Jefferson County, Mississippi
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 28063 · population 7,245 · 520 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 341 records for Jefferson County, Mississippi from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 245 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (154 records). The deadliest single record is the January 25, 2026 extreme cold/wind chill, filed for the forecast zone Jefferson, which covers the county: 1 death. FEMA has issued 26 declarations naming the county since 1965, 24 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
- 341on 245 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 26 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $144Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 31strongest F4
- FEMA declarations
- 26latest 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 Jefferson County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 154 since 1988. 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.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 154 | 130 | 1988-2026 | 0 | 5 | $2.7M | 46 of 82 |
| Hail | 69 | 56 | 1969-2024 | 0 | 0 | $421K | 53 of 82 |
| Tornadoes | 31 | 25 | 1950-2024 | 0 | 1 | $10M | 48 of 82 |
| Winter storms | 22 | 17 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $2.6M | 48 of 82 |
| Floods | 19 | 17 | 1997-2024 | 0 | 0 | $12M | 66 of 82 |
| Drought | 18 | 13 | 2006-2026 | 0 | 0 | $5.9M | 48 of 82 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 11 | 7 | 2002-2021 | 0 | 0 | $110M | 22 of 82 |
| Heat | 8 | 4 | 2005-2010 | 1 | 0 | – | 65 of 82 |
| High wind and dust storms | 5 | 5 | 1996-2024 | 0 | 0 | $19K | 48 of 82 |
| Extreme cold | 3 | 2 | 2010-2026 | 1 | 0 | $609K | 52 of 82 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | 2015-2015 | 0 | 0 | $12K | 68 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 Jefferson County had?
NOAA records 31 tornadoes in Jefferson County from 1950 to 2024, the strongest rated F4, with 0 deaths and 1 injury 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 28 tornadoes whose track touched Jefferson County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 31: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 32 people, 0 of them in Jefferson County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-01-23 05:25, as SPC files it | Hazlehurst to Puckett | F4 | 117.8 mi | 32 |
| 2004-11-23 23:40, as SPC files it | Unnamed | F3 | 18 mi | 0 |
| 1976-03-30 16:35, as SPC files it | Fayette | F3 | 31.7 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Mississippi.
Every tornado record filed for Jefferson County (31)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-12-28 | Red Lick, Jefferson County | EF1 8.72 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $33K |
| 2024-12-28 | Church Hill, Jefferson County | EF1 9.34 mi x 750 yd | 0 | 0 | $33K |
| 2022-12-14 | Hicks, Jefferson County | EF1 4.47 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $50K |
| 2021-05-02 | Brasfield, Jefferson County | EF1 6.18 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 0 | $16K |
| 2019-04-18 | Brasfield, Jefferson County | EF1 8.32 mi x 1,100 yd | 0 | 0 | $17K |
| 2017-04-30 | Perth, Jefferson County | EF1 11.09 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 0 | $433K |
| 2017-01-02 | Perth, Jefferson County | EF0 3.89 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | $60K |
| 2012-03-21 | Mc Nair, Jefferson County | EF1 2.71 mi x 176 yd | 0 | 0 | $26K |
| 2008-12-09 | Hicks, Jefferson County | EF1 6.42 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 0 | $480K |
| 2008-01-08 | Church Hill, Jefferson County | EF0 4.86 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2006-05-10 | Fayette, Jefferson County | F2 7 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 0 | $908K |
| 2005-09-25 | Fayette, Jefferson County | F0 4 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $60K |
| 2005-09-25 | Red Lick, Jefferson County | F2 5 mi x 800 yd | 0 | 1 | $1.2M |
| 2005-09-25 | Fayette, Jefferson County | F1 1 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $23K |
| 2005-09-25 | Fayette, Jefferson County | F2 10 mi x 600 yd | 0 | 0 | $725K |
| 2005-03-26 | Church Hill, Jefferson County | F1 1 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $30K |
| 2005-03-26 | Fayette, Jefferson County | F1 8 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $106K |
| 2005-03-26 | Church Hill, Jefferson County | F0 5 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $38K |
| 2004-11-23 | Fayette, Jefferson County | F3 18 mi x 600 yd | 0 | 0 | $469K |
| 1999-01-22 | Fayette, Jefferson County | F0 1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 1997-10-23 | Stampley, Jefferson County | F1 1.5 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $55K |
| 1995-10-27 | Bassfield, Jefferson County | F0 2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $4K |
| 1994-01-27 | Bassfield, Jefferson County | F1 4 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $995K |
| 1993-12-04 | Carson, Jefferson County | F0 2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 1987-03-17 | Jefferson County | F1 3 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1986-04-12 | Jefferson County | F1 4 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1976-03-30 | Jefferson County | F3 27 mi x 1,583 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1969-01-23 | Jefferson County | F4 19.5 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1966-02-14 | Jefferson County | F1 1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1953-04-24 | Jefferson County | F2 96.7 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1950-05-01 | Jefferson County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $25K 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 Jefferson County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the January 25, 2026 extreme cold/wind chill (1 death).
