George County, Mississippi

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 28039 · population 24,246 · 479 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 222 records for George County, Mississippi from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 159 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (94 records). The deadliest single record is the August 30, 2021 flash flood: 3 deaths, 7 injuries and $2.0 million in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 34 declarations naming the county since 1969, 32 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Tropical Storm Arthur” on August 3, 2026.

The record, 1950 to 2026

Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $100,000
  • $100,000 or more
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more, or a death
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
  • 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
  • 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
Storm records
222on 159 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
438 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$65Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
25strongest F3
FEMA declarations
34latest 2026

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.

What hazards hit George County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 94 since 1968. The rank column places the county among Mississippi's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.

George County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 94 73 1968-2024 0 16 $1.2M 74 of 82
Hail 43 36 1959-2023 0 0 $968 71 of 82
Floods 35 27 1998-2022 3 7 $2.6M 34 of 82
Tornadoes 25 18 1967-2026 0 15 $6.0M 63 of 82
Hurricanes and tropical storms 9 9 1998-2020 0 0 $55M 13 of 82
Winter storms 7 7 2002-2025 0 0 – 76 of 82
Lightning 5 5 1996-2004 1 0 $246K 23 of 82
Drought 2 2 2016-2016 0 0 – 81 of 82
Heat 2 2 2000-2007 0 0 – 80 of 82

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.

How many tornadoes has George County had?

NOAA records 25 tornadoes in George County from 1967 to 2026, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths and 15 injuries recorded in the county. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.

Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 24 tornadoes whose track touched George County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 25: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched George County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1980-05-19 20:45, as SPC files itLucedaleF34.3 mi0
1976-03-27 02:50, as SPC files itUnnamedF313.9 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Mississippi.

Every tornado record filed for George County (25)
Every tornado recorded in George County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-03-11 Bexley, George County EF0 0.86 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
2025-03-04 Agricola, George County EF1 0.92 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
2024-01-09 Shipman, George County EF1 0.21 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
2024-01-08 Agricola, George County EF0 2.09 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2024-01-08 Lucedale, George County EF0 0.19 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2020-06-24 Agricola, George County EF1 0.89 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2020-06-24 Lucedale Farmco Airport, George County EF0 0.98 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2020-06-24 Ruble, George County EF1 1.27 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2020-04-23 Evanston, George County EF1 1.45 mi x 250 yd 0 1 –
2020-04-23 Evanston, George County EF1 0.38 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2020-04-23 Lucedale, George County EF1 2.26 mi x 200 yd 0 0 –
2020-03-31 Benndale, George County EF1 8.15 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2004-10-19 Lucedale, George County F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $16K
2001-06-11 Movella, George County F1 10 mi x 75 yd 0 2 $250K
1997-10-25 Agricola, George County F1 12 mi x 300 yd 0 7 $165K
1992-01-13 George County F1 2 mi x 200 yd 0 2 $250K step
1987-03-29 George County F1 3 mi x 123 yd 0 0 $250K step
1980-05-19 George County F3 4.3 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $250K step
1976-03-27 George County F3 13.9 mi x 300 yd 0 0 $250K step
1973-09-13 George County F1 0 0 $25K step
1973-04-07 George County F2 0 0 $3K step
1971-02-12 George County F1 0 0 –
1971-02-12 George County F2 25.5 mi x 33 yd 0 2 $250K step
1971-02-12 George County F2 4.3 mi x 33 yd 0 1 $25K step
1967-05-02 George County F2 0 0 –

A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.

When was the last damaging storm in George County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the August 30, 2021 flash flood (3 deaths, 7 injuries and $2.0 million in damage in 2025 dollars).

