-04: Tornado2012-08-30: Tornado2012-08-29: Tornado2017-08-30: Tornado2017-08-30: Tornado2017-06-16: Tornado2017-10-22: Tornado2018-04-14: Tornado2018-04-14: Tornado2018-04-14: Tornado2018-11-01: Tornado2018-11-01: Tornado2019-04-14: Tornado2020-06-24: Tornado2020-06-24: Tornado2021-06-19: Tornado2021-10-27: Tornado2021-06-19: Tornado2021-08-30: Tornado2022-10-29: Tornado2022-10-29: Tornado2022-10-29: Tornado2022-10-29: Tornado2022-10-29: Tornado2022-03-30: Tornado2022-03-30: Tornado2023-06-19: Tornado2024-04-10: Tornado2025-03-30: Tornado2025-03-30: Tornado2025-04-06: Tornado2005-04-06: Flood2005-04-01: Flood2009-09-22: Flood2009-03-28: Flood2011-09-03: Flood2012-09-05: Flood2012-08-30: Flood2012-09-05: Flood2013-05-01: Flood2013-02-25: Flood2014-04-29: Flood2015-09-27: Flood2017-06-29: Flood2017-08-30: Flood2017-06-22: Flood2019-07-23: Flood2021-04-15: Flood2021-07-06: Flood2021-08-30: Flood2022-08-10: Flood2022-08-25: Flood2022-08-25: Flood2024-12-27: Flood2024-12-28: Flood2024-12-27: Flood2024-12-27: Flood2025-03-30: Flood2025-03-30: Flood2025-03-30: Flood2025-04-06: Flood2025-07-01: Flood2026-06-18: Flood2026-06-15: Flood2026-06-15: Flood2026-05-28: Flood2026-05-28: Flood2026-04-05: Flood1959-04-20: Wind1965-07-10: Wind1967-10-30: Wind1968-07-29: Wind1968-12-27: Wind1968-06-12: Wind1970-02-01: Wind1972-06-22: Wind1972-03-02: Wind1973-03-24: Wind1974-05-26: Wind1975-01-10: Wind1976-05-13: Wind1976-05-24: Wind1977-07-15: Wind1977-06-01: Wind1977-07-02: Wind1977-07-15: Wind1979-03-03: Wind1979-07-24: Wind1979-04-23: Wind1980-04-13: Wind1980-07-07: Wind1980-07-07: Wind1980-04-13: Wind1981-05-19: Wind1981-02-10: Wind1981-03-22: Wind1982-07-06: Wind1982-07-05: Wind1982-06-11: Wind1983-04-14: Wind1983-05-03: Wind1983-01-31: Wind1983-02-01: Wind1983-02-01: Wind1983-12-11: Wind1983-12-11: Wind1983-08-05: Wind1984-02-26: Wind1984-02-26: Wind1984-02-26: Wind1986-10-06: Wind1986-06-19: Wind1987-07-26: Wind1988-07-25: Wind1988-07-31: Wind1988-03-04: Wind1989-07-20: Wind1989-06-08: Wind1989-05-06: Wind1990-02-10: Wind1990-03-15: Wind1990-12-22: Wind1991-04-14: Wind1991-04-29: Wind1992-04-20: Wind1992-11-03: Wind1992-06-15: Wind1996-01-26: Wind1996-09-21: Wind1996-03-18: Wind1997-07-06: Wind1997-01-24: Wind1997-04-05: Wind1998-01-07: Wind1998-12-04: Wind1998-06-05: Wind1998-07-16: Wind1999-03-03: Wind1999-08-02: Wind1999-08-14: Wind2000-01-04: Wind2000-05-28: Wind2000-08-10: Wind2000-07-21: Wind2000-09-01: Wind2000-09-05: Wind2000-11-09: Wind2000-08-20: Wind2000-07-21: Wind2001-06-11: Wind2001-06-11: Wind2001-06-11: Wind2001-10-13: Wind2002-12-31: Wind2002-11-05: Wind2003-07-21: Wind2004-04-29: Wind2004-04-29: Wind2004-06-02: Wind2004-06-02: Wind2004-07-25: Wind2004-07-13: Wind2004-07-13: Wind2004-06-02: Wind2005-06-17: Wind2006-08-15: Wind2006-08-30: Wind2006-11-06: Wind2007-03-01: Wind2007-06-19: Wind2008-05-15: Wind2008-02-12: Wind2008-06-29: Wind2010-05-28: Wind2011-03-09: Wind2011-08-24: Wind2011-05-26: Wind2011-03-09: Wind2012-12-20: Wind2012-07-03: Wind
Jackson County within Mississippi. Dots: HailTornadoFloodWind event locations in the kept record. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

