NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Canton, 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
22 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Canton, Mississippi since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 215 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 20 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 21
- Tornadoes
- 215
- EF3 or stronger
- 20
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
110 deaths in all
What the records show for Canton
The strongest storm to pass near Canton was Camille in 1969, a Category 1 hurricane with 74 mph winds when its centre passed 1 mile away. The record near Canton begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 41 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 3 systems. Of the 22 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Canton has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 49% of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site. The strongest of the 215 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on March 3, 1966; its path came within 15 miles, and it killed 58 people. Of the 215, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 136 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 53. The most recent tornado was on May 26, 2025. Canton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 87% of the 232 Mississippi cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 51 times since 1970, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 56% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Canton.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Canton
Of the 22 tracks on the map, 12 were moving north as they passed Canton, 8 northeast and 2 northwest. Camille (1969), the strongest pass, was heading north; its centre passed 1 mile east of Canton. None made landfall within 75 miles of Canton; 17 of the 22 were hurricanes at their peak, 1 at their closest to the city. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 4 came near Canton: 1.3 a decade, against 1.2 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaAug 30 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 29 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2002 | IsidoreSep 26 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | ErinAug 4 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1971 | EdithSep 17 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 18 | 1 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1948 | Unnamed 1948 stormSep 5 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 20 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 2 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 6 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormSep 8 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 20 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 2 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormJul 12 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Canton: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Canton
By decade
- 2020s42
- 2010s53(3 EF3+)
- 2000s41(4 EF3+)
- 1990s19(4 EF3+)
- 1980s18(1 EF3+)
- 1970s18(4 EF3+)
- 1960s13(2 EF3+)
- 1950s11(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 1966 | F5 | 15 mi | 202.5 mi | 58 / 518 |
| Feb 21, 1971 | F4 | 23 mi | 65.2 mi | 13 / 182 |
| Nov 21, 1992 | F4 | 12 mi | 128 mi | 12 / 122 |
| Apr 24, 2010 | EF4 | 23 mi | 148.97 mi | 10 / 146 |
| Mar 29, 1976 | F4 | 3 mi | 22.3 mi | 3 / 177 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F4 | 4 mi | 11.5 mi | 2 / 21 |
| Feb 26, 1958 | F3 | 8 mi | 69.7 mi | 8 / 26 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 23 mi | 29.72 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F3 | 23 mi | 27.3 mi | 1 / 27 |
| Apr 15, 2011 | EF3 | 17 mi | 16.53 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jan 10, 2008 | EF3 | 19 mi | 9.73 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 6, 2005 | F3 | 24 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 6 |
The strongest 12 of 215, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Canton
The Storm Prediction Center has 51 hail reports within 10 miles of Canton since 1970, made on 47 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 7 days, most recently February 11, 2024. The most recent report is from February 11, 2024. April has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Canton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Canton 4N, MS, 4 miles north of Canton at 250 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 56°F and 34°F. April is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 57.0 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 45% of the year's precipitation (25.4 of 57.0 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 22 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (10); a normal September there has highs of 88°F and 4.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 76 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 57 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.5 inches a year, most of it in December. That 57.0 inches is more than at 18 of the 87 Mississippi stations used on this site (21%). Madison, 11 miles southwest, has its own station (Jackson International Airport, MS): 57.3 inches a year, 0.3 more than here, and the same July average high, 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 34 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 60 | 36 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Mar | 68 | 43 | 5.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 75 | 51 | 6.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 83 | 60 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 89 | 67 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 70 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 69 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 88 | 63 | 4.1 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 78 | 51 | 4.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 66 | 40 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 58 | 35 | 5.0 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Year | 75 | 52 | 57.0 | 71 | 0.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Canton 4N, MS (250 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 Canton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 190 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Canton: 134 thunderstorm wind reports, 44 flash floods, 6 floods and 6 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $7.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on March 4, 2020. April has had the most flash floods, 11 of 44. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 200 have had fewer than Canton.
April 22, 2025: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Canton — 1 killed.
NWS: “A man was struck and killed by lightning while fishing on the Ross Barnett Reservoir.”
June 5, 2011: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Canton — 1 injured.
NWS: “A man was struck by lightning while fishing along the Pearl River near Pipeline Road. He did not sustain significant injuries.”
April 26, 2026: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Canton — 1 injured.
NWS: “A large tree was blown onto the road. A police officer crashed into the falling tree and suffered a serious injury.”
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Canton's ZIP code 39046 have filed 735 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $5.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1983: 173 claims (24% of all) and $768,000. 25% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 133 Mississippi cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 115 have fewer than Canton.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1983 | 173 | $768,000 |
Madison County, which includes Canton, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 9 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 Madison County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $54.3 million a year, the 6th highest of 82 Mississippi counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.0 million (37%), 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.
Cities near Canton
- Madison, MS11 mi
- Ridgeland, MS15 mi
- Pickens, MS18 mi
- Flora, MS18 mi
- Benton, MS19 mi
- Brandon, MS21 mi
- Lena, MS22 mi
- Pelahatchie, MS23 mi
- Bentonia, MS23 mi
- Jackson, MS24 mi
- Pearl, MS24 mi
- Clinton, MS27 mi
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