Very heavy rainfall with 2 inch per hour rain rates fell over very saturated conditions and resulted in additional flash flooding. This resulted in the collapse of a portion of Highway 26 near Crossroads Road. Several vehicles drove into a 50 foot deep hole. Three people were killed and seven others were injured.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 981948)
The 12 most recent records kept for George County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-03-11 TornadoBexley, George County EF0 0.86 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
2025-03-04 TornadoAgricola, George County EF1 0.92 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
2025-01-21 Heavy SnowGeorge County · forecast zone George 0 0 –
2024-01-09 TornadoShipman, George County EF1 0.21 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
2024-01-08 TornadoAgricola, George County EF0 2.09 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2024-01-08 TornadoLucedale, George County EF0 0.19 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2021-08-30 Flash FloodBenndale, George County 3 7 $2.0M
2020-06-24 TornadoAgricola, George County EF1 0.89 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2020-06-24 TornadoLucedale Farmco Airport, George County EF0 0.98 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2020-06-24 TornadoRuble, George County EF1 1.27 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2020-04-23 TornadoEvanston, George County EF1 1.45 mi x 250 yd 0 1 –
2020-04-23 TornadoEvanston, George County EF1 0.38 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.

The deadliest and costliest records

Records with deaths or injuries in George County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2021-08-30 Flash FloodBenndale, George County Very heavy rainfall with 2 inch per hour rain rates fell over very saturated conditions and resulted in additional flash flooding. This resulted in the collapse of a portion of Highway 26 near Crossroads Road. Several vehicles drove into a 50 foot deep hole. Three people were killed and seven others were injured. 3 7 $2.0M
2002-08-19 LightningBexley, George County A 31 year old female was struck and killed by lightning near Bexley. The woman was going to her automobile to roll up the windows during a thunderstorm. She had just rolled the windows up and was returning to her home when lightning struck a nearby tree. The strike ran through the root system of the tree and into ... 1 0 $8K
1997-10-25 TornadoAgricola, George County A mesocyclone intermittently produced a weak tornado as the storm tracked northeast across George county. The tornado first briefly touched down along River Road near the Barton community where trees were blown down. The tornado touched down again near Grain Elevator Road blowing down several century old Live Oak ... F1 12 mi x 300 yd 0 7 $165K
2001-06-11 Thunderstorm WindLucedale, George County A cluster of severe thunderstorms spawned from the remains of Tropical Storm Allison moved across central George county during the early morning hours. The high winds from the storms did the most damage from the Twin Creeks area north across Inland Beach road to near US Highway 98 just northwest of Lucedale. The ... 85 kt wind 0 5 $417K
1990-03-15 Thunderstorm WindGeorge County 0 5 –
1990-12-03 Thunderstorm WindGeorge County 0 3 –
2001-06-11 TornadoMovella, George County A severe thunderstorm produced an F1 tornado in the southeast part of the county, first touching down near the Howell community about 3 miles east of Movella. The tornado first touched down just inside the George county line near Red Edwards Lane and Howell Road and moved north from there. Initially the tornado just ... F1 10 mi x 75 yd 0 2 $250K
1992-01-13 TornadoGeorge County F1 2 mi x 200 yd 0 2 $250K step

A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.

The costliest records in George County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1998-09-25 Hurricane (Typhoon)George County · forecast zone George 0 0 $54M
2021-08-30 Flash FloodBenndale, George County 3 7 $2.0M
2018-04-14 Flash FloodRuble, George County 0 0 $588K
2001-06-11 Thunderstorm WindLucedale, George County 85 kt wind 0 5 $417K
2004-09-14 Hurricane (Typhoon)George County · forecast zone George 0 0 $312K
2001-06-11 TornadoMovella, George County F1 10 mi x 75 yd 0 2 $250K
1997-10-25 TornadoAgricola, George County F1 12 mi x 300 yd 0 7 $165K
1994-03-25 Thunderstorm WindLucedale, George County 0 1 $100K

Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: February 12, 1971 (tornado, George County); January 13, 1992 (tornado, George County); March 27, 1976 (tornado, George County).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.

Is it getting more frequent?

Records per decade for George County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).

