States › Mississippi › Walthall County

Walthall 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 28147 · 13,836 residents (2021) · 404 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 44Tornado · 37Flood · 9Wind · 114Winter · 11

Walthall 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.

The NCEI record lists 254 events for Walthall County, Mississippi, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 62.9 events per 100 square miles, below the Mississippi figure of 89.7, and 183.6 per 10,000 residents against 142.8 statewide.

10 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 9 deaths and 23 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $385M.

FEMA has designated the county in 29 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 233 claims since 1978, of which 180 were paid, totalling $2.9M (about $16K per paid claim). FEMA counts 42 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Very Low" and its expected annual loss as "Very Low" ($7.0M a year across 18 hazards).

80 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 2 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

10events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

254events since 19509 deaths, 23 injuries recorded

29disaster declarationslast 6 Feb 2026

233NFIP flood claims$2.9M paid

Compared with Mississippi and the United States

Measure	Walthall County	Mississippi	US
Recorded events since 1950	254	42,114	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	62.9	89.7	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	183.6	142.8	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	10	1,524	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	9	928	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$385M	$31B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	16.8	21.9	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$16K	$58K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	14.3	11.5	16.1

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: 1

Hail: 3Tornado: 5Wind: 6

Hail: 2Tornado: 1Wind: 5

Hail: 6Tornado: 3Wind: 15

Hail: 10Tornado: 4Flood: 2Wind: 21Cold: 2

Hail: 10Tornado: 6Flood: 2Wind: 38Winter: 3Tropical: 4Other: 1

Hail: 9Tornado: 8Flood: 4Wind: 16Winter: 6Tropical: 1Other: 1

Hail: 4Tornado: 9Flood: 1Wind: 13Winter: 2Tropical: 3Heat: 18Cold: 2Drought: 6Lightning: 1

11950s141960s81970s241980s391990s642000s452010s592020s

Recorded events in Walthall County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindWinterTropicalHeatColdDroughtLightningOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 115 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 97 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

Wind114

Hail44

Tornado37

Heat18

Winter11

Flood9

Tropical8

Drought6

Cold4

Other2

Lightning1

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	114	2	0.6%	detail
■ Hail	44	—	0.5%	detail
■ Tornado	37	7	1.0%	detail
■ Heat	18	—	0.7%
■ Winter	11	—	0.6%	detail
■ Flood	9	—	0.2%
■ Tropical	8	—	1.4%
■ Drought	6	—	0.4%
■ Cold	4	—	1.2%
■ Other	2	—	0.9%
■ Lightning	1	—	0.3%

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

Date	Event type	Group	Magnitude	Property damage	Crop damage	Deaths	Injuries	Geography
15 Mar 2025	Tornado	Tornado	EF4	$5.0M	—	3	8	County
12 Apr 2020	Tornado	Tornado	EF4	—	—	2	—	County
15 Mar 2025	Tornado	Tornado	EF3	$5.0M	—	1	—	County
17 Jun 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	—	$10K	—	1	—	County
12 Mar 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	—	$10K	—	1	—	County
11 Apr 1995	Tornado	Tornado	F1	—	—	1	—	County
28 Aug 2005	Hurricane (Typhoon)	Tropical	—	$367M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
5 Mar 1996	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$150K	—	—	5	County
6 May 1960	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$250K	—	—	2	County
15 Feb 1987	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$250K	—	—	2	County
13 Apr 1969	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$25K	—	—	2	County
15 Feb 2016	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	—	—	—	2	County
15 Nov 2006	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$500K	—	—	1	County
9 Apr 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$15K	—	—	1	County
2 Oct 2002	Tropical Storm	Tropical	—	$1.7M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
10 Mar 2016	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$1.0M	—	—	—	County
29 Aug 2021	Hurricane (Typhoon)	Tropical	—	$1.0M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
9 Oct 2020	Tropical Storm	Tropical	—	$500K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
6 Apr 2005	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$300K	—	—	—	County
18 Nov 1957	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$250K	—	—	—	County

