Lowndes County, Mississippi

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 28087 · population 58,845 · 505 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 711 records for Lowndes County, Mississippi from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 457 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (355 records). The deadliest single record is the February 23, 2019 tornado: 2 deaths, 11 injuries and $2.3 million in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 23 declarations naming the county since 1973, 21 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
711on 457 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
8106 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$376Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
50strongest EF3
FEMA declarations
23latest 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 Lowndes County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 355 since 1958. 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.

Lowndes County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 355 260 1958-2026 2 6 $49M 4 of 82
Hail 156 116 1967-2026 0 0 $4.5M 6 of 82
Floods 60 51 1998-2025 0 0 $10M 14 of 82
Tornadoes 50 37 1951-2025 3 99 $132M 25 of 82
Winter storms 24 24 1996-2025 0 0 $1.8M 29 of 82
High wind and dust storms 22 21 2002-2025 0 1 $895K 4 of 82
Drought 16 16 2006-2026 0 0 $7.8M 32 of 82
Lightning 12 12 2005-2026 1 0 $1.3M 6 of 82
Heat 6 6 2005-2023 1 0 – 39 of 82
Hurricanes and tropical storms 5 5 2004-2021 0 0 $167M 33 of 82
Extreme cold 3 3 2010-2026 1 0 $406K 29 of 82
Heavy rain 1 1 2014-2014 0 0 $4K 25 of 82
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 1 1 2005-2005 0 0 – 35 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 Lowndes County had?

NOAA records 50 tornadoes in Lowndes County from 1951 to 2025, the strongest rated EF3, with 3 deaths and 99 injuries recorded in the county. That is 25th of 82 Mississippi counties and 156th 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 51 tornadoes whose track touched Lowndes County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 50: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 4 people, 3 of them in Lowndes County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Lowndes County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1957-11-17 12:15, as SPC files itBrooksvilleF214.8 mi2
2019-02-23 17:14, as SPC files itColumbusEF39.74 mi1
2002-11-10 19:20, as SPC files itCrawfordCrossed AL, MSF151 mi1
2008-01-10 14:09, as SPC files itCaledoniaCrossed AL, MSEF313.25 mi0
2002-11-10 19:08, as SPC files itColumbusCrossed AL, MSF329.2 mi0
1962-03-31 00:15, as SPC files itNew HopeF33 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Mississippi.

