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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ridgeland, 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

26 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ridgeland, Mississippi since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 255 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 17 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
1

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
25

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
255

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
17

87 deaths in all

What the records show for Ridgeland

The strongest storm to pass near Ridgeland was Camille in 1969, a Category 1 hurricane with 77 mph winds when its centre passed 10 miles away. The record near Ridgeland begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 26 miles away. The 1910s and the 1930s were the busiest decades, with 3 systems each. Of the 26 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Ridgeland has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 49% of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site. The strongest of the 255 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on March 3, 1966; its path came within 5 miles, and it killed 58 people. Of the 255, 26 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 157 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 62. The most recent tornado was on October 19, 2025. Ridgeland has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 96% of the 232 Mississippi cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 217 times since 1962, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Ridgeland has more hail reports within 10 miles than 98% of the 232 Mississippi cities.

Compare Ridgeland's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ridgeland

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Ridgeland, Mississippi, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2021IdaAug 3026 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 4
2020DeltaOct 1074 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 4
2019OlgaOct 2614 miTropical storm (51 mph)Tropical storm
2005KatrinaAug 2955 miTropical storm (67 mph)Category 5
2002IsidoreSep 2625 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1995ErinAug 461 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
1971EdithSep 1743 miTropical storm (47 mph)Category 4
1969CamilleAug 1810 miCategory 1 (77 mph)Category 5
1957EstherSep 1972 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1948Unnamed 1948 stormSep 560 miTropical storm (39 mph)Category 1
1934Unnamed 1934 stormJun 1733 miTropical storm (47 mph)Category 2
1932Unnamed 1932 stormSep 2032 miTropical storm (43 mph)Tropical storm
1932Unnamed 1932 stormSep 244 miTropical storm (45 mph)Category 1
1923Unnamed 1923 stormOct 1861 miTropical storm (48 mph)Tropical storm
1923Unnamed 1923 stormOct 1655 miTropical storm (55 mph)Category 1
1916Unnamed 1916 stormJul 67 miTropical storm (51 mph)Category 3
1915Unnamed 1915 stormSep 3047 miTropical storm (60 mph)Category 4
1912Unnamed 1912 stormJun 1373 miTropical storm (52 mph)Tropical storm
1906Unnamed 1906 stormSep 2847 miTropical storm (56 mph)Category 3
1905Unnamed 1905 stormSep 3054 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1893Unnamed 1893 stormSep 859 miTropical storm (49 mph)Category 2
1890Unnamed 1890 stormAug 2867 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1888Unnamed 1888 stormAug 2045 miTropical storm (72 mph)Category 3
1879Unnamed 1879 stormSep 213 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 3
1872Unnamed 1872 stormJul 1247 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1860Unnamed 1860 stormOct 318 miTropical storm (55 mph)Category 2

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Ridgeland: 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 Ridgeland

By decade

  • 2020s51
  • 2010s59(2 EF3+)
  • 2000s47(3 EF3+)
  • 1990s21(4 EF3+)
  • 1980s25(1 EF3+)
  • 1970s23(3 EF3+)
  • 1960s17(2 EF3+)
  • 1950s12(2 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near Ridgeland, Mississippi
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Mar 3, 1966F55 mi202.5 mi58 / 518
Nov 21, 1992F411 mi128 mi12 / 122
Mar 29, 1976F412 mi22.3 mi3 / 177
Nov 24, 2001F43 mi11.5 mi2 / 21
Feb 26, 1958F34 mi69.7 mi8 / 26
Apr 28, 2014EF312 mi29.72 mi1 / 10
Feb 26, 1958F322 mi71 mi1 / 34
Apr 15, 2011EF32 mi16.53 mi0 / 10
Apr 6, 2005F315 mi15 mi0 / 6
Apr 24, 2003F314 mi12 mi0 / 6
Dec 9, 1999F319 mi6 mi0 / 1
Nov 11, 1995F39 mi15 mi0 / 2

The strongest 12 of 255, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Ridgeland

The Storm Prediction Center has 217 hail reports within 10 miles of Ridgeland since 1962, made on 144 separate days. Of these, 114 were 1 inch across or larger, and 19 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on April 14, 1996. The most recent report is from May 24, 2025. April has the most reports, 71.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Radar-estimated hail days in Ridgeland since 2019 →

Weather by month in Ridgeland

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jackson International Airport, MS, 8 miles southeast of Ridgeland 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 26 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (11); 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, 8 miles southwest, 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.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Jackson International Airport, MS
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan57375.470.2
Feb62405.170.2
Mar69465.770.1
Apr77535.860.0
May84624.460.0
Jun90694.470.0
Jul92725.080.0
Aug92724.760.0
Sep88663.550.0
Oct78543.850.0
Nov67444.460.0
Dec60395.170.5
Year765457.3751.0

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.

Mississippi weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Ridgeland

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 638 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ridgeland: 411 thunderstorm wind reports, 198 flash floods, 22 lightning strikes, 5 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 3 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $105.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on April 4, 2008. April has had the most flash floods, 45 of 198. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 228 have had fewer than Ridgeland.

  • May 10, 2009: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Ridgeland — 1 killed, 3 injured, $25,000 damage.

    NWS: “A few fences were blown down and minor shingle damage to a few homes. One vehicle had all the windows blown out.”

  • May 9, 2024: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Ridgeland — 1 killed, 2 injured, $750,000 damage.

  • April 11, 2005: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Ridgeland — 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 Ridgeland's ZIP code 39157 have filed 151 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $2.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2011, with 34. 3% 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, 91 have fewer than Ridgeland.

Madison County, which includes Ridgeland, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 9 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 Madison County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $54.3 million a year, the 6th highest of 82 Mississippi counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.0 million (37%), 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 Ridgeland