Jackson County, Mississippi

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 28059 · population 143,149 · 723 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 532 records for Jackson County, Mississippi from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 354 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (156 records). NOAA records 48 flood or flash floods there since 1996, with 0 deaths; its 11,325 flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA) rank 47th of 2,942 U.S. counties; the deadliest named storm on its flood record is Hurricane Katrina (2005). The deadliest single record is the August 28, 2005 hurricane, filed for the forecast zone Jackson, which covers the county: 13 deaths and $1.7 billion in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 36 declarations naming the county since 1965, 34 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storm” on February 6, 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
532on 354 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
1932 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$5.8Bas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
79strongest EF2
FEMA declarations
36latest 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 Jackson County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 156 since 1959. 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.

Jackson County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 156 132 1959-2026 0 3 $643K 65 of 82
Hail 86 65 1965-2025 0 0 $5K 67 of 82
Tornadoes 79 62 1958-2025 1 26 $11M 17 of 82
Hurricanes and tropical storms 49 37 1997-2024 13 0 $5.8B 3 of 82
Floods 48 39 1996-2026 0 0 $5.6M 39 of 82
Heat 48 26 2000-2025 3 0 – 27 of 82
Drought 20 11 2023-2026 0 0 – 69 of 82
Lightning 18 13 1996-2013 1 3 $411K 10 of 82
Winter storms 10 8 1996-2025 1 0 – 81 of 82
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 9 8 1996-2005 0 0 $4K 5 of 82
Extreme cold 6 4 1996-2026 0 0 $188K 31 of 82
Heavy rain 3 3 2005-2017 0 0 – 12 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 Jackson County had?

NOAA records 79 tornadoes in Jackson County from 1958 to 2025, the strongest rated EF2, with 1 death and 26 injuries recorded in the county. That is 17th of 82 Mississippi counties and 85th of 3,080 U.S. counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. 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 86 tornadoes whose track touched Jackson County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 79: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 1 person.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Jackson County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
2021-10-27 19:31, as SPC files itMoss PointEF10.86 mi1

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Mississippi.

Every tornado record filed for Jackson County (79)
The 60 most recent of 79 tornadoes in Jackson County
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-04-06 Three Rivers, Jackson County EF0 2.73 mi x 25 yd 0 0 $10K
2025-03-30 Vancleave, Jackson County EF0 0.91 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $5K
2025-03-30 Wade, Jackson County EF0 2.39 mi x 75 yd 0 0 –
2024-04-10 Vestry, Jackson County EF0 2.22 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2023-06-19 Escatawpa, Jackson County EF2 2.35 mi x 300 yd 0 6 $749K
2022-10-29 Three Rivers, Jackson County EFU 3.85 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2022-10-29 Wade, Jackson County EFU 2.83 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2022-10-29 Big Pt, Jackson County EF0 3.11 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $10K
2022-10-29 Three Rivers, Jackson County EF1 1.46 mi x 125 yd 0 0 $5K
2022-10-29 Kreole, Jackson County EF0 5.08 mi x 75 yd 0 0 –
2022-03-30 Arena, Jackson County EF0 4.08 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2022-03-30 North Biloxi Airport, Jackson County EF1 2.51 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $252K
2021-10-27 Eastside, Jackson County EF1 0.86 mi x 50 yd 1 0 $163K
2021-08-30 Pascagoula, Jackson County EF0 10.19 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $218K
2021-06-19 Pascagoula, Jackson County EF0 0.49 mi x 25 yd 0 0 $16K
2021-06-19 Arena, Jackson County EF1 0.84 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $5K
2020-06-24 Big Pt, Jackson County EF0 0.19 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2020-06-24 North Biloxi Airport, Jackson County EF1 0.25 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2019-04-14 Coll Town, Jackson County EF1 1.1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2018-11-01 Escatawpa, Jackson County EF1 4.08 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2018-11-01 Ocean Spgs, Jackson County EF1 3.21 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2018-04-14 Wade, Jackson County EF1 0.27 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2018-04-14 North Biloxi Airport, Jackson County EF1 1.36 mi x 75 yd 0 0 –
2018-04-14 Vestry, Jackson County EF1 1.91 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2017-10-22 Pascagoula, Jackson County EF1 3.37 mi x 75 yd 0 1 –
2017-08-30 Ocean Spgs Airport, Jackson County EF0 2.32 mi x 250 yd 0 0 –
2017-08-30 Pascagoula, Jackson County EF0 0.25 mi x 200 yd 0 0 –
2017-06-16 Pascagoula, Jackson County EF1 3.95 mi x 75 yd 0 0 –
2012-08-30 Pascagoula, Jackson County EF2 0.77 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $96K
2012-08-29 Ocean Spgs Airport, Jackson County EF1 0.43 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $51K
2011-05-26 Coll Town, Jackson County EF0 2.9 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $26K
2011-04-04 Fontainebleau, Jackson County EF1 0.1 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $46K
2009-12-24 Vancleave, Jackson County EF0 0.3 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $3K
2009-04-02 Ocean Spgs, Jackson County EF0 0.2 mi x 25 yd 0 0 $69K
2009-03-26 Pascagoula, Jackson County EF0 0.15 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $25K
2007-10-18 Vancleave, Jackson County EF1 2.3 mi x 90 yd 0 0 $128K
2007-02-13 Ocean Spgs, Jackson County EF0 0.3 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2006-11-15 Ocean Spgs, Jackson County F1 0.5 mi x 35 yd 0 0 $73K
2001-08-07 Pascagoula, Jackson County F0 0.8 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $42K
2001-06-11 Hurley, Jackson County F0 1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $8K
2000-08-20 Escatawpa, Jackson County F0 0.5 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $3K
2000-07-16 Pascagoula Jcksn Arp, Jackson County F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
1999-03-13 Pascagoula, Jackson County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1996-04-29 Gautier, Jackson County F0 5 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $188K
1996-01-18 Hurley, Jackson County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1995-05-09 Springs, Jackson County 0 0 –
1995-05-09 Ocean Springs, Jackson County F1 0.2 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
1995-05-09 Moss Point, Jackson County F1 1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
1994-12-03 Jackson County F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
1994-03-01 Vancleave, Jackson County F0 1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $10K
1990-02-10 Jackson County F1 2 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $250K step
1988-09-16 Jackson County F0 0.2 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $25K step
1985-05-21 Jackson County F1 0.2 mi x 60 yd 0 1 $250K step
1985-05-21 Jackson County F2 3.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $250K step
1983-02-01 Jackson County F1 0.3 mi x 77 yd 0 3 $250K step
1982-04-25 Jackson County F2 0 3 $250K step
1981-02-10 Jackson County F2 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 2 $250K step
1980-05-19 Jackson County F2 4.3 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $250K step
1979-04-23 Jackson County F0 0.2 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $3K step
1978-07-29 Jackson County 0 0 $3K 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.

