NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pearl, 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
28 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Pearl, Mississippi since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 257 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 17 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 27
- Tornadoes
- 257
- EF3 or stronger
- 17
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
118 deaths in all
What the records show for Pearl
The strongest storm to pass near Pearl was Camille in 1969, a Category 1 hurricane with 81 mph winds when its centre passed 10 miles away. The record near Pearl begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 18 miles away. Of the 28 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Pearl has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 49% of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site. The strongest of the 257 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on March 3, 1966; its path came within 4 miles, and it killed 58 people. Of the 257, 27 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 158 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 66. The most recent tornado was on October 19, 2025. Pearl has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 97% of the 232 Mississippi cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 283 times since 1958, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Pearl has more hail reports within 10 miles than any other of the 232 Mississippi cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pearl
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaAug 30 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 29 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2002 | IsidoreSep 26 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | ErinAug 4 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1971 | EdithSep 17 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 18 | 10 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | EstherSep 19 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormSep 5 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1948 | Unnamed 1948 stormSep 4 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 20 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 1 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 6 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 13 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormSep 8 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1890 | Unnamed 1890 stormAug 28 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 20 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 15 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormOct 7 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 2 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormJul 12 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Pearl: 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 Pearl
By decade
- 2020s46
- 2010s64(2 EF3+)
- 2000s48(3 EF3+)
- 1990s19(2 EF3+)
- 1980s24(1 EF3+)
- 1970s21(4 EF3+)
- 1960s22(3 EF3+)
- 1950s13(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 1966 | F5 | 4 mi | 202.5 mi | 58 / 518 |
| Jan 23, 1969 | F4 | 18 mi | 117.8 mi | 32 / 241 |
| Nov 21, 1992 | F4 | 5 mi | 128 mi | 12 / 122 |
| Mar 29, 1976 | F4 | 22 mi | 22.3 mi | 3 / 177 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F4 | 12 mi | 11.5 mi | 2 / 21 |
| Mar 29, 1976 | F4 | 21 mi | 126.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Feb 26, 1958 | F3 | 4 mi | 69.7 mi | 8 / 26 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 2 mi | 29.72 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Feb 26, 1958 | F3 | 15 mi | 71 mi | 1 / 34 |
| Apr 15, 2011 | EF3 | 7 mi | 16.53 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 6, 2005 | F3 | 7 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 24, 2003 | F3 | 7 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 6 |
The strongest 12 of 257, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pearl
The Storm Prediction Center has 283 hail reports within 10 miles of Pearl since 1958, made on 185 separate days. Of these, 155 were 1 inch across or larger, and 19 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently March 31, 1996. The most recent report is from May 24, 2025. April has the most reports, 83.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pearl
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jackson International Airport, MS, 3 miles northeast of Pearl at 296 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 57°F and 37°F. April is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 57.3 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 45% of the year's precipitation (25.8 of 57.3 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 28 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (12); a normal September there has highs of 88°F and 3.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 85 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 40 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.0 inches a year, most of it in December. That 57.3 inches is more than at 21 of the 87 Mississippi stations used on this site (24%). Jackson, 7 miles northwest, has its own station (Jackson Hawkins Field, MS): 51.3 inches a year, 6.0 less than here, and the same July average high, 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 37 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Feb | 62 | 40 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Mar | 69 | 46 | 5.7 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 77 | 53 | 5.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 84 | 62 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 90 | 69 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 72 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 72 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 88 | 66 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 78 | 54 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 67 | 44 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 60 | 39 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Year | 76 | 54 | 57.3 | 75 | 1.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Jackson International Airport, MS (296 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 Pearl
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 793 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pearl: 501 thunderstorm wind reports, 256 flash floods, 17 lightning strikes, 13 floods and 6 heavy rain events. They killed 3 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $78.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on February 12, 2008. April has had the most flash floods, 54 of 256. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 231 have had fewer than Pearl.
May 9, 2024: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Pearl — 1 killed, 2 injured, $750,000 damage.
NWS: “A swath of scattered wind damage began as a line of severe thunderstorms pushed southeast into Rankin County with a few downed trees and power lines.”
April 2, 2017: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Pearl — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
April 11, 2005: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Pearl — 1 killed, $5,000 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 Pearl's ZIP code 39208 have filed 365 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $4.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1983: 119 claims (33% of all) and $1.4 million. 35% 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, 107 have fewer than Pearl.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1983 | 119 | $1.4 million |
Rankin County, which includes Pearl, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 hurricanes, 6 severe storms, 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 Rankin County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $60.2 million a year, the 5th highest of 82 Mississippi counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.8 million (34%), 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 Pearl
- Richland, MS5 mi
- Jackson, MS7 mi
- Brandon, MS9 mi
- Ridgeland, MS10 mi
- Florence, MS11 mi
- Clinton, MS14 mi
- Madison, MS14 mi
- Flowood, MS17 mi
- Byram, MS17 mi
- Terry, MS17 mi
- Pelahatchie, MS18 mi
- Braxton, MS20 mi
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