NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Parchman, 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
13 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Parchman, Mississippi since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 106 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 13
- Tornadoes
- 106
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
58 deaths in all
What the records show for Parchman
None of the 13 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Parchman; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 67 mph winds when its centre passed 3 miles away. The record near Parchman begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 51 miles away. The 1900s and the 1930s were the busiest decades, with 3 systems each. Of the 13 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site, 81% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Parchman. The strongest of the 106 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on February 21, 1971; its path came within 23 miles, and it killed 47 people. Of the 106, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 44 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on July 3, 2025. Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Parchman. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 44 times since 1972, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 66% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Parchman.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Parchman
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 18 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 20 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 2 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 7 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 20 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 42 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 Parchman: 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 Parchman
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s12(1 EF3+)
- 2000s20(1 EF3+)
- 1990s12
- 1980s15(1 EF3+)
- 1970s16(2 EF3+)
- 1960s13
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 1971 | F5 | 23 mi | 109.2 mi | 47 / 510 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F4 | 11 mi | 30.3 mi | 0 / 48 |
| Feb 21, 1971 | F3 | 3 mi | 8.6 mi | 3 / 0 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF3 | 10 mi | 61.57 mi | 2 / 28 |
| Nov 19, 1988 | F3 | 1 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F2 | 17 mi | 43.5 mi | 3 / 33 |
| Dec 21, 2013 | EF2 | 20 mi | 10.07 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Dec 27, 1968 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Mar 27, 2021 | EF2 | 10 mi | 2.91 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 11, 2020 | EF2 | 4 mi | 5.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 11, 2020 | EF2 | 1 mi | 5.54 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 11, 2020 | EF2 | 12 mi | 23.38 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 106, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Parchman
The Storm Prediction Center has 44 hail reports within 10 miles of Parchman since 1972, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 24, 1992. The most recent report is from October 12, 2022. April has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Parchman
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cleveland 3 N, MS, 13 miles southwest of Parchman at 140 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 33°F. February is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 54.2 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 43% of the year's precipitation (23.5 of 54.2 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 13 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 87°F and 3.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 80 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 51 nights a year. That 54.2 inches is more than at 3 of the 87 Mississippi stations used on this site (3%). Tutwiler, 11 miles northeast, has its own station (Lambert 1W, MS): 56.7 inches a year, 2.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 33 | 5.2 | 7 |
| Feb | 56 | 36 | 5.4 | 7 |
| Mar | 65 | 43 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Apr | 74 | 52 | 4.9 | 6 |
| May | 83 | 62 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Jun | 89 | 70 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Jul | 92 | 72 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Aug | 92 | 70 | 3.7 | 4 |
| Sep | 87 | 63 | 3.6 | 4 |
| Oct | 77 | 52 | 3.9 | 4 |
| Nov | 64 | 41 | 5.2 | 5 |
| Dec | 54 | 36 | 5.0 | 7 |
| Year | 74 | 52 | 54.2 | 68 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cleveland 3 N, MS (140 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 Parchman
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 55 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Parchman: 47 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $3.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on July 21, 2018. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 6. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 19 have had fewer than Parchman.
October 17, 2012: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Parchman — 1 injured, $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Straight line winds shifted a home off its foundation south of Dublin near the Sunflower County line. One child was injured as a result.”
March 10, 2016: flood 9 miles from the centre of Parchman — $1.0 million damage.
July 21, 2018: thunderstorm wind in Parchman — $300,000 damage.
NWS: “Several structures at the Parchman correctional facility had portions of the roof torn off. Other metal buildings had roll up doors blown in and some roof 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
Sunflower County, which includes Parchman, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 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 Sunflower County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $17.9 million a year, the 26th highest of 82 Mississippi counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.9 million (27%), 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 Parchman
- Drew, MS4 mi
- Tutwiler, MS11 mi
- Mound Bayou, MS11 mi
- Ruleville, MS13 mi
- Cleveland, MS15 mi
- Clarksdale, MS19 mi
- Charleston, MS25 mi
- Rosedale, MS25 mi
- Shaw, MS25 mi
- Marks, MS28 mi
- Itta Bena, MS32 mi
- Indianola, MS33 mi
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