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 Jackson County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 30, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($1,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Jackson County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-30 Thunderstorm WindNorth Biloxi Airport, Jackson County 50 kt wind 0 0 $1K
2026-06-30 Thunderstorm WindOcean Spgs, Jackson County 50 kt wind 0 0 $1K
2026-06-30 Thunderstorm WindPecan, Jackson County 50 kt wind 0 0 $1K
2026-06-24 Thunderstorm WindVestry, Jackson County 50 kt wind 0 0 $5K
2026-06-18 Flash FloodVancleave, Jackson County 0 0 –
2026-06-15 Flash FloodOcean Spgs, Jackson County 0 0 $30K
2026-06-15 Flash FloodNorth Biloxi Airport, Jackson County 0 0 –
2026-05-28 Flash FloodPascagoula, Jackson County 0 0 –
2026-05-28 Flash FloodEastside, Jackson County 0 0 –
2026-04-05 Flash FloodNorth Biloxi Airport, Jackson County 0 0 –
2026-03-01 DroughtJackson County · forecast zone Southern Jackson County 0 0 –
2026-03-01 DroughtJackson County · forecast zone Northern Jackson County 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 Jackson County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2005-08-28 Hurricane (Typhoon)Jackson County · forecast zone Jackson Hurricane Katrina was one of the strongest and most destructive hurricanes on record to impact the coast of the United States. It will likely be recorded as one the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States to date resulting in catastrophic damage and numerous casualties in southeast Louisiana and ... 13 0 $1.7B
2025-01-21 Heavy SnowJackson County · forecast zone Southern Jackson County Around five to ten inches of snow fell across the county beginning in the early morning hours and tapering off late in the afternoon. The highest reported amount was 9 inches in Ocean Springs. There was 1 indirect fatality. It occurred ln Thursday, January 23 at 1:08 PM as a male driver slid into a ditch at 5804 ... 1 0 –
2021-10-27 TornadoEastside, Jackson County A tornado touched down near the intersection of Billy and 1st streets where it did some minor tree damage. It proceeded northeast where it removed a large section of the roof of a well-built home on Charles Street. It continued northeast where it did some minor roof and tree damage. It crossed Highway 63 near Rock ... EF1 0.86 mi x 50 yd 1 0 $163K
2011-07-31 LightningPascagoula, Jackson County Broadcast media reported that a person was struck and killed by lightning while on the pier at Pascagoula Beach Pier. 1 0 –
2010-08-02 Excessive HeatJackson County · forecast zone Jackson A 48 year old construction worker collapsed and died while working on a highway construction project. Jackson County coroner classified the fatality as heat related with the cause of death as hyperthermia. 1 0 –
2000-07-18 HeatJackson County · forecast zone Jackson A 58 year old male was found dead from heat exhaustion while sitting in his truck in the driveway of his home with the windows rolled up. 1 0 –
2000-07-08 HeatJackson County · forecast zone Jackson A 68 year old man died from heat exhaustion while sitting in his pickup truck in a parking lot with the windows rolled up. 1 0 –
2023-06-19 TornadoEscatawpa, Jackson County A 130MPH EF2 tornado touched down near the confluence of the Pascagoula River and Escatawpa River at 2:48 PM CDT and moved southeast across the River and into the neighborhood on Griffin Street. Widespread tree branches were downed, along with some uprooted trees. Several homes had minor to moderate damage to siding ... EF2 2.35 mi x 300 yd 0 6 $749K
The costliest records in Jackson County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2005-08-29 Storm Surge/TideJackson County · forecast zone Jackson 0 0 $3.4B
2005-08-28 Hurricane (Typhoon)Jackson County · forecast zone Jackson 13 0 $1.7B
1998-09-27 Hurricane (Typhoon)Jackson County · forecast zone Jackson 0 0 $670M
2020-10-28 Hurricane (Typhoon)Jackson County · forecast zone Jackson 0 0 $11M
2004-09-15 Hurricane (Typhoon)Jackson County · forecast zone Jackson 0 0 $9.4M
2013-05-01 Flash FloodVancleave, Jackson County 0 0 $1.9M
2004-09-15 Storm Surge/TideJackson County · forecast zone Jackson 0 0 $1.9M
2012-08-30 Flash FloodJackson Co Airport, Jackson County 0 0 $1.5M

