NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Coldwater, 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
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Coldwater, Mississippi since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 82 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 82
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
35 deaths in all
What the records show for Coldwater
None of the 11 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Coldwater; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 10 miles away. The record near Coldwater begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 23 miles away. The 1880s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 11 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site, 94% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Coldwater. The highest rating among the 82 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on December 23, 2015, came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on March 21, 1952, killed 16 people. Of the 82, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on May 18, 2025. Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 84% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Coldwater. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 74 times since 1985, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Coldwater has more hail reports within 10 miles than 67% of the 232 Mississippi cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Coldwater
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 19 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 7 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 20 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 41 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 Coldwater: 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 Coldwater
By decade
- 2020s9(1 EF3+)
- 2010s10(2 EF3+)
- 2000s11
- 1990s11
- 1980s12
- 1970s13(2 EF3+)
- 1960s14
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 19 mi | 29.6 mi | 16 / 74 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF4 | 16 mi | 75.09 mi | 9 / 36 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF3 | 14 mi | 61.57 mi | 2 / 28 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 2 mi | 12.22 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 20 mi | 12.3 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 23 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF2 | 19 mi | 10.24 mi | 3 / 13 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F2 | 9 mi | 43.5 mi | 3 / 33 |
| Nov 27, 1973 | F2 | 16 mi | 4.1 mi | 1 / 50 |
| Apr 28, 1962 | F2 | 15 mi | 34.6 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 14 mi | 22.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 11, 2020 | EF2 | 11 mi | 8.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 82, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Coldwater
The Storm Prediction Center has 74 hail reports within 10 miles of Coldwater since 1985, made on 54 separate days. Of these, 35 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 2, 2025. The most recent report is from May 25, 2025. April and May have the most reports, 24 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Coldwater
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Senatobia, MS, 5 miles south of Coldwater at 240 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 31°F. April is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 58.2 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 43% of the year's precipitation (25.1 of 58.2 inches); the other six months are wetter. August has brought the most of the 11 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal August there has highs of 92°F and 3.5 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 64 nights a year. That 58.2 inches is more than at 34 of the 87 Mississippi stations used on this site (39%). Hernando, 9 miles northwest, has its own station (Hernando, MS): 56.5 inches a year, 1.7 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 31 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Feb | 55 | 34 | 5.0 | 7 |
| Mar | 64 | 42 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Apr | 73 | 51 | 6.1 | 7 |
| May | 81 | 60 | 5.9 | 7 |
| Jun | 89 | 67 | 4.8 | 6 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Aug | 92 | 70 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Sep | 86 | 62 | 3.1 | 4 |
| Oct | 75 | 50 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Nov | 64 | 40 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Dec | 54 | 33 | 5.9 | 8 |
| Year | 73 | 51 | 58.2 | 76 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Senatobia, MS (240 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 Coldwater
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 114 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Coldwater: 86 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 flash floods, 5 lightning strikes, 2 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on March 27, 2021. April has had the most flash floods, 5 of 19. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 121 have had fewer than Coldwater.
March 24, 2009: heavy rain event 3 miles from the centre of Coldwater — 1 killed, $25,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain caused a motorist's vehicle to hydroplane. The vehicle went off the road and flipped on Interstate 55 near the Desoto County Welcome Center, outside of Hernando.”
November 7, 1996: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Coldwater — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
March 15, 2026: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Coldwater — 1 injured, $10,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Coldwater's ZIP code 38618 have filed 16 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1991, and were paid $875,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 19% 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, 19 have fewer than Coldwater.
Tate County, which includes Coldwater, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 4 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 Tate County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.4 million a year, the 42nd highest of 82 Mississippi counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.7 million (24%), is from tornadoes.
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 Coldwater
- Senatobia, MS6 mi
- Hernando, MS9 mi
- Como, MS13 mi
- Nesbit, MS13 mi
- Sarah, MS16 mi
- Southaven, MS18 mi
- Horn Lake, MS19 mi
- Olive Branch, MS19 mi
- Byhalia, MS19 mi
- Sardis, MS20 mi
- Lake Cormorant, MS20 mi
- Walls, MS21 mi
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