NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Golden, 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
12 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Golden, Mississippi since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Katrina in 2005. Since 1950, 106 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 12
- Tornadoes
- 106
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
104 deaths in all
What the records show for Golden
None of the 12 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Golden; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 51 mph winds when its centre passed 27 miles away. The record near Golden begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Katrina in 2005, a tropical storm 13 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 3 systems. Of the 12 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site, 88% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Golden. The highest rating among the 106 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 22 miles. Of the 106, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 66 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on April 5, 2025. Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Golden. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 73 times since 1971, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Golden has more hail reports within 10 miles than 65% of the 232 Mississippi cities.
Compare Golden's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Golden
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 30 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 2 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 53 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 Golden: 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 Golden
By decade
- 2020s26(1 EF3+)
- 2010s27(3 EF3+)
- 2000s13(1 EF3+)
- 1990s6
- 1980s10(2 EF3+)
- 1970s6(2 EF3+)
- 1960s8(1 EF3+)
- 1950s10(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 22 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 16 mi | 37.3 mi | 23 / 137 |
| Feb 24, 2001 | F3 | 24 mi | 52 mi | 6 / 73 |
| Mar 24, 2023 | EF3 | 21 mi | 36.56 mi | 2 / 55 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 9 mi | 30.97 mi | 0 / 32 |
| Nov 4, 1988 | F3 | 13 mi | 60 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Nov 4, 1988 | F3 | 14 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 23, 1975 | F3 | 23 mi | 17.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 29, 1972 | F3 | 14 mi | 45.5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 17, 1965 | F3 | 24 mi | 14.7 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jan 21, 1959 | F3 | 25 mi | 33.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 14, 1953 | F2 | 20 mi | 3.3 mi | 1 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 106, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Golden
The Storm Prediction Center has 73 hail reports within 10 miles of Golden since 1971, made on 47 separate days. Of these, 42 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on October 25, 1997. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. March has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Golden
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fulton 3 W, MS, 18 miles southwest of Golden at 350 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 30°F. December is the wettest at 6.2 inches of precipitation on average and September and October the driest at 4.0 inches; the year adds up to 61.3 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 (27.0 of 61.3 inches); the other six months are wetter. Highs reach 90°F on about 56 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 67 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 61.3 inches is more than at 60 of the 87 Mississippi stations used on this site (69%). Belmont, 6 miles north, has its own station (Iuka, MS): 62.3 inches a year, 1.0 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 30 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Feb | 56 | 33 | 5.7 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Mar | 65 | 40 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 73 | 48 | 5.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 58 | 5.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 66 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 69 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 68 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 61 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 49 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 38 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 33 | 6.2 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Year | 72 | 49 | 61.3 | 79 | 1.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fulton 3 W, MS (350 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 Golden
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 104 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Golden: 93 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 flood. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on October 3, 2014. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 26 have had fewer than Golden.
February 20, 2014: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Golden — 1 injured.
April 22, 2017: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Golden — $300,000 damage.
May 25, 2011: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Golden — $210,000 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
Itawamba County, which includes Golden, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 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 Itawamba County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Low for strong wind 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 $11.9 million a year, the 39th highest of 82 Mississippi counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.5 million (21%), 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.