NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ruleville, 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 Ruleville, Mississippi since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 117 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 13
- Tornadoes
- 117
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
112 deaths in all
What the records show for Ruleville
None of the 13 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Ruleville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 67 mph winds when its centre passed 2 miles away. The record near Ruleville begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 48 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 Ruleville. The strongest of the 117 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on February 21, 1971; its path came within 13 miles, and it killed 47 people. The deadliest, an F4 on February 21, 1971, killed 58 people. Of the 117, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 54 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on July 3, 2025. Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 56% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ruleville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1970, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 53% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Ruleville.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ruleville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 18 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | overhead | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 20 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 2 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 7 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 20 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 35 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 Ruleville: 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 Ruleville
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s11(1 EF3+)
- 2000s32(1 EF3+)
- 1990s14
- 1980s19(1 EF3+)
- 1970s18(4 EF3+)
- 1960s8
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 1971 | F5 | 13 mi | 109.2 mi | 47 / 510 |
| Feb 21, 1971 | F4 | 20 mi | 202.1 mi | 58 / 795 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F4 | 14 mi | 30.3 mi | 0 / 48 |
| Feb 21, 1971 | F3 | 8 mi | 8.6 mi | 3 / 0 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF3 | 21 mi | 61.57 mi | 2 / 28 |
| Nov 19, 1988 | F3 | 12 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Nov 24, 1973 | F3 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 22, 1953 | F2 | 24 mi | 234.7 mi | 2 / 22 |
| Mar 27, 2021 | EF2 | 18 mi | 2.91 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 11, 2020 | EF2 | 7 mi | 5.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 11, 2020 | EF2 | 13 mi | 5.54 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 11, 2020 | EF2 | 10 mi | 23.38 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 117, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ruleville
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of Ruleville since 1970, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on April 7, 2006. The most recent report is from March 31, 2025. May has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ruleville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cleveland 3 N, MS, 11 miles northwest of Ruleville 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%). Cleveland, 10 miles west, has its own station (Cleveland, MS): 59.3 inches a year, 5.1 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 Ruleville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 81 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ruleville: 69 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $4.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on November 23, 2004. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 49 have had fewer than Ruleville.
September 18, 2009: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Ruleville — $900,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rainfall, between 4 and 5 inches, fell around the Ruleville area. Significant flooding occurred throughout the city and outlying areas.”
October 13, 2009: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Ruleville — $800,000 damage.
October 12, 2009: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Ruleville — $325,000 damage.
NWS: “Several roads were flooded and closed due to water covering roadways. Crops across the area were also damaged due to flooded fields and saturated soils.”
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 Ruleville's ZIP code 38771 have filed 37 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $368,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 16% 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, 51 have fewer than Ruleville.
Sunflower County, which includes Ruleville, 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 Ruleville
- Drew, MS9 mi
- Cleveland, MS10 mi
- Parchman, MS13 mi
- Mound Bayou, MS16 mi
- Shaw, MS16 mi
- Itta Bena, MS21 mi
- Indianola, MS21 mi
- Tutwiler, MS21 mi
- Greenwood, MS25 mi
- Rosedale, MS26 mi
- Charleston, MS29 mi
- Leland, MS30 mi
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