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Tornado in Lawrence County, Mississippi
41 tornadoes events in the NCEI Storm Events record, 1950 to 2026. Event types counted: Tornado.
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. Storm records through 30 Jun 2026.
Lawrence County, Mississippi, has 41 tornado events in the NCEI record since 1950, with at least one in 24 different years.
April is the busiest month, with 9 of the recorded events. The last 20 years account for 20 events against 11 in the 20 years before, a change that reflects reporting practice as much as weather.
The county holds 1.2% of the 3,532 tornado events recorded in Mississippi; its 9.5 per 100 square miles compares with 7.5 statewide.
NCEI attributes 6 deaths in the county to tornadoes.
By rating: 11 at (E)F0, 17 at (E)F1, 5 at (E)F2, 4 at (E)F3, 2 at (E)F4, 0 at (E)F5 and 2 unrated. Tornadoes before 2007 carry the original Fujita rating.
Compared with Mississippi
| Measure | Lawrence County | Mississippi | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado events since 1950 | 41 | 3,532 | 81,281 |
| Per 100 square miles | 9.5 | 7.5 | 2.3 |
| Per 10,000 residents | 34.7 | 12.0 | 2.4 |
| Deaths recorded | 6 | 537 | 6,410 |
| Busiest month | April | April | May |
By year
Seasonality
6Feb
8Mar
2Apr
9May
3Jun
0Jul
0Aug
3Sep
1Oct
0Nov
6Dec
3
Magnitude distribution
Enhanced Fujita scale wind estimates
- EF0/F0
- 65–85 mph (EF0)
- EF1/F1
- 86–110 mph (EF1)
- EF2/F2
- 111–135 mph (EF2)
- EF3/F3
- 136–165 mph (EF3)
- EF4/F4
- 166–200 mph (EF4)
- EF5/F5
- over 200 mph (EF5)
- Unrated
- no rating recorded
Tornado rating as recorded (Fujita scale before February 2007, Enhanced Fujita after).
Recorded events
All 41 events, most recent first. Magnitude is hail size, tornado rating or wind speed as recorded.
| Date | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Mar 2026 | Tornado | EF1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Mar 2026 | Tornado | EF1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Feb 2026 | Tornado | EF0 | $9K | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Feb 2026 | Tornado | EF1 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 10 Jan 2026 | Tornado | EF0 | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Jan 2025 | Tornado | EF0 | $15K | — | — | — | County |
| 13 May 2024 | Tornado | EF1 | $120K | — | — | — | County |
| 13 May 2024 | Tornado | EF1 | $100K | — | — | — | County |
| 20 Nov 2023 | Tornado | EF1 | $50K | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Feb 2023 | Tornado | EF0 | $30K | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Feb 2023 | Tornado | EF1 | $40K | — | — | — | County |
| 29 Nov 2022 | Tornado | EF1 | $15K | — | — | — | County |
| 12 Apr 2020 | Tornado | EF3 | $750K | $2.5M | 2 | 3 | County |
| 12 Apr 2020 | Tornado | EF3 | $1.1M | $1.5M | — | — | County |
| 16 Dec 2019 | Tornado | EF1 | $85K | — | — | — | County |
| 3 Jan 2015 | Tornado | EF0 | $1K | — | — | — | County |
| 10 Feb 2013 | Tornado | EF1 | $75K | — | — | — | County |
| 25 Dec 2012 | Tornado | EF2 | $200K | — | — | 7 | County |
| 4 Apr 2011 | Tornado | EF1 | $500K | — | — | — | County |
| 9 Dec 2008 | Tornado | EF0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 6 Apr 2005 | Tornado | F1 | $80K | — | — | — | County |
| 24 Nov 2004 | Tornado | F1 | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 24 Nov 2004 | Tornado | F1 | $30K | — | — | — | County |
| 1 May 2004 | Tornado | F1 | $20K | — | — | — | County |
| 27 Feb 1999 | Tornado | F0 | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 27 Feb 1999 | Tornado | F3 | $200K | — | — | — | County |
| 22 Jan 1999 | Tornado | F0 | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 27 Jan 1994 | Tornado | F0 | $50K | — | — | — | County |
| 26 Aug 1992 | Tornado | F1 | $25K | — | — | 1 | County |
| 26 Aug 1992 | Tornado | F0 | $250 | — | — | — | County |
| 26 Aug 1992 | Tornado | F0 | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 12 Apr 1986 | Tornado | F1 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 12 Apr 1986 | Tornado | F2 | $2.5M | — | — | — | County |
| 18 Apr 1978 | Tornado | F4 | $250K | — | 4 | 31 | County |
| 10 Jan 1975 | Tornado | F4 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 21 Feb 1974 | Tornado | F3 | $250K | — | — | 13 | County |
| 23 Sep 1970 | Tornado | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Apr 1969 | Tornado | F2 | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Apr 1969 | Tornado | — | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 17 Nov 1968 | Tornado | F2 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 17 Nov 1968 | Tornado | F2 | — | — | — | — | County |
Questions and answers
How many tornado events has Lawrence County had?
41 events in the NCEI Storm Events record between 1950 and 2026. Reporting of tornadoes became far more complete after 1996, so early decades undercount.
When was the last recorded tornado event in Lawrence County?
11 Mar 2026 (Tornado, EF1). Records reach NCEI about 120 days after the month ends.
What was the most damaging tornado event recorded in Lawrence County?
The tornado of 12 Apr 2020, with property damage estimated by NCEI at $750K and crop damage at $2.5M; 2 deaths recorded.
How does Lawrence County compare with Mississippi for tornado?
9.5 events per 100 square miles against 7.5 statewide; the county holds 41 of the state's 3,532 recorded events.
Provenance
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026, public domain. County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county (marked "Forecast zone"). Population and area from the US Census Bureau (2021). Built 1 Oct 2026. See the methodology, the Tornado hub and the county page.