NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sardis, 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
12 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Sardis, Mississippi since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 62 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 12
- Tornadoes
- 62
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
73 deaths in all
What the records show for Sardis
None of the 12 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sardis; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 64 mph winds when its centre passed 19 miles away. The record near Sardis begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 19 miles away. Of the 12 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site, 88% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Sardis. The highest rating among the 62 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on December 23, 2015, came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on February 21, 1971, killed 58 people. Of the 62, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sardis. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 61 times since 1973, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Sardis has more hail reports within 10 miles than 53% of the 232 Mississippi cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sardis
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 18 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 20 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 7 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 20 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 29 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 Sardis: 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 Sardis
By decade
- 2020s11(1 EF3+)
- 2010s13(3 EF3+)
- 2000s8(1 EF3+)
- 1990s2
- 1980s8
- 1970s12(2 EF3+)
- 1960s6
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 1971 | F4 | 20 mi | 202.1 mi | 58 / 795 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF4 | 17 mi | 75.09 mi | 9 / 36 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF3 | 3 mi | 61.57 mi | 2 / 28 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 16 mi | 12.22 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 24 mi | 13.57 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 21 mi | 7.15 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Apr 24, 1976 | F3 | 21 mi | 24.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F2 | 18 mi | 43.5 mi | 3 / 33 |
| May 2, 2010 | EF2 | 23 mi | 1.43 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2013 | EF2 | 16 mi | 0.79 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 27, 1988 | F2 | 24 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1980 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 62, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sardis
The Storm Prediction Center has 61 hail reports within 10 miles of Sardis since 1973, made on 50 separate days. Of these, 35 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on April 27, 2011. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. June has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sardis
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sardis Dam, MS, 7 miles east of Sardis at 303 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 33°F. December is the wettest at 6.2 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 58.1 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 43% of the year's precipitation (24.8 of 58.1 inches); the other six months are wetter. August has brought the most of the 12 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal August there has highs of 92°F and 3.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 83 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 58 nights a year. That 58.1 inches is more than at 32 of the 87 Mississippi stations used on this site (37%). Como, 7 miles north, has its own station (Senatobia, MS): 58.2 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 91°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 33 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Feb | 56 | 37 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Mar | 65 | 44 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Apr | 74 | 52 | 5.9 | 7 |
| May | 82 | 62 | 5.4 | 8 |
| Jun | 89 | 70 | 5.3 | 7 |
| Jul | 92 | 74 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Aug | 92 | 72 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Sep | 86 | 66 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Oct | 76 | 54 | 4.1 | 5 |
| Nov | 63 | 43 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Dec | 54 | 36 | 6.2 | 8 |
| Year | 73 | 53 | 58.1 | 80 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sardis Dam, MS (303 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 Sardis
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 86 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sardis: 72 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods and 1 flood. They killed 3 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on December 17, 2016. June has had the most flash floods, 5 of 13. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 67 have had fewer than Sardis.
June 13, 2011: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Sardis — 2 killed, 1 injured.
NWS: “Straight line winds knocked several trees down near Sardis Lake. One tree fell on a camper in the Oak Grove Camp area of Sardis Lake.”
April 25, 2015: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Sardis — 1 killed, 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
June 1, 2018: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Sardis — $250,000 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 Sardis's ZIP code 38666 have filed 23 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $130,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1991, with 12. 4% 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, 35 have fewer than Sardis.
Panola County, which includes Sardis, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 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 Panola County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $17.3 million a year, the 28th highest of 82 Mississippi counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.8 million (22%), 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 Sardis
- Como, MS7 mi
- Batesville, MS8 mi
- Courtland, MS13 mi
- Senatobia, MS13 mi
- Pope, MS16 mi
- Sarah, MS19 mi
- Coldwater, MS20 mi
- University, MS21 mi
- Oakland, MS23 mi
- Oxford, MS23 mi
- Marks, MS24 mi
- Water Valley, MS24 mi
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