Wind chills across the county fell as low as -5 degrees during the early morning of January 26th. A 22 year old male died from a house fire during this cold weather event.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1315584)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-23 | Thunderstorm WindUnion Church, Jefferson County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-01 | DroughtJefferson County · forecast zone Jefferson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | SleetJefferson County · forecast zone Jefferson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-25 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillJefferson County · forecast zone Jefferson | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-25 | Ice StormJefferson County · forecast zone Jefferson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-20 | Thunderstorm WindRed Lick, Jefferson County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-08-18 | Thunderstorm WindHarriston, Jefferson County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-07-13 | Thunderstorm WindBrasfield, Jefferson County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-05-27 | Thunderstorm WindMc Bride, Jefferson County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-05-27 | Thunderstorm WindFayette, Jefferson County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-05-26 | Thunderstorm WindFayette, Jefferson County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $30K |
| 2025-05-24 | Thunderstorm WindFayette, Jefferson County | 55 kt wind | 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
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-25 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillJefferson County · forecast zone Jefferson Wind chills across the county fell as low as -5 degrees during the early morning of January 26th. A 22 year old male died from a house fire during this cold weather event. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2010-08-01 | Excessive HeatJefferson County · forecast zone Jefferson A 48 year old man died while mowing his lawn. The coroner ruled that he died of a heart attack brought on by the excessive heat. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1995-06-07 | Thunderstorm WindHillsboro, Jefferson County The public reported several large trees down around Cedar Hill, House Springs, and between Highways 30 and 21. Four mobile homes suffered damaged to their roofs north of Hillsboro injuring three people. Wind gusts near De Soto reached 70 mph knocking down trees and damaging homes along County Road H. | 0 | 3 | $13K | |
| 1991-03-28 | Thunderstorm WindJefferson County | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2005-09-25 | TornadoRed Lick, Jefferson County This strong tornado touched down in the Red Lick Community, of Jefferson county, and tracked northeast into Claiborne county. Extensive tree damage occurred along the path with hundreds of trees uprooted and snapped. One mobile home was destroyed and a framed house had most of the roof torn off and an outside wall ... | F2 5 mi x 800 yd | 0 | 1 | $1.2M |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-08-29 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Jefferson County · forecast zone Jefferson | 0 | 0 | $68M | |
| 2005-08-29 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Franklin County and Jefferson County · forecast zone Franklin | 0 | 0 | $39M | |
| 2008-09-02 | Flash FloodChurch Hill, Jefferson County | 0 | 0 | $8.2M | |
| 2005-09-25 | Flash FloodCountywide, Jefferson County | 0 | 0 | $1.7M | |
| 2023-11-01 | DroughtJefferson County · forecast zone Jefferson | 0 | 0 | $1.4M | |
| 2005-09-25 | TornadoRed Lick, Jefferson County | F2 5 mi x 800 yd | 0 | 1 | $1.2M |
| 2008-09-01 | Tropical StormFranklin County and Jefferson County · forecast zone Franklin | 0 | 0 | $1.1M | |
| 2006-05-10 | TornadoFayette, Jefferson County | F2 7 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 0 | $908K |
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: January 23, 1969 (tornado, Jefferson County); March 30, 1976 (tornado, Jefferson County); March 17, 1987 (tornado, Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 27 | 56 | 40 | 29 |
| Hail | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 28 | 15 | 4 |
| Tornadoes | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 4 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 2 | 5 | 10 | 5 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 2 | 9 | 6 | 2 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 0 | 8 | 5 | 5 |
