NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Florence, 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
30 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Florence, Mississippi since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 268 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 19 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 28
- Tornadoes
- 268
- EF3 or stronger
- 19
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
125 deaths in all
What the records show for Florence
The strongest storm to pass near Florence was Camille in 1969, a Category 1 hurricane with 83 mph winds when its centre passed 11 miles away. The record near Florence begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 23 miles away. Of the 30 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Florence has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 55% of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site. The strongest of the 268 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on March 3, 1966; its path came within 14 miles, and it killed 58 people. Of the 268, 18 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 155 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 67. The most recent tornado was on October 19, 2025. Florence is tied for the most tornadoes within 25 miles among the 232 Mississippi cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 140 times since 1958, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Florence has more hail reports within 10 miles than 93% of the 232 Mississippi cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Florence
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaAug 30 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 29 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2002 | IsidoreSep 26 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | ErinAug 4 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1992 | AndrewAug 27 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | ElenaSep 2 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1971 | EdithSep 17 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 18 | 11 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | EstherSep 19 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormSep 5 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1948 | Unnamed 1948 stormSep 4 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 20 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 1 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 6 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 13 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 27 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormSep 8 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1890 | Unnamed 1890 stormAug 28 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 20 | 49 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 15 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormOct 7 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 2 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormJul 12 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Florence: 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 Florence
By decade
- 2020s48
- 2010s62(3 EF3+)
- 2000s45(3 EF3+)
- 1990s21(1 EF3+)
- 1980s25(1 EF3+)
- 1970s25(7 EF3+)
- 1960s25(2 EF3+)
- 1950s17(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 1966 | F5 | 14 mi | 202.5 mi | 58 / 518 |
| Jan 23, 1969 | F4 | 8 mi | 117.8 mi | 32 / 241 |
| Nov 21, 1992 | F4 | in town | 128 mi | 12 / 122 |
| Jan 10, 1975 | F4 | 19 mi | 56.5 mi | 9 / 210 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F4 | 22 mi | 11.5 mi | 2 / 21 |
| Mar 29, 1976 | F4 | 11 mi | 126.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Mar 26, 1976 | F4 | 24 mi | 18.5 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Feb 26, 1958 | F3 | 11 mi | 69.7 mi | 8 / 26 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 8 mi | 29.72 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Feb 26, 1958 | F3 | 8 mi | 71 mi | 1 / 34 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 25 mi | 8.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 2011 | EF3 | 17 mi | 16.53 mi | 0 / 10 |
The strongest 12 of 268, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Florence
The Storm Prediction Center has 140 hail reports within 10 miles of Florence since 1958, made on 106 separate days. Of these, 89 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently March 30, 1993. The most recent report is from March 23, 2025. April has the most reports, 41.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Florence
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jackson International Airport, MS, 14 miles north of Florence at 296 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 57°F and 37°F. April is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 57.3 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 45% of the year's precipitation (25.8 of 57.3 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 30 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (13); a normal September there has highs of 88°F and 3.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 85 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 40 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.0 inches a year, most of it in December. That 57.3 inches is more than at 21 of the 87 Mississippi stations used on this site (24%). Braxton, 11 miles southeast, has its own station (D'Lo 2 SW, MS): 57.6 inches a year, 0.3 more than here, and a July average high of 95°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 37 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Feb | 62 | 40 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Mar | 69 | 46 | 5.7 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 77 | 53 | 5.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 84 | 62 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 90 | 69 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 72 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 72 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 88 | 66 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 78 | 54 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 67 | 44 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 60 | 39 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Year | 76 | 54 | 57.3 | 75 | 1.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Jackson International Airport, MS (296 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 Florence
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 294 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Florence: 208 thunderstorm wind reports, 71 flash floods, 8 floods, 4 lightning strikes and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $10.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on March 29, 2011. August has had the most flash floods, 17 of 71. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 220 have had fewer than Florence.
April 2, 2017: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Florence — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
NWS: “Flooding occurred along Williams Road. In addition, a car skidded off the road into a rain-swollen creek during the early morning hours and the female driver was killed.”
February 12, 2008: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Florence — $3.0 million damage.
February 22, 2008: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Florence — $700,000 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 Florence's ZIP code 39073 have filed 106 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $3.8 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1980: 17 claims (16% of all) and $73,000. The year with the most claims was 2004, with 20. 16% 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, 87 have fewer than Florence.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1980 | 17 | $73,000 |
Rankin County, which includes Florence, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 hurricanes, 6 severe storms, 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 Rankin County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $60.2 million a year, the 5th highest of 82 Mississippi counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.8 million (34%), 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 Florence
- Richland, MS8 mi
- Pearl, MS11 mi
- Braxton, MS11 mi
- Terry, MS13 mi
- Jackson, MS15 mi
- Brandon, MS16 mi
- Crystal Springs, MS18 mi
- Mendenhall, MS20 mi
- Clinton, MS20 mi
- Ridgeland, MS20 mi
- Flowood, MS21 mi
- Byram, MS21 mi
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