NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sarah, 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
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Sarah, Mississippi since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 67 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 67
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Sarah
None of the 11 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sarah; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 64 mph winds when its centre crossed the city. The record near Sarah begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 35 miles away. The 1900s and the 1920s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 11 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site, 94% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Sarah. The highest rating among the 67 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 2, 2025, came within 4 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 29, 1963, killed 5 people. Of the 67, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 21 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on May 18, 2025. Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 93% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sarah. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 11 times since 1994, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 99% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sarah.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sarah
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 18 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 7 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 20 | overhead | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 48 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 Sarah: 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 Sarah
By decade
- 2020s8(1 EF3+)
- 2010s10(1 EF3+)
- 2000s3
- 1990s5
- 1980s17
- 1970s12(1 EF3+)
- 1960s11(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 1963 | F3 | 19 mi | 5.7 mi | 5 / 10 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF3 | 15 mi | 61.57 mi | 2 / 28 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 4 mi | 12.22 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 24, 1976 | F3 | 15 mi | 24.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F2 | in town | 43.5 mi | 3 / 33 |
| Apr 28, 1962 | F2 | 7 mi | 34.6 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 13 mi | 22.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 11, 2020 | EF2 | 24 mi | 8.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 19, 1988 | F2 | 19 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 14, 1983 | F2 | 15 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 8, 1980 | F2 | 9 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 3, 1978 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 67, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sarah
The Storm Prediction Center has 11 hail reports within 10 miles of Sarah since 1994, made on 10 separate days. Of these, 8 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently March 30, 2025. The most recent report is from March 30, 2025. April and June have the most reports, 3 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sarah
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Senatobia, MS, 13 miles east of Sarah at 240 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 31°F. April is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 58.2 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 43% of the year's precipitation (25.1 of 58.2 inches); the other six months are wetter. October has brought the most of the 11 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal October there has highs of 75°F and 4.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 76 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 64 nights a year. That 58.2 inches is more than at 34 of the 87 Mississippi stations used on this site (39%). Tunica, 13 miles northwest, has its own station (Tunica 2 N, MS): 56.7 inches a year, 1.5 less than here, and the same July average high, 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 31 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Feb | 55 | 34 | 5.0 | 7 |
| Mar | 64 | 42 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Apr | 73 | 51 | 6.1 | 7 |
| May | 81 | 60 | 5.9 | 7 |
| Jun | 89 | 67 | 4.8 | 6 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Aug | 92 | 70 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Sep | 86 | 62 | 3.1 | 4 |
| Oct | 75 | 50 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Nov | 64 | 40 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Dec | 54 | 33 | 5.9 | 8 |
| Year | 73 | 51 | 58.2 | 76 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Senatobia, MS (240 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 Sarah
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 51 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sarah: 38 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods and 3 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 15, and the NWS estimated $5.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 97 mph, on December 21, 2013. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 41 have had fewer than Sarah.
April 27, 2011: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Sarah — 7 injured.
NWS: “Heavy rain produced flash flooding all across Tate County. Numerous roads were flooded as a result.”
December 21, 2013: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Sarah — 4 injured, $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Straight line winds caused widespread damage across Northwest Panola County. Major building damage occurred on Highway 315W near the Panola and Quitman County line.”
March 10, 2016: flood 9 miles from the centre of Sarah — 2 injured, $2.0 million damage.
NWS: “Multiple rounds of heavy rain caused flooding in Quitman County. Ninety-three homes and two businesses were affected.”
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 Sarah's ZIP code 38665 have filed 11 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $276,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 45% 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, 1 have fewer than Sarah.
Tate County, which includes Sarah, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 4 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 Tate County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.4 million a year, the 42nd highest of 82 Mississippi counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.7 million (24%), is from tornadoes.
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 Sarah
- Tunica, MS13 mi
- Senatobia, MS13 mi
- Coldwater, MS16 mi
- Como, MS17 mi
- Robinsonville, MS18 mi
- Hernando, MS19 mi
- Sardis, MS19 mi
- Batesville, MS22 mi
- Marks, MS22 mi
- Lake Cormorant, MS23 mi
- Nesbit, MS25 mi
- Walls, MS27 mi
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