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 Jefferson County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 29 · Feb 29 · Mar 52 · Apr 38 · May 41 · Jun 37 · Jul 19 · Aug 24 · Sep 18 · Oct 20 · Nov 13 · Dec 21 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Jefferson County
FEMA's register lists 26 declarations that include Jefferson County: 17 major disasters, 9 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (11) and severe storm (6).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-06 | DR-4899 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2026-01-24 | EM-3640 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2023-08-12 | DR-4727 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes. |
| 2021-10-22 | DR-4626 | Hurricane | Hurricane Ida |
| 2021-08-28 | EM-3569 | Hurricane | Hurricane Ida |
| 2021-05-04 | DR-4598 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storms |
| 2020-10-08 | EM-3548 | Hurricane | Hurricane Delta |
| 2020-09-14 | EM-3544 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sally |
| 2020-08-23 | EM-3539 | Hurricane | Hurricane Marco and Tropical Storm Laura |
| 2020-04-05 | DR-4528 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3474 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2017-05-22 | DR-4314 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2012-08-29 | DR-4081 | Hurricane | Hurricane Isaac |
| 2011-05-11 | DR-1983 | Flood | Flooding |
| 2011-05-04 | EM-3320 | Flood | Flooding |
| 2008-09-22 | DR-1794 | Hurricane | Hurricane Gustav |
| 2008-08-30 | EM-3291 | Hurricane | Hurricane Gustav |
| 2005-08-29 | DR-1604 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina |
| 2004-09-15 | DR-1550 | Hurricane | Hurricane Ivan |
| 2003-04-24 | DR-1459 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Floods |
| 1983-06-01 | DR-683 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 1979-04-16 | DR-577 | Severe Storm | Storms, Tornadoes, Floods |
| 1977-02-22 | EM-3032 | Snowstorm | Drought & Freezing |
| 1974-04-18 | DR-430 | Flood | Heavy Rains & Flooding |
| 1973-03-27 | DR-368 | Severe Storm | Heavy Rains, Tornadoes & Flooding |
| 1965-09-25 | DR-210 | Hurricane | Hurricane 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 Jefferson County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 19 flood or flash flood records for Jefferson County from 1997 to 2024, on 17 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Jefferson County ranks 1504th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Isaac | 2012-08-29 | 1 | 0 |
| Hurricane Gustav | 2008-09-01 | 4 | 0 |
| Hurricane Katrina | 2005-08-29 | 4 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $852,000 on 67 claims filed in Jefferson County; the most in one year was 13 in 2011. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1979: 6 · 1980: 2 · 1983: 6 · 1991: 2 · 1994: 3 · 1995: 8 · 1997: 11 · 1998: 3 · 2002: 2 · 2005: 1 · 2008: 6 · 2009: 3 · 2011: 13 · 2022: 1; 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 Jefferson County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jefferson County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $3.2 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.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $587K | 16 modeled event-days a year |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | $224K | once in about 10 years (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | $2K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Low | $108K | 11 modeled event-days a year |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $151K | 3.1 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | $31K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | $451K | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $178K | 2.7 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 Jefferson County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in MississippiEvery Mississippi tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind in MississippiThe state's severe thunderstorm wind events, by county, year and month
- The Mississippi recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Jefferson CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Jefferson County's FEMA declarations (CSV)26 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis