NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Olive Branch, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Olive Branch, Mississippi since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 108 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 108
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
39 deaths in all
What the records show for Olive Branch
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Olive Branch; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 2 miles away. The record near Olive Branch begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 19 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1950s, with 2 systems. Of the 9 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site, 99% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Olive Branch. The strongest of the 108 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 21, 1952; its path came within 11 miles, and it killed 16 people. Of the 108, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 35 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on May 18, 2025. Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 64% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Olive Branch. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 116 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Olive Branch has more hail reports within 10 miles than 89% of the 232 Mississippi cities.
Compare Olive Branch's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Olive Branch
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 19 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 45 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 Olive Branch: 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 Olive Branch
By decade
- 2020s11(2 EF3+)
- 2010s7
- 2000s17
- 1990s23(1 EF3+)
- 1980s12(3 EF3+)
- 1970s16(3 EF3+)
- 1960s19
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 11 mi | 29.6 mi | 16 / 74 |
| Dec 14, 1987 | F3 | 23 mi | 25 mi | 6 / 121 |
| Nov 27, 1994 | F3 | 8 mi | 16 mi | 3 / 25 |
| Jan 19, 1988 | F3 | 23 mi | 22 mi | 3 / 24 |
| Apr 3, 2025 | EF3 | 19 mi | 39.55 mi | 2 / 3 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 20 mi | 12.22 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 21, 1984 | F3 | 21 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 8 mi | 10.4 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 5 mi | 12.3 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 6 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF2 | 6 mi | 10.24 mi | 3 / 13 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F2 | 25 mi | 43.5 mi | 3 / 33 |
The strongest 12 of 108, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Olive Branch
The Storm Prediction Center has 116 hail reports within 10 miles of Olive Branch since 1962, made on 86 separate days. Of these, 65 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 7, 2006. The most recent report is from August 14, 2025. April has the most reports, 33.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Olive Branch
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Olive Branch, MS, in Olive Branch at 385 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 31°F. March is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 59.2 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 71 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 72 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 59.2 inches is more than at 45 of the 87 Mississippi stations used on this site (52%). Southaven, 8 miles west, has its own station (Memphis International Airport, TN): 55.0 inches a year, 4.2 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 | 50 | 31 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Feb | 55 | 34 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 64 | 41 | 6.1 | 9 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 73 | 50 | 6.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 82 | 60 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 89 | 68 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 72 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 70 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 63 | 3.9 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 50 | 4.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 63 | 40 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 34 | 6.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Year | 73 | 51 | 59.2 | 78 | 1.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Olive Branch, MS (385 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 Olive Branch
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 175 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Olive Branch: 109 thunderstorm wind reports, 54 flash floods, 7 lightning strikes, 3 heavy rain events and 2 floods. They killed 4 people and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $13.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on January 22, 2012. June has had the most flash floods, 16 of 54. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 214 have had fewer than Olive Branch.
March 31, 2023: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Olive Branch — 3 killed, $500,000 damage.
April 1, 2008: flood 7 miles from the centre of Olive Branch — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
March 31, 2007: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Olive Branch — 6 injured, $500,000 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 Olive Branch's ZIP code 38654 have filed 53 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $1.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2013, with 10. 19% 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, 65 have fewer than Olive Branch.
DeSoto County, which includes Olive Branch, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 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 DeSoto County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $85.9 million a year, the 4th highest of 82 Mississippi counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.8 million (25%), 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.