NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Greenwood, 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
16 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Greenwood, Mississippi since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 84 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 16
- Tornadoes
- 84
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
127 deaths in all
What the records show for Greenwood
None of the 16 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Greenwood; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 68 mph winds when its centre passed 26 miles away. The record near Greenwood begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 26 miles away. The 1900s and the 1930s were the busiest decades, with 3 systems each. Of the 16 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site, 68% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Greenwood. The strongest of the 84 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on February 21, 1971; its path came within 12 miles, and it killed 47 people. The deadliest, an F4 on February 21, 1971, killed 58 people. Of the 84, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on May 18, 2025. Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 82% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Greenwood. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 85 times since 1958, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Greenwood has more hail reports within 10 miles than 77% of the 232 Mississippi cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Greenwood
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 18 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 20 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 2 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 7 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 20 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 2 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 10 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 Greenwood: 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 Greenwood
By decade
- 2020s14(2 EF3+)
- 2010s4
- 2000s22(1 EF3+)
- 1990s15(2 EF3+)
- 1980s10
- 1970s11(5 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 1971 | F5 | 12 mi | 109.2 mi | 47 / 510 |
| Feb 21, 1971 | F4 | 4 mi | 202.1 mi | 58 / 795 |
| Mar 24, 2023 | EF4 | 19 mi | 59.23 mi | 17 / 165 |
| Mar 24, 2023 | EF3 | 17 mi | 29.43 mi | 3 / 5 |
| Nov 7, 1957 | F3 | 8 mi | 31.2 mi | 2 / 1 |
| Feb 24, 2001 | F3 | 3 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 1997 | F3 | 24 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 21, 1990 | F3 | 20 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 24, 1973 | F3 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 20, 1973 | F3 | 13 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F3 | 13 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 15 mi | 24.21 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 84, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Greenwood
The Storm Prediction Center has 85 hail reports within 10 miles of Greenwood since 1958, made on 61 separate days. Of these, 50 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 7, 2006. The most recent report is from March 31, 2025. April has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Greenwood
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Greenwood Leflore Airport, MS, 6 miles southeast of Greenwood at 133 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 54°F and 35°F. April is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 51.6 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 42% of the year's precipitation (21.8 of 51.6 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 16 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 87°F and 3.8 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 49 nights a year. That 51.6 inches is more than at 2 of the 87 Mississippi stations used on this site (2%). Itta Bena, 9 miles west, has its own station (Moorhead, MS): 55.9 inches a year, 4.3 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54 | 35 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Feb | 59 | 38 | 5.0 | 7 |
| Mar | 67 | 45 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Apr | 75 | 53 | 5.8 | 7 |
| May | 83 | 62 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Jun | 89 | 69 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Jul | 92 | 72 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Aug | 92 | 70 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Sep | 87 | 64 | 3.8 | 4 |
| Oct | 77 | 52 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Nov | 66 | 42 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Dec | 57 | 37 | 5.3 | 7 |
| Year | 75 | 53 | 51.6 | 72 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Greenwood Leflore Airport, MS (133 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 Greenwood
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 144 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Greenwood: 123 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $5.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on July 22, 2002. March has had the most flash floods, 5 of 20. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 131 have had fewer than Greenwood.
June 5, 2001: thunderstorm wind in Greenwood — 1 killed, $25,000 damage.
NWS: “Several trees were blown down around town. One large tree blew down onto a van at an intersection.”
February 1, 2012: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Greenwood — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “Trees were blown down along Highway 7 and County Road 106. A fatality occurred when a pine tree fell on an ATV operator along County Road 286 between County Roads 93 and 95.”
February 24, 2011: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Greenwood — $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 Greenwood's ZIP code 38930 have filed 357 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 Hurricane Katrina in 2005: 15 claims (4% of all) and $20,000, then Flooding in 1983 with 14. The year with the most claims was 1983, with 156. 9% 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, 106 have fewer than Greenwood.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Katrina2005 | 15 | $20,000 |
| Flooding1983 | 14 | $42,000 |
Leflore County, which includes Greenwood, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 4 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Leflore County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.0 million a year, the 20th highest of 82 Mississippi counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.1 million (40%), 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 Greenwood
- Itta Bena, MS9 mi
- Carrollton, MS14 mi
- Ruleville, MS25 mi
- Winona, MS26 mi
- Grenada, MS27 mi
- Tchula, MS28 mi
- Indianola, MS28 mi
- Lexington, MS29 mi
- Vaiden, MS29 mi
- Drew, MS31 mi
- Charleston, MS31 mi
- Belzoni, MS31 mi
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