Jackson County, Mississippi, has 453 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950, most of them damaging wind.

That is 62.7 events per 100 square miles, below the Mississippi figure of 89.7, and 31.5 per 10,000 residents against 142.8 statewide.

11 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 18 deaths and 32 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $3.8B and crop damage at $10K.

FEMA has designated the county in 36 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Winter Storm (major disaster, 6 Feb 2026).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 11,325 claims since 1978, of which 9,619 were paid, totalling $721M (about $75K per paid claim). FEMA counts 10,397 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Moderate" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Moderate" ($111M a year across 18 hazards).

95 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 23 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

11events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026
453events since 195018 deaths, 32 injuries recorded
36disaster declarationslast 6 Feb 2026
11,325NFIP flood claims$721M paid

Compared with Mississippi and the United States

MeasureJackson CountyMississippiUS
Recorded events since 195045342,1141,977,440
Events per 100 square miles62.789.756.0
Events per 10,000 residents31.5142.859.6
Events in the last 12 months111,52462,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI1892826,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)$3.8B$31B$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents78.721.98.1
Average paid NFIP claim$75K$58K$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years8.111.516.1

County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.

Events by decade

Tornado: 1Wind: 1
Hail: 2Tornado: 5Wind: 7
Hail: 2Tornado: 15Wind: 19
Hail: 11Tornado: 7Wind: 30
Hail: 20Tornado: 9Flood: 5Wind: 23Winter: 1Tropical: 5Cold: 2Lightning: 6
Hail: 20Tornado: 10Flood: 9Wind: 33Winter: 1Tropical: 19Heat: 2Lightning: 10Other: 9
Hail: 16Tornado: 14Flood: 13Wind: 23Winter: 4Tropical: 12Heat: 1Lightning: 2Other: 1
Hail: 15Tornado: 18Flood: 21Wind: 20Tropical: 9
21950s141960s361970s481980s711990s1132000s862010s832020s
Recorded events in Jackson County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindWinterTropicalHeatColdLightningOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 189 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 168 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.

Events by type

Wind156
Hail86
Tornado79
Flood48
Tropical45
Lightning18
Other10
Winter6
Heat3
Cold2
HazardEventsDeathsShare of state's events
■ Wind156—0.8%detail
■ Hail86—1.0%detail
■ Tornado7912.2%detail
■ Flood48—1.3%detail
■ Tropical45138.2%
■ Lightning1814.6%
■ Other10—4.7%
■ Winter6—0.3%
■ Heat330.1%
■ Cold2—0.6%

Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.

Largest recorded events

DateEvent typeGroupMagnitudeProperty damageCrop damageDeathsInjuriesGeography
28 Aug 2005Hurricane (Typhoon)Tropical—$1.1B—13—Forecast zone
29 Aug 2005Storm Surge/TideTropical—$2.3B———Forecast zone
27 Oct 2021TornadoTornadoEF1$150K—1—County
8 Jul 2000HeatHeat———1—Forecast zone
18 Jul 2000HeatHeat———1—Forecast zone
2 Aug 2010Excessive HeatHeat———1—Forecast zone
31 Jul 2011LightningLightning———1—County
27 Sep 1998Hurricane (Typhoon)Tropical—$370M———Forecast zone
19 Jun 2023TornadoTornadoEF2$773K——6County
25 Apr 1982TornadoTornadoF2$250K——3County
1 Feb 1983TornadoTornadoF1$250K——3County
6 Apr 1963TornadoTornadoF1$25K——3County
28 Jun 2004LightningLightning————3County
10 Feb 1981TornadoTornadoF2$250K——2County
14 Apr 2014Thunderstorm WindWind75 mph$100K——2County
12 Feb 1971TornadoTornadoF1$3K——2County
15 Jul 1977TornadoTornadoF0$250K——1County
21 May 1985TornadoTornadoF1$250K——1County
26 Feb 1958TornadoTornadoF2$25K——1County
27 Apr 1966TornadoTornadoF2$25K——1County

Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.

