NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hickory Flat, 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 Hickory Flat, Mississippi since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 74 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 15 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 12
- Tornadoes
- 74
- EF3 or stronger
- 15
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
95 deaths in all
What the records show for Hickory Flat
None of the 12 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hickory Flat; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 43 miles away. The record near Hickory Flat begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 19 miles away. The 1880s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 12 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site, 88% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Hickory Flat. The highest rating among the 74 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on December 23, 2015, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on February 21, 1971, killed 58 people. Of the 74, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 36 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on April 5, 2025. Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 88% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hickory Flat. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 17 times since 1968, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 97% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hickory Flat.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hickory Flat
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 30 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 19 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 7 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 2 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 Hickory Flat: 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 Hickory Flat
By decade
- 2020s12(1 EF3+)
- 2010s12(3 EF3+)
- 2000s12(2 EF3+)
- 1990s8(3 EF3+)
- 1980s9(1 EF3+)
- 1970s13(4 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 1971 | F4 | 4 mi | 202.1 mi | 58 / 795 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF4 | 13 mi | 75.09 mi | 9 / 36 |
| Apr 19, 1970 | F4 | 13 mi | 47.6 mi | 4 / 78 |
| Apr 21, 1984 | F3 | 15 mi | 71 mi | 15 / 76 |
| May 2, 2010 | EF3 | 12 mi | 29.58 mi | 3 / 9 |
| Apr 3, 2025 | EF3 | 24 mi | 39.55 mi | 2 / 3 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 23 mi | 13.57 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 17 mi | 7.15 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Jan 3, 2000 | F3 | 7 mi | 43.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F3 | 18 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F3 | 19 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 22, 1991 | F3 | 7 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 74, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hickory Flat
The Storm Prediction Center has 17 hail reports within 10 miles of Hickory Flat since 1968. Of these, 10 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently June 9, 2014. The most recent report is from May 27, 2024.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hickory Flat
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hickory Flat, MS, in Hickory Flat at 400 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 28°F. December is the wettest at 6.2 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.7 inches; the year adds up to 58.7 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 43% of the year's precipitation (25.3 of 58.7 inches); the other six months are wetter. August has brought the most of the 12 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal August there has highs of 90°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 59 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 80 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 58.7 inches is more than at 39 of the 87 Mississippi stations used on this site (45%). Blue Mountain, 10 miles east, has its own station (Ripley, MS): 57.6 inches a year, 1.1 less than here, and the same July average high, 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 28 | 5.1 | 8 | 1.2 |
| Feb | 54 | 31 | 5.5 | 7 | 1.1 |
| Mar | 64 | 38 | 5.7 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 73 | 47 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 56 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 65 | 5.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 68 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 67 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 59 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 47 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 37 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 31 | 6.2 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Year | 72 | 48 | 58.7 | 80 | 2.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hickory Flat, MS (400 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 Hickory Flat
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 48 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hickory Flat: 38 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 27, 2011. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 8. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 26 have had fewer than Hickory Flat.
April 27, 2011: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Hickory Flat — 1 injured.
December 21, 2013: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Hickory Flat — 1 injured.
May 2, 2010: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Hickory Flat — $750,000 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
Benton County, which includes Hickory Flat, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 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 Benton County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $3.7 million a year, the 80th highest of 82 Mississippi counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.1 million (29%), 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 Hickory Flat
- Myrtle, MS7 mi
- Potts Camp, MS8 mi
- Blue Mountain, MS10 mi
- Ashland, MS15 mi
- New Albany, MS15 mi
- Ripley, MS17 mi
- Holly Springs, MS17 mi
- Abbeville, MS18 mi
- Thaxton, MS21 mi
- Lamar, MS22 mi
- Ecru, MS22 mi
- Blue Springs, MS24 mi
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