George County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind013631162116
Hail12011212105
Floods––––115154
Tornadoes016222012

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

Records by month in George County. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 20 · Feb 14 · Mar 33 · Apr 32 · May 29 · Jun 28 · Jul 14 · Aug 13 · Sep 9 · Oct 10 · Nov 4 · Dec 16 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for George County

FEMA's register lists 34 declarations that include George County: 22 major disasters, 12 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (21) and severe storm (5).

Declarations including George County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2026-08-03DR-4930Tropical StormTropical Storm Arthur
2026-02-06DR-4899Winter StormSevere Winter Storm
2026-01-24EM-3640Winter StormSevere Winter Storm
2021-10-22DR-4626HurricaneHurricane Ida
2021-08-28EM-3569HurricaneHurricane Ida
2020-12-31DR-4576HurricaneHurricane Zeta
2020-10-28EM-3550HurricaneHurricane Zeta
2020-10-08EM-3548HurricaneHurricane Delta
2020-09-14EM-3544HurricaneHurricane Sally
2020-08-23EM-3539HurricaneHurricane Marco and Tropical Storm Laura
2020-07-09DR-4551Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2020-04-05DR-4528BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3474BiologicalCovid-19
2017-11-22DR-4350HurricaneHurricane Nate
2017-10-07EM-3393HurricaneHurricane Nate
2016-03-25DR-4268FloodSevere Storms and Flooding
2012-08-29DR-4081HurricaneHurricane Isaac
2012-08-28EM-3348HurricaneTropical Storm Isaac
2008-09-22DR-1794HurricaneHurricane Gustav
2008-08-30EM-3291HurricaneHurricane Gustav
2005-08-29DR-1604HurricaneHurricane Katrina
2005-07-10DR-1594HurricaneHurricane Dennis
2004-09-15DR-1550HurricaneHurricane Ivan
2002-10-01DR-1436HurricaneTropical Storm Isidore
2001-06-21DR-1382Severe StormTropical Storm Allison
1998-10-01DR-1251HurricaneHurricane Georges
1998-09-28EM-3132HurricaneHurricane Georges
1991-05-17DR-906Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1990-02-28DR-859Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1980-04-19DR-618Severe StormStorms, Flood, Mudslides & Tornadoes
1979-09-13DR-599HurricaneHurricane Frederic
1977-02-22EM-3032SnowstormDrought & Freezing
1974-04-18DR-430FloodHeavy Rains & Flooding
1969-08-18DR-271HurricaneHurricane Camille

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.

How many floods has George County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 35 flood or flash flood records for George County from 1998 to 2022, on 27 days, with 3 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), George County ranks 1504th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

Named storms on George County's flood and tropical record
StormBeganRecordsDeaths in the county
Hurricane Ida2021-08-3013
Hurricane Ivan2004-09-1410
Hurricane Georges1998-09-2510

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $436,000 on 67 claims filed in George County; the most in one year was 9 in 1980. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1979: 3 · 1980: 9 · 1983: 8 · 1985: 1 · 1990: 1 · 1991: 4 · 1993: 2 · 1997: 1 · 1998: 4 · 2001: 2 · 2002: 1 · 2003: 1 · 2005: 9 · 2009: 3 · 2011: 1 · 2012: 5 · 2016: 4 · 2017: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2026: 2; the other years: 0.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.

FEMA's modeled risk for George County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates George County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $22.0 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.

National Risk Index ratings for George County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
HurricaneRelatively Moderate$14Monce in about 4 years (modeled)
LightningRelatively Moderate$501K85 a year (modeled)
WildfireRelatively Low$305Konce in about 266 years (modeled)
DroughtRelatively Low$190K17 modeled event-days a year
Heat WaveRelatively Low$420K9.8 modeled event-days a year
TornadoRelatively Low$1.4Monce in about 2 years (modeled)
Strong WindRelatively Low$340K2.2 a year (modeled)
Cold WaveRelatively Low$356Kabout once a year (modeled)

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with George County

  1. Mobile County, AL 1,290
  2. Jackson County 532
  3. Perry County 231
  4. Greene County 230
  5. George County 222
  6. Stone County 212

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

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