Federal disaster declarations

DeclaredNumberTypeIncidentTitlePrograms
6 Feb 2026DR-4899Major disasterWinter StormSevere Winter StormPublic assistance
24 Jan 2026EM-3640EmergencyWinter StormSevere Winter StormPublic assistance
12 Aug 2023DR-4727Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes.Individual assistance, Public assistance
22 Oct 2021DR-4626Major disasterHurricaneHurricane IdaIndividual assistance, Public assistance
28 Aug 2021EM-3569EmergencyHurricaneHurricane IdaPublic assistance
31 Dec 2020DR-4576Major disasterHurricaneHurricane ZetaIndividual assistance, Public assistance
28 Oct 2020EM-3550EmergencyHurricaneHurricane ZetaPublic assistance
8 Oct 2020EM-3548EmergencyHurricaneHurricane DeltaPublic assistance
14 Sep 2020EM-3544EmergencyHurricaneHurricane SallyPublic assistance
23 Aug 2020EM-3539EmergencyHurricaneHurricane Marco And Tropical Storm LauraPublic assistance
5 Apr 2020DR-4528Major disasterBiologicalCovid-19 PandemicIndividual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020EM-3474EmergencyBiologicalCovid-19Public assistance
22 Nov 2017DR-4350Major disasterHurricaneHurricane NatePublic assistance
7 Oct 2017EM-3393EmergencyHurricaneHurricane NatePublic assistance
29 Aug 2012DR-4081Major disasterHurricaneHurricane IsaacIndividual assistance, Public assistance
28 Aug 2012EM-3348EmergencyHurricaneTropical Storm IsaacPublic assistance
12 May 2009DR-1837Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms, Flooding, And TornadoesPublic assistance
22 Sep 2008DR-1794Major disasterHurricaneHurricane GustavPublic assistance
30 Aug 2008EM-3291EmergencyHurricaneHurricane GustavPublic assistance
29 Aug 2005DR-1604Major disasterHurricaneHurricane KatrinaIndividual assistance, Public assistance
28 Aug 2005EM-3213EmergencyHurricaneHurricane KatrinaPublic assistance
10 Jul 2005DR-1594Major disasterHurricaneHurricane DennisPublic assistance
15 Sep 2004DR-1550Major disasterHurricaneHurricane IvanIndividual assistance, Public assistance
1 Oct 2002DR-1436Major disasterHurricaneTropical Storm IsidoreIndividual assistance, Public assistance
21 Jun 2001DR-1382Major disasterSevere StormTropical Storm AllisonPublic assistance
1 Oct 1998DR-1251Major disasterHurricaneHurricane GeorgesIndividual assistance, Public assistance
28 Sep 1998EM-3132EmergencyHurricaneHurricane GeorgesPublic assistance
12 May 1995DR-1051Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, FloodingIndividual assistance
28 Feb 1990DR-859Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & FloodingIndividual assistance
4 Sep 1985DR-741Major disasterHurricaneHurricane ElenaIndividual assistance, Public assistance
19 Apr 1980DR-618Major disasterSevere StormStorms, Flood, Mudslides & TornadoesIndividual assistance, Public assistance
13 Sep 1979DR-599Major disasterHurricaneHurricane FredericIndividual assistance, Public assistance
22 Feb 1977EM-3032EmergencySnowstormDrought & FreezingPublic assistance
18 Apr 1974DR-430Major disasterFloodHeavy Rains & FloodingIndividual assistance, Public assistance
18 Aug 1969DR-271Major disasterHurricaneHurricane CamilleIndividual assistance, Public assistance
25 Sep 1965DR-210Major disasterHurricaneHurricane BetsyIndividual assistance, Public assistance

Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.