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: April 25, 1982 (tornado, Jackson County); February 1, 1983 (tornado, Jackson County); February 10, 1981 (tornado, Jackson 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 Jackson 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).

Jackson County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind17193023332320
Hail0221120201615
Tornadoes151579101418
Hurricanes and tropical storms––––5191213
Floods––––591321
Heat––––02145

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 Jackson County. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 27 · Feb 21 · Mar 44 · Apr 66 · May 51 · Jun 72 · Jul 67 · Aug 86 · Sep 36 · Oct 28 · Nov 12 · Dec 22 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Jackson County

FEMA's register lists 36 declarations that include Jackson County: 23 major disasters, 13 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (24) and severe storm (6).

Declarations including Jackson County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2026-02-06DR-4899Winter StormSevere Winter Storm
2026-01-24EM-3640Winter StormSevere Winter Storm
2023-08-12DR-4727Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes.
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
2020-04-05DR-4528BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3474BiologicalCovid-19
2017-11-22DR-4350HurricaneHurricane Nate
2017-10-07EM-3393HurricaneHurricane Nate
2012-08-29DR-4081HurricaneHurricane Isaac
2012-08-28EM-3348HurricaneTropical Storm Isaac
2009-05-12DR-1837Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes
2008-09-22DR-1794HurricaneHurricane Gustav
2008-08-30EM-3291HurricaneHurricane Gustav
2005-08-29DR-1604HurricaneHurricane Katrina
2005-08-28EM-3213HurricaneHurricane 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
1995-05-12DR-1051Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding
1990-02-28DR-859Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1985-09-04DR-741HurricaneHurricane Elena
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
1965-09-25DR-210HurricaneHurricane Betsy

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 Jackson County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 48 flood or flash flood records for Jackson County from 1996 to 2026, on 39 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Jackson County ranks 47th of 2,942 U.S. counties. The 100 counties with the most claims

Named storms on Jackson County's flood and tropical record
StormBeganRecordsDeaths in the county
Hurricane Katrina2005-08-28213
Tropical Storm Arthur2026-06-1810
Hurricane Ida2021-08-2910
Hurricane Zeta2020-10-2810
Hurricane Isaac2012-08-2830
Hurricane Gustav2008-09-0120
Hurricane Ivan2004-09-1520
Tropical Storm Isidore2002-09-2520
Tropical Storm Allison2001-06-1110
Hurricane Georges1998-09-2710

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $721 million on 11,325 claims filed in Jackson County; the most in one year was 5,414 in 2005. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1978: 22 · 1979: 271 · 1980: 188 · 1981: 118 · 1982: 23 · 1983: 134 · 1984: 11 · 1985: 156 · 1987: 38 · 1988: 7 · 1989: 2 · 1990: 47 · 1991: 15 · 1992: 7 · 1993: 41 · 1994: 11 · 1995: 44 · 1996: 44 · 1997: 27 · 1998: 1,978 · 1999: 6 · 2000: 2 · 2001: 42 · 2002: 227 · 2003: 20 · 2004: 28 · 2005: 5,414 · 2006: 4 · 2007: 7 · 2008: 77 · 2009: 237 · 2010: 14 · 2011: 45 · 2012: 839 · 2013: 203 · 2014: 18 · 2015: 80 · 2016: 32 · 2017: 241 · 2018: 12 · 2019: 16 · 2020: 290 · 2021: 215 · 2022: 10 · 2023: 20 · 2024: 11 · 2025: 3 · 2026: 28; 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 Jackson County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jackson County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $111 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 Jackson County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
HurricaneRelatively High$62Monce in about 4 years (modeled)
LightningRelatively High$1.7M87 a year (modeled)
Coastal FloodingRelatively High$3.4M5.1 a year (modeled)
WildfireRelatively Moderate$2.6Monce in about 172 years (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Moderate$3.3M14 modeled event-days a year
TornadoRelatively Moderate$6.5Mabout once a year (modeled)
Riverine FloodingRelatively Moderate$27Mabout once a year (modeled)
Cold WaveRelatively Moderate$2.9Mabout 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 Jackson County

  1. Mobile County, AL 1,290
  2. Harrison County 697
  3. Jackson County 532
  4. George County 222
  5. 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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