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

Declared	Number	Type	Incident	Title	Programs
6 Feb 2026	DR-4899	Major disaster	Winter Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
24 Jan 2026	EM-3640	Emergency	Winter Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
21 May 2025	DR-4874	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
22 Oct 2021	DR-4626	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Ida	Individual assistance, Public assistance
28 Aug 2021	EM-3569	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Ida	Public assistance
4 May 2021	DR-4598	Major disaster	Severe Ice Storm	Severe Winter Storms	Public assistance
8 Oct 2020	EM-3548	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Delta	Public assistance
14 Sep 2020	EM-3544	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Sally	Public assistance
23 Aug 2020	EM-3539	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Marco And Tropical Storm Laura	Public assistance
16 Apr 2020	DR-4536	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
5 Apr 2020	DR-4528	Major disaster	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020	EM-3474	Emergency	Biological	Covid-19	Public assistance
25 Mar 2016	DR-4268	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms And Flooding	Public assistance
29 Aug 2012	DR-4081	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Isaac	Individual assistance, Public assistance
28 Aug 2012	EM-3348	Emergency	Hurricane	Tropical Storm Isaac	Public assistance
12 May 2009	DR-1837	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes	Public assistance
22 Sep 2008	DR-1794	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Gustav	Public assistance
30 Aug 2008	EM-3291	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Gustav	Public assistance
29 Aug 2005	DR-1604	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina	Individual assistance, Public assistance
15 Sep 2004	DR-1550	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Ivan	Public assistance
24 Apr 2003	DR-1459	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Floods	Individual assistance
23 Feb 2001	DR-1360	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Tornadoes	Individual assistance, Public assistance
28 Sep 1998	EM-3132	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Georges	Public assistance
28 Feb 1990	DR-859	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
16 Apr 1983	DR-678	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding & Tornadoes	Individual assistance, Public assistance
19 Apr 1980	DR-618	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Storms, Flood, Mudslides & Tornadoes	Individual assistance, Public assistance
22 Feb 1977	EM-3032	Emergency	Snowstorm	Drought & Freezing	Public assistance
19 Jan 1972	DR-318	Major disaster	Flood	Heavy Rains & Flooding	Public assistance
18 Aug 1969	DR-271	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Camille	Individual 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 Walthall County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 1978233

Paid claims180

Total paid$2.9M

Average paid claim$16K

Repetitive-loss properties345 severe

Residential policies in force420.6% of 6,734 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	4	4	$284,175	$71,044
2019	1	0	$0	—
2018	1	0	$0	—
2016	25	18	$602,075	$33,449
2015	1	0	$0	—
2014	2	1	$13,832	$13,832
2013	2	2	$66,884	$33,442
2012	25	20	$485,065	$24,253
2011	1	0	$0	—
2009	8	7	$103,949	$14,850
2005	14	2	$18,336	$9,168
2003	18	16	$138,705	$8,669
2002	1	1	$236	$236
2001	16	10	$144,986	$14,499
1998	5	5	$45,727	$9,145
1997	4	3	$21,128	$7,043
1995	2	1	$5,739	$5,739
1994	30	25	$332,713	$13,309
1993	1	1	$24,284	$24,284
1991	3	3	$31,532	$10,511
1990	28	25	$176,105	$7,044
1988	1	1	$7,000	$7,000
1987	2	2	$9,829	$4,915
1985	2	1	$2,508	$2,508
1984	1	0	$0	—

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 riskVery Lowscore 25.5 of 100

Expected annual loss$7.0MVery Low

Social vulnerabilityRelatively High

Community resilienceVery Low

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Very Low	$2,508,840
Hurricane	Relatively Low	$1,478,391
Strong wind	Relatively Moderate	$1,133,555
Tornado	Relatively Low	$589,214
Heat wave	Relatively Low	$334,143
Cold wave	Relatively Low	$320,171
Hail	Relatively Low	$170,359
Drought	Relatively Low	$132,796
Lightning	Relatively Low	$113,293
Wildfire	Relatively Low	$109,509
Earthquake	Very Low	$86,953
Ice storm	Relatively Low	$38,868
Winter weather	Very Low	$14,070
Landslide	Very Low	$281

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 miles80

Tracks within 50 miles27

Hurricane strength within 50 miles2

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Francine	2024	47 mi	52 mph
Claudette	2021	41 mi	40 mph
Ida	2021	52 mi	121 mph
Cristobal	2020	49 mi	52 mph
Zeta	2020	68 mi	98 mph
Olga	2019	37 mi	52 mph
Gordon	2018	74 mi	52 mph
Nate	2017	84 mi	75 mph
Isaac	2012	92 mi	63 mph
Lee	2011	39 mi	46 mph
Cindy	2005	76 mi	52 mph
Katrina	2005	30 mi	121 mph
Bill	2003	54 mi	52 mph
Isidore	2002	74 mi	63 mph
Allison	2001	53 mi	46 mph
Georges	1998	76 mi	104 mph
Erin	1995	96 mi	52 mph
Andrew	1992	63 mi	58 mph
Beryl	1988	76 mi	52 mph
Elena	1985	21 mi	115 mph
Bob	1979	13 mi	46 mph
Frederic	1979	98 mi	109 mph
Edith	1971	46 mi	69 mph
Camille	1969	44 mi	173 mph
Betsy	1965	100 mi	75 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

39667 230

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 Walthall County, MS?

NCEI records 44 hail events in Walthall County since 1950, in 30 different years; that is about 0.6 recorded events a year. 19 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Walthall County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 37 tornadoes in Walthall County since 1950, 10 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 7.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Walthall County?

6 Feb 2026: Severe Winter Storm, a major disaster declaration for winter storm. The county appears in 29 declarations since 1953.

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

233 NFIP claims since 1978, 180 of them paid, for $2.9M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

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

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

How does Walthall County compare with the rest of Mississippi?

62.9 recorded events per 100 square miles against 89.7 statewide, and 16.8 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.