NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pontotoc, 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
17 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Pontotoc, Mississippi since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 109 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 16 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 17
- Tornadoes
- 109
- EF3 or stronger
- 16
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
28 deaths in all
What the records show for Pontotoc
None of the 17 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Pontotoc; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. The record near Pontotoc begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 34 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 3 systems. Of the 17 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site, 64% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Pontotoc. The strongest of the 109 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 29, 1963; its path came within 18 miles, and it killed 3 people. The deadliest, an F3 on April 21, 1984, killed 15 people. Of the 109, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 57 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on June 7, 2025. Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 63% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Pontotoc. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 73 times since 1958, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Pontotoc has more hail reports within 10 miles than 65% of the 232 Mississippi cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pontotoc
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 30 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 18 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 7 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormSep 9 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 2 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 22 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 Pontotoc: 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 Pontotoc
By decade
- 2020s26
- 2010s14(2 EF3+)
- 2000s17(3 EF3+)
- 1990s17(4 EF3+)
- 1980s9(2 EF3+)
- 1970s12(2 EF3+)
- 1960s6(2 EF3+)
- 1950s8(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 1963 | F4 | 18 mi | 4.7 mi | 3 / 20 |
| Apr 21, 1984 | F3 | 5 mi | 71 mi | 15 / 76 |
| Feb 24, 2001 | F3 | 2 mi | 52 mi | 6 / 73 |
| Nov 19, 1988 | F3 | 21 mi | 12.5 mi | 2 / 11 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 10 mi | 30.97 mi | 0 / 32 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 22 mi | 13.57 mi | 0 / 8 |
| May 8, 2008 | EF3 | 12 mi | 7.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 3, 2000 | F3 | 20 mi | 43.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F3 | 10 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F3 | 10 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F3 | 15 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F3 | 20 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 109, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pontotoc
The Storm Prediction Center has 73 hail reports within 10 miles of Pontotoc since 1958, made on 52 separate days. Of these, 46 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 30, 1995. The most recent report is from June 9, 2025. April has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pontotoc
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pontotoc Exp Stn, MS, 7 miles south of Pontotoc at 405 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 31°F. December is the wettest at 6.3 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.7 inches; the year adds up to 60.9 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 44% of the year's precipitation (27.0 of 60.9 inches); the other six months are wetter. Highs reach 90°F on about 52 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 63 nights a year. That 60.9 inches is more than at 59 of the 87 Mississippi stations used on this site (68%). Belden, 12 miles northeast, has its own station (Tupelo Regional Airport, MS): 57.8 inches a year, 3.1 less than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 31 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Feb | 56 | 35 | 5.6 | 7 |
| Mar | 64 | 42 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Apr | 73 | 50 | 6.1 | 7 |
| May | 80 | 60 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 87 | 67 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Jul | 90 | 70 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Aug | 90 | 69 | 5.0 | 6 |
| Sep | 85 | 63 | 3.7 | 4 |
| Oct | 74 | 51 | 4.2 | 5 |
| Nov | 63 | 41 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Dec | 54 | 34 | 6.3 | 8 |
| Year | 72 | 51 | 60.9 | 80 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pontotoc Exp Stn, MS (405 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 Pontotoc
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 121 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pontotoc: 99 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 flash floods, 3 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on November 23, 2004. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 17. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 104 have had fewer than Pontotoc.
November 23, 2004: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Pontotoc — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
July 1, 2020: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Pontotoc — $200,000 damage.
May 27, 2017: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Pontotoc — $100,000 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
Pontotoc County, which includes Pontotoc, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 5 hurricanes, 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 Pontotoc County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.8 million a year, the 34th highest of 82 Mississippi counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.3 million (26%), 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 Pontotoc
- Ecru, MS8 mi
- Belden, MS12 mi
- Thaxton, MS13 mi
- Houlka, MS13 mi
- Blue Springs, MS14 mi
- Tupelo, MS16 mi
- New Albany, MS17 mi
- Shannon, MS18 mi
- Saltillo, MS20 mi
- Plantersville, MS21 mi
- Myrtle, MS22 mi
- Okolona, MS23 mi
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