Flood insurance claims

197820022026
NFIP claims by year of loss in Jackson County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).
Claims since 197811,325
Paid claims9,619
Total paid$721M
Average paid claim$75K
Repetitive-loss properties1,079132 severe
Residential policies in force10,39718.7% of 55,754 structures
Year of lossClaimsPaid claimsAmount paidAverage paid
20262820$748,217$37,411
202531$1,711$1,711
2024114$167,105$41,776
2023208$56,277$7,035
2022105$128,802$25,760
2021215185$5,537,412$29,932
2020290228$4,901,921$21,500
20191610$292,319$29,232
2018127$69,352$9,907
2017241173$4,270,794$24,687
20163213$360,666$27,744
20158063$966,922$15,348
20141813$138,981$10,691
2013203178$4,394,427$24,688
2012839672$16,718,484$24,879
20114528$406,600$14,521
2010145$33,243$6,649
2009237199$5,148,191$25,870
20087750$640,190$12,804
200773$8,189$2,730
200642$10,037$5,018
20055,4145,076$639,683,864$126,021
2004289$60,056$6,673
20032014$202,630$14,474
2002227168$1,866,882$11,112

OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).

National Risk Index

Overall riskRelatively Moderatescore 92.3 of 100
Expected annual loss$111MRelatively Moderate
Social vulnerabilityRelatively Moderate
Community resilienceVery High
Hazard (NRI)Risk ratingExpected annual loss
HurricaneRelatively High$62,287,488
Inland floodingRelatively Moderate$26,544,214
TornadoRelatively Moderate$6,521,837
Coastal floodingRelatively High$3,375,261
Heat waveRelatively Moderate$3,250,625
Cold waveRelatively Moderate$2,927,586
WildfireRelatively Moderate$2,601,980
LightningRelatively High$1,739,980
Strong windRelatively Moderate$535,752
EarthquakeVery Low$375,944
HailRelatively Low$359,594
Ice stormRelatively Moderate$170,346
DroughtRelatively Low$151,465
Winter weatherRelatively Moderate$87,233
LandslideVery Low$395

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.

Hurricane and tropical storm passes

Tracks within 100 miles95
Tracks within 50 miles48
Hurricane strength within 50 miles23
StormYearClosest approachMax wind while within 100 mi
Francine2024100 mi52 mph
Claudette202177 mi40 mph
Cristobal202089 mi52 mph
Sally202056 mi109 mph
Zeta202078 mi98 mph
Gordon20188 mi69 mph
Nate201717 mi86 mph
Lee201175 mi46 mph
Ida200931 mi58 mph
Arlene200568 mi58 mph
Cindy200529 mi52 mph
Dennis200591 mi121 mph
Katrina200561 mi127 mph
Ivan200447 mi121 mph
Bill2003100 mi52 mph
Bertha200281 mi40 mph
Hanna200214 mi58 mph
Isidore200282 mi63 mph
Allison200140 mi46 mph
Georges199817 mi109 mph
Danny199736 mi81 mph
Erin199566 mi86 mph
Opal199592 mi115 mph
Beryl198870 mi52 mph
Florence198883 mi69 mph

HURDAT2 best-track positions at tropical-storm strength (34 kt) or more, measured from the county's Census centre point; through the 2025 season. Distance from a track is not the same as the extent of the storm's wind, rain or surge.

ZIP codes with flood claims

ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.

Questions and answers

How often does it hail in Jackson County, MS?

NCEI records 86 hail events in Jackson County since 1950, in 43 different years; that is about 1.1 recorded events a year. 33 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Jackson County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 79 tornadoes in Jackson County since 1950, 11 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 1.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Jackson County?

6 Feb 2026: Severe Winter Storm, a major disaster declaration for winter storm. The county appears in 36 declarations since 1953.

How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Jackson County, and how much was paid?

11,325 NFIP claims since 1978, 9,619 of them paid, for $721M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Jackson County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Moderate" for overall risk, "Relatively Moderate" for expected annual loss, "Relatively Moderate" for social vulnerability and "Very High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Jackson County compare with the rest of Mississippi?

62.7 recorded events per 100 square miles against 89.7 statewide, and 78.7 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 21.9. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.

Provenance

Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.