NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rolling Fork, 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
15 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Rolling Fork, Mississippi since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 113 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 15
- Tornadoes
- 113
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
132 deaths in all
What the records show for Rolling Fork
None of the 15 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rolling Fork; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 70 mph winds when its centre passed 7 miles away. The record near Rolling Fork begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 50 miles away. Of the 15 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site, 72% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Rolling Fork. The strongest of the 113 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on February 21, 1971; its path came within 5 miles, and it killed 47 people. The deadliest, an F4 on February 21, 1971, killed 58 people. Of the 113, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 49 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 33. The most recent tornado was on March 23, 2025. Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rolling Fork. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 59 times since 1976, with stones up to 2.25 inches. Rolling Fork has more hail reports within 10 miles than 52% of the 232 Mississippi cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rolling Fork
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaAug 30 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | DeltaOct 10 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 18 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1965 | BetsySep 10 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 20 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 6 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 20 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 2 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Rolling Fork: 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 Rolling Fork
By decade
- 2020s17(1 EF3+)
- 2010s17(1 EF3+)
- 2000s15
- 1990s18(1 EF3+)
- 1980s16(2 EF3+)
- 1970s16(3 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s12(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 1971 | F5 | 5 mi | 109.2 mi | 47 / 510 |
| Feb 21, 1971 | F4 | 3 mi | 202.1 mi | 58 / 795 |
| Mar 24, 2023 | EF4 | 2 mi | 59.23 mi | 17 / 165 |
| Apr 24, 2010 | EF4 | 16 mi | 148.97 mi | 10 / 146 |
| Mar 9, 1992 | F4 | 17 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 7, 1984 | F3 | 14 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 1, 1983 | F3 | 20 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F3 | 23 mi | 4.6 mi | 0 / 32 |
| Dec 3, 1953 | F3 | in town | 18.8 mi | 0 / 20 |
| May 17, 1953 | F3 | 10 mi | 41.6 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | EF2 | 9 mi | 19.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 13, 2022 | EF2 | 10 mi | 10.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 113, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rolling Fork
The Storm Prediction Center has 59 hail reports within 10 miles of Rolling Fork since 1976, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.25 inches, fell on June 15, 1998. The most recent report is from May 4, 2021. April has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rolling Fork
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rolling Fork, MS, 8 miles northeast of Rolling Fork at 105 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 55°F and 37°F. April is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 55.2 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 42% of the year's precipitation (23.4 of 55.2 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 15 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 89°F and 3.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 97 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 42 nights a year. That 55.2 inches is more than at 7 of the 87 Mississippi stations used on this site (8%). Lake Providence, LA, 13 miles west, has its own station (Lake Providence, LA): 58.8 inches a year, 3.6 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | 37 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Feb | 60 | 40 | 5.2 | 7 |
| Mar | 68 | 47 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Apr | 77 | 55 | 6.1 | 6 |
| May | 84 | 64 | 5.0 | 6 |
| Jun | 91 | 71 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Jul | 93 | 74 | 4.3 | 5 |
| Aug | 93 | 73 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Sep | 89 | 67 | 3.4 | 4 |
| Oct | 79 | 55 | 4.4 | 5 |
| Nov | 67 | 45 | 4.2 | 5 |
| Dec | 58 | 39 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Year | 76 | 55 | 55.2 | 68 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rolling Fork, MS (105 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 Rolling Fork
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 96 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rolling Fork: 78 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $54.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 83 mph, on April 24, 2015. April has had the most flash floods, 4 of 16. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 94 have had fewer than Rolling Fork.
August 23, 2022: heavy rain event 5 miles from the centre of Rolling Fork — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “A tractor trailer hydroplaned and overturned on US Highway 61 south of Blanton Curve. The driver was injured and was transported to a local hospital.”
April 6, 2003: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Rolling Fork — $50.0 million damage.
NWS: “Continued heavy rains dumped 7 to 12 inches of rain over a large portion of Madison county. This extremely heavy rain flooded numerous streets and roads.”
May 15, 2008: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Rolling Fork — $1.2 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rainfall, between 5 and 8 inches, fell across a large portion of central and northern Sharkey County. Several homes were flooded around Rolling Fork along with numerous county roads under water.”
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 Rolling Fork's ZIP code 39159 have filed 178 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $2.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Mid-spring storms in 2011: 15 claims (8% of all) and $721,000, then Flooding in 1979 with 10. The year with the most claims was 1979, with 39. 15% 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, 96 have fewer than Rolling Fork.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-spring storms2011 | 15 | $721,000 |
| Flooding1979 | 10 | $82,000 |
Issaquena County, which includes Rolling Fork, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 6 hurricanes, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Issaquena County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and hail; Very Low for inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $2.9 million a year, the 82nd highest of 82 Mississippi counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $925,000 (32%), 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 Rolling Fork
- Lake Providence, LA13 mi
- Hollandale, MS24 mi
- Oak Grove, LA26 mi
- Eudora, AR27 mi
- Yazoo City, MS31 mi
- Tallulah, LA31 mi
- Vicksburg, MS34 mi
- Bentonia, MS35 mi
- Belzoni, MS37 mi
- Delhi, LA40 mi
- Greenville, MS41 mi
- Lake Village, AR41 mi
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