NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Belden, MS
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
17 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Belden, Mississippi since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 111 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 17
- Tornadoes
- 111
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
28 deaths in all
What the records show for Belden
None of the 17 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Belden; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 74 miles away. The record near Belden begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 44 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 3 systems. Of the 17 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site, 64% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Belden. The strongest of the 111 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 29, 1963; its path came within 14 miles, and it killed 3 people. The deadliest, an F3 on April 21, 1984, killed 15 people. Of the 111, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 66 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on June 7, 2025. Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 61% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Belden. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 161 times since 1967, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Belden has more hail reports within 10 miles than 96% of the 232 Mississippi cities.
Compare Belden's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Belden
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 30 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 18 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 7 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormSep 9 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 2 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Belden: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Belden
By decade
- 2020s27
- 2010s18(1 EF3+)
- 2000s21(3 EF3+)
- 1990s16(2 EF3+)
- 1980s8(3 EF3+)
- 1970s9(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5(2 EF3+)
- 1950s7(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 1963 | F4 | 14 mi | 4.7 mi | 3 / 20 |
| Apr 21, 1984 | F3 | 13 mi | 71 mi | 15 / 76 |
| Feb 24, 2001 | F3 | 6 mi | 52 mi | 6 / 73 |
| Nov 19, 1988 | F3 | 11 mi | 12.5 mi | 2 / 11 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 4 mi | 30.97 mi | 0 / 32 |
| May 8, 2008 | EF3 | 3 mi | 7.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 3, 2000 | F3 | 25 mi | 43.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F3 | 13 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F3 | 15 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 4, 1988 | F3 | 23 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 23, 1975 | F3 | 10 mi | 17.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 17, 1965 | F3 | 14 mi | 14.7 mi | 0 / 10 |
The strongest 12 of 111, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Belden
The Storm Prediction Center has 161 hail reports within 10 miles of Belden since 1967, made on 105 separate days. Of these, 97 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on October 25, 1997. The most recent report is from June 9, 2025. April has the most reports, 40.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Belden
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tupelo Regional Airport, MS, 4 miles southeast of Belden at 361 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 34°F. December is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 57.8 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 44% of the year's precipitation (25.7 of 57.8 inches); the other six months are wetter. Highs reach 90°F on about 70 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 54 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.5 inches a year, most of it in January and February. That 57.8 inches is more than at 27 of the 87 Mississippi stations used on this site (31%). Tupelo, 6 miles southeast, has its own station (Tupelo 2, MS): 58.0 inches a year, 0.2 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 34 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Feb | 58 | 37 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 66 | 44 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 75 | 52 | 5.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 83 | 61 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 90 | 69 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 72 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 71 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 87 | 64 | 3.6 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 77 | 52 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 42 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 56 | 36 | 5.9 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Year | 74 | 53 | 57.8 | 79 | 1.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Tupelo Regional Airport, MS (361 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Belden
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 236 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Belden: 189 thunderstorm wind reports, 39 flash floods, 6 lightning strikes, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $2.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on November 23, 2004. April has had the most flash floods, 10 of 39. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 197 have had fewer than Belden.
June 11, 2023: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Belden — 1 injured, $65,000 damage.
November 23, 2004: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Belden — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “One house was knocked 12 feet off its foundation. One person was injured in that house.”
November 8, 2000: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Belden — 1 injured, $20,000 damage.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Lee County, which includes Belden, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 5 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 winter storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lee County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $37.9 million a year, the 11th highest of 82 Mississippi counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.1 million (32%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.