NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Southaven, 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
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Southaven, Mississippi since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 100 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 100
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
33 deaths in all
What the records show for Southaven
None of the 10 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Southaven; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 4 miles away. The record near Southaven begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 27 miles away. The 1900s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 10 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site, 97% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Southaven. The strongest of the 100 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 21, 1952; its path came within 18 miles, and it killed 16 people. Of the 100, 16 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 28 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on May 18, 2025. Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 73% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Southaven. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 157 times since 1958, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Southaven has more hail reports within 10 miles than 95% of the 232 Mississippi cities.
Compare Southaven's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Southaven
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 19 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | overhead | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 52 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 Southaven: 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 Southaven
By decade
- 2020s8(1 EF3+)
- 2010s7
- 2000s13
- 1990s20(1 EF3+)
- 1980s13(2 EF3+)
- 1970s17(3 EF3+)
- 1960s19
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 18 mi | 29.6 mi | 16 / 74 |
| Dec 14, 1987 | F3 | 17 mi | 25 mi | 6 / 121 |
| Nov 27, 1994 | F3 | 11 mi | 16 mi | 3 / 25 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 20 mi | 12.22 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 21, 1984 | F3 | 15 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 8 mi | 10.4 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 2 mi | 12.3 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 5 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF2 | 2 mi | 10.24 mi | 3 / 13 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F2 | 21 mi | 43.5 mi | 3 / 33 |
| Nov 27, 1973 | F2 | 2 mi | 4.1 mi | 1 / 50 |
| Apr 28, 1962 | F2 | 10 mi | 34.6 mi | 1 / 6 |
The strongest 12 of 100, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Southaven
The Storm Prediction Center has 157 hail reports within 10 miles of Southaven since 1958, made on 107 separate days. Of these, 95 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on June 16, 1971. The most recent report is from August 14, 2025. April has the most reports, 49.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Southaven
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Memphis International Airport, TN, 7 miles north of Southaven at 254 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. April is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 55.0 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 43% of the year's precipitation (23.9 of 55.0 inches); the other six months are wetter. Highs reach 90°F on about 72 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 45 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.7 inches a year, most of it in February. That 55.0 inches is more than at 6 of the 87 Mississippi stations used on this site (7%). Nesbit, 5 miles south, has its own station (Hernando, MS): 56.5 inches a year, 1.5 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 33 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.9 |
| Feb | 56 | 37 | 4.6 | 7 | 1.0 |
| Mar | 64 | 44 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 73 | 53 | 5.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 82 | 62 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 89 | 70 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 74 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 73 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 86 | 66 | 3.0 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 54 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 63 | 43 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 53 | 36 | 5.5 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Year | 73 | 54 | 55.0 | 74 | 2.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Memphis International Airport, TN (254 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 Southaven
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 245 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Southaven: 164 thunderstorm wind reports, 70 flash floods, 7 lightning strikes, 2 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 5 people and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $18.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on January 22, 2012. July has had the most flash floods, 20 of 70. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 219 have had fewer than Southaven.
March 31, 2023: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Southaven — 3 killed, $500,000 damage.
December 11, 2021: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Southaven — 1 killed, $250,000 damage.
April 4, 2011: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Southaven — 1 killed.
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 Southaven's 2 ZIP codes have filed 103 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $2.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2014, with 30. 6% 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, 84 have fewer than Southaven.
DeSoto County, which includes Southaven, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 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 DeSoto County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $85.9 million a year, the 4th highest of 82 Mississippi counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.8 million (25%), 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.