NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Yazoo City, 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
17 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Yazoo City, Mississippi since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 137 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 17
- Tornadoes
- 137
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
104 deaths in all
What the records show for Yazoo City
None of the 17 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Yazoo City; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 70 mph winds when its centre passed 23 miles away. The record near Yazoo City begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 45 miles away. The 1900s and the 1930s were the busiest decades, with 3 systems each. Of the 17 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site, 64% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Yazoo City. The highest rating among the 137 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 6 times; the most recent, on March 24, 2023, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on February 21, 1971, killed 58 people. Of the 137, 15 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 81 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on October 18, 2025. Yazoo City has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 56% of the 232 Mississippi cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 42 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 69% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Yazoo City.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Yazoo City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaAug 30 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | DeltaOct 10 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2002 | IsidoreSep 26 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 18 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 20 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 2 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 16 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 6 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormSep 21 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1905 | Unnamed 1905 stormSep 30 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 20 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 2 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Yazoo City: 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 Yazoo City
By decade
- 2020s33(1 EF3+)
- 2010s26(1 EF3+)
- 2000s22
- 1990s25(4 EF3+)
- 1980s13
- 1970s8(3 EF3+)
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 1971 | F4 | 20 mi | 202.1 mi | 58 / 795 |
| Mar 24, 2023 | EF4 | 15 mi | 59.23 mi | 17 / 165 |
| Feb 21, 1971 | F4 | 7 mi | 65.2 mi | 13 / 182 |
| Apr 24, 2010 | EF4 | 4 mi | 148.97 mi | 10 / 146 |
| Mar 29, 1976 | F4 | 23 mi | 22.3 mi | 3 / 177 |
| Mar 9, 1992 | F4 | 24 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 9, 1999 | F3 | 15 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 11, 1995 | F3 | 23 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 21, 1990 | F3 | 25 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 2, 1967 | F3 | 22 mi | 82.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Dec 3, 1953 | F3 | 23 mi | 18.8 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Apr 30, 2017 | EF2 | 21 mi | 23.4 mi | 1 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 137, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Yazoo City
The Storm Prediction Center has 42 hail reports within 10 miles of Yazoo City since 1962, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 25 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on November 8, 1989. The most recent report is from January 8, 2024. April has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Yazoo City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Yazoo City 5 NNE, MS, 5 miles northeast of Yazoo City at 107 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 75°F; January is the coolest, at 58°F and 39°F. April is the wettest at 6.6 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 60.4 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 42% of the year's precipitation (25.1 of 60.4 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 17 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 91°F and 3.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 90 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 36 nights a year. That 60.4 inches is more than at 53 of the 87 Mississippi stations used on this site (61%). Belzoni, 22 miles north, has its own station (Belzoni, MS): 57.4 inches a year, 3.0 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58 | 39 | 5.7 | 7 |
| Feb | 63 | 41 | 5.6 | 7 |
| Mar | 71 | 48 | 5.9 | 7 |
| Apr | 79 | 56 | 6.6 | 6 |
| May | 86 | 65 | 5.7 | 6 |
| Jun | 92 | 72 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Jul | 94 | 75 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Aug | 95 | 74 | 4.5 | 5 |
| Sep | 91 | 68 | 3.3 | 4 |
| Oct | 81 | 57 | 4.3 | 5 |
| Nov | 69 | 46 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Dec | 61 | 41 | 5.8 | 7 |
| Year | 78 | 57 | 60.4 | 71 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Yazoo City 5 NNE, MS (107 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 Yazoo City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 143 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Yazoo City: 103 thunderstorm wind reports, 32 flash floods, 4 floods and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 3 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $9.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on November 29, 2010. April has had the most flash floods, 11 of 32. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 182 have had fewer than Yazoo City.
May 16, 2009: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Yazoo City — 1 killed, 2 injured.
NWS: “Three teenagers were struck by lighting on Eagle Bend Road, in southwest Yazoo County. One teenager was seriously injured and passed away a few days later on May 20th.”
March 29, 2011: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Yazoo City — 1 killed, $100,000 damage.
NWS: “A lightning strike caused a house fire. The fire did severe damage to the house causing a fatality.”
April 6, 2014: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Yazoo City — 1 killed, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “A 9 year old girl was swept away by flood waters in the vicinity of 7th Street. Several roads were flooded in town.”
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 Yazoo City's ZIP code 39194 have filed 395 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $8.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Mid-spring storms in 2011: 119 claims (30% of all) and $4.0 million, then Flooding in 1983 with 24. 37% 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, 109 have fewer than Yazoo City.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-spring storms2011 | 119 | $4.0 million |
| Flooding1983 | 24 | $99,000 |
Yazoo County, which includes Yazoo City, has been named in 31 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 7 hurricanes, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Yazoo County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.9 million a year, the 24th highest of 82 Mississippi counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.3 million (23%), 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 Yazoo City
- Benton, MS13 mi
- Bentonia, MS15 mi
- Belzoni, MS22 mi
- Flora, MS22 mi
- Tchula, MS22 mi
- Pickens, MS28 mi
- Lexington, MS28 mi
- Canton, MS30 mi
- Rolling Fork, MS31 mi
- Hollandale, MS31 mi
- Bolton, MS32 mi
- Madison, MS32 mi
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