NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Iuka, 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
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Iuka, Mississippi since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Katrina in 2005. Since 1950, 105 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 105
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Iuka
None of the 10 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Iuka; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 49 mph winds when its centre passed 36 miles away. The record near Iuka begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Katrina in 2005, a tropical storm 12 miles away. The 1910s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 10 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site, 97% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Iuka. The strongest of the 105 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 19, 1970; its path came within 20 miles, and it killed 4 people. Of the 105, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 59 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 67% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Iuka. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 68 times since 1977, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Iuka has more hail reports within 10 miles than 59% of the 232 Mississippi cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Iuka
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 30 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 57 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 Iuka: 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 Iuka
By decade
- 2020s17
- 2010s26(1 EF3+)
- 2000s16
- 1990s3
- 1980s14(3 EF3+)
- 1970s7(4 EF3+)
- 1960s12(4 EF3+)
- 1950s10(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 1970 | F4 | 20 mi | 47.6 mi | 4 / 78 |
| Feb 20, 1953 | F3 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF3 | 24 mi | 48.38 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Nov 4, 1988 | F3 | 16 mi | 60 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Nov 4, 1988 | F3 | 8 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 4, 1988 | F3 | 14 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 1976 | F3 | 14 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 29, 1972 | F3 | 13 mi | 45.5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 24, 1971 | F3 | 24 mi | 9.8 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F3 | 18 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 10, 1966 | F3 | 23 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 17, 1965 | F3 | 25 mi | 29.8 mi | 0 / 22 |
The strongest 12 of 105, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Iuka
The Storm Prediction Center has 68 hail reports within 10 miles of Iuka since 1977, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 36 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 18, 1995. The most recent report is from May 20, 2025. March has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Iuka
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Iuka, MS, 6 miles southwest of Iuka at 600 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 28°F. December is the wettest at 6.7 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 62.3 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 45% of the year's precipitation (28.1 of 62.3 inches); the other six months are wetter. Highs reach 90°F on about 41 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 95 nights a year. That 62.3 inches is more than at 71 of the 87 Mississippi stations used on this site (82%). Glen, 17 miles west, has its own station (Corinth 7 SW, MS): 58.8 inches a year, 3.5 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 28 | 5.2 | 7 |
| Feb | 54 | 31 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Mar | 63 | 37 | 5.9 | 7 |
| Apr | 72 | 46 | 5.5 | 7 |
| May | 79 | 55 | 5.4 | 7 |
| Jun | 86 | 63 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Jul | 88 | 67 | 5.0 | 7 |
| Aug | 88 | 66 | 5.2 | 7 |
| Sep | 84 | 59 | 5.3 | 5 |
| Oct | 74 | 46 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Nov | 62 | 36 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Dec | 52 | 31 | 6.7 | 9 |
| Year | 71 | 47 | 62.3 | 79 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Iuka, MS (600 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 Iuka
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 292 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Iuka: 260 thunderstorm wind reports, 25 flash floods, 3 heavy rain events, 3 lightning strikes and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 21, 2003. September has had the most flash floods, 9 of 25. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 163 have had fewer than Iuka.
May 2, 2010: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Iuka — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain produced flash flooding across Tishomingo County. Nine roads were destroyed and six roads sustained major damage.”
April 26, 2011: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Iuka — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “A narrow swath of damaging thunderstorm winds began in Waterloo, pushed through Oakland, Underwood-Petersville, then subsided after hitting Saint Florian. The path of damage was not continuous.”
April 10, 2025: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Iuka — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Up to 70 trees were knocked down in Brush Creek Park. The park was closed for a number of days following the storm event.”
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 Iuka's ZIP code 38852 have filed 11 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1991, and were paid $168,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 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, 1 have fewer than Iuka.
Colbert County, which includes Iuka, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 7 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on May 5, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Colbert County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $34.9 million a year, the 19th highest of 67 Mississippi counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.7 million (39%), 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 Iuka
- Cherokee, AL7 mi
- Tishomingo, MS13 mi
- Burnsville, MS13 mi
- Glen, MS17 mi
- Counce, TN19 mi
- Belmont, MS21 mi
- Tuscumbia, AL23 mi
- Sheffield, AL23 mi
- Florence, AL24 mi
- Red Bay, AL25 mi
- Michie, TN25 mi
- Corinth, MS26 mi
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