NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Itta Bena, 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 Itta Bena, Mississippi since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 101 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 16
- Tornadoes
- 101
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
129 deaths in all
What the records show for Itta Bena
None of the 16 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Itta Bena; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 68 mph winds when its centre passed 19 miles away. The record near Itta Bena begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 34 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 Itta Bena. The strongest of the 101 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on February 21, 1971; its path came within 7 miles, and it killed 47 people. The deadliest, an F4 on February 21, 1971, killed 58 people. Of the 101, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 52 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on May 18, 2025. Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 72% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Itta Bena. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 69 times since 1958, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Itta Bena has more hail reports within 10 miles than 61% of the 232 Mississippi cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Itta Bena
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 18 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 20 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 2 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 7 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 20 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 2 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Itta Bena: 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 Itta Bena
By decade
- 2020s12(2 EF3+)
- 2010s7
- 2000s33(2 EF3+)
- 1990s17(1 EF3+)
- 1980s12
- 1970s10(5 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 1971 | F5 | 7 mi | 109.2 mi | 47 / 510 |
| Feb 21, 1971 | F4 | in town | 202.1 mi | 58 / 795 |
| Mar 24, 2023 | EF4 | 20 mi | 59.23 mi | 17 / 165 |
| Mar 24, 2023 | EF3 | 21 mi | 29.43 mi | 3 / 5 |
| Nov 7, 1957 | F3 | 13 mi | 31.2 mi | 2 / 1 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F3 | 21 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Feb 24, 2001 | F3 | 10 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 1997 | F3 | 23 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 24, 1973 | F3 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 20, 1973 | F3 | 20 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F3 | 11 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 24 mi | 24.21 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 101, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Itta Bena
The Storm Prediction Center has 69 hail reports within 10 miles of Itta Bena since 1958, made on 55 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 27, 1958. The most recent report is from March 23, 2025. April has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Itta Bena
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Moorhead, MS, 11 miles west of Itta Bena at 117 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 35°F. April is the wettest at 6.2 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 55.9 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 42% of the year's precipitation (23.3 of 55.9 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 3.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 73 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 35 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 55.9 inches is more than at 9 of the 87 Mississippi stations used on this site (10%). Greenwood, 9 miles east, has its own station (Greenwood Leflore Airport, MS): 51.6 inches a year, 4.3 less than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 35 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Feb | 57 | 39 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Mar | 65 | 46 | 5.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 74 | 55 | 6.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 82 | 64 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 71 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 73 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 73 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 87 | 66 | 3.5 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 77 | 55 | 3.9 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 44 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 55 | 38 | 5.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Year | 74 | 55 | 55.9 | 69 | 0.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Moorhead, MS (117 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 Itta Bena
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 115 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Itta Bena: 95 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $5.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on February 24, 2007. September has had the most flash floods, 4 of 19. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 121 have had fewer than Itta Bena.
June 5, 2001: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Itta Bena — 1 killed, $25,000 damage.
February 24, 2011: thunderstorm wind in Itta Bena — $700,000 damage.
NWS: “A swath of thunderstorm wind damage occurred from Itta Bena to Greenwood. At Itta Bena, several large trees as well as power lines were blown down.”
July 23, 2014: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Itta Bena — $600,000 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 Itta Bena's ZIP code 38941 have filed 30 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $341,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 3% 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, 45 have fewer than Itta Bena.
Leflore County, which includes Itta Bena, 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 Itta Bena
- Greenwood, MS9 mi
- Indianola, MS19 mi
- Ruleville, MS21 mi
- Carrollton, MS23 mi
- Tchula, MS25 mi
- Belzoni, MS25 mi
- Shaw, MS27 mi
- Drew, MS28 mi
- Cleveland, MS29 mi
- Lexington, MS30 mi
- Parchman, MS32 mi
- Leland, MS32 mi
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