Every tornado record filed for Lowndes County (50)
Every tornado recorded in Lowndes County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-03-31 Wells, Lowndes County EF1 5.81 mi x 300 yd 0 0 $200K
2025-03-31 Wells, Lowndes County EF0 0.69 mi x 60 yd 0 0 $5K
2024-03-15 Caledonia, Lowndes County EF1 2.05 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $71K
2024-03-15 Steens, Lowndes County EF0 0.64 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $19K
2022-11-29 Crawford, Lowndes County EF1 2.47 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $3K
2022-11-29 Wells, Lowndes County EF2 8.42 mi x 1,100 yd 0 0 $1.0M
2022-04-13 Trinity, Lowndes County EF1 2.04 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $20K
2022-04-13 Artesia, Lowndes County EF1 6.26 mi x 450 yd 0 0 $30K
2019-04-18 Trinity, Lowndes County EF1 3.07 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $29K
2019-02-23 Columbus, Lowndes County EF3 9.74 mi x 440 yd 2 11 $2.3M
2019-02-23 Artesia, Lowndes County EF0 0.47 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $40K
2018-11-06 Mayhew, Lowndes County EF0 5.49 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $29K
2017-04-30 New Hope, Lowndes County EF1 3.82 mi x 440 yd 0 0 $451K
2016-11-29 Trinity, Lowndes County EF1 3.48 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $61K
2016-03-31 Columbus/Lowndes Co, Lowndes County EF1 5.7 mi x 600 yd 0 0 $277K
2015-11-18 Wells, Lowndes County EF0 2.2 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $10K
2015-01-03 Caledonia, Lowndes County EF0 0.25 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $6K
2014-04-28 Columbus/Lowndes Co, Lowndes County EF2 8.06 mi x 300 yd 0 0 $623K
2014-04-28 Steens, Lowndes County EF1 1.95 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $623K
2014-04-28 Interstate City, Lowndes County EF1 6.35 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $873K
2014-04-28 Trinity, Lowndes County EF2 10.31 mi x 300 yd 0 0 $873K
2014-04-28 Crawford, Lowndes County EF1 0.64 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $31K
2011-04-27 Crawford, Lowndes County EF1 2.88 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $66K
2008-01-10 Kolola Spgs, Lowndes County EF3 8.69 mi x 400 yd 0 11 $9.6M
2004-12-07 Steens, Lowndes County F2 5 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $312K
2002-11-10 Crawford, Lowndes County F1 27 mi x 400 yd 1 0 $164K
2002-11-10 New Hope, Lowndes County F1 5 mi x 400 yd 0 0 $25K
2002-11-10 Artesia, Lowndes County F3 22 mi x 440 yd 0 55 $98M
2001-10-13 Columbus, Lowndes County F1 0.2 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $133K
2000-02-18 Golden Triangle Regional, Lowndes County F0 1 mi x 40 yd 0 0 –
1998-06-05 New Hope, Lowndes County F1 1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $453K
1997-05-02 Caledonia, Lowndes County F0 5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $9K
1995-04-20 Crawford To, Lowndes County F2 32 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $194K
1992-10-10 Lowndes County F2 2 mi x 440 yd 0 16 $2.5M step
1989-03-29 Lowndes County F1 3 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $250K step
1987-02-15 Lowndes County F1 10 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $250K step
1980-04-25 Lowndes County F2 17.8 mi x 500 yd 0 0 $250K step
1979-04-12 Lowndes County F2 7.7 mi x 800 yd 0 0 $250K step
1977-04-02 Lowndes County F2 2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1976-03-20 Lowndes County F2 0.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1975-03-23 Lowndes County F2 4.5 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $250K step
1975-03-23 Lowndes County F1 0.3 mi x 77 yd 0 0 $3K step
1971-10-04 Lowndes County F1 2 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $3K step
1968-12-27 Lowndes County F2 0 5 –
1962-03-31 Lowndes County F3 3 mi x 880 yd 0 1 $250K step
1957-11-17 Lowndes County F2 1.9 mi x 70 yd 0 0 $250K step
1954-01-20 Lowndes County F2 5.4 mi x 27 yd 0 0 $25K step
1954-01-20 Lowndes County F1 5.6 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $3K step
1951-09-09 Lowndes County F2 0.1 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
1951-02-20 Lowndes County F1 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 Lowndes County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 28, 2026 lightning ($40,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Lowndes County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-01 Thunderstorm WindSteens Hopper Airport, Lowndes County 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-01 Thunderstorm WindCaledonia, Lowndes County 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-01 DroughtLowndes County · forecast zone Lowndes 0 0 –
2026-04-29 Thunderstorm WindNew Hope, Lowndes County 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-04-28 LightningForreston, Lowndes County 0 0 $40K
2026-04-01 Thunderstorm WindWells, Lowndes County 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-04-01 Thunderstorm WindColumbus, Lowndes County 55 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-09 Thunderstorm WindNew Hope, Lowndes County 60 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-09 Thunderstorm WindColumbus, Lowndes County 60 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-09 Thunderstorm WindInterstate City, Lowndes County 52 kt wind 0 0 $60K
2026-03-09 HailNew Hope, Lowndes County 1.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-03-09 HailNew Hope, Lowndes County 1.50 in hail 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 Lowndes County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2019-02-23 TornadoColumbus, Lowndes County The tornado developed along the southwest edge of Columbus, MS near 1st Street, noted by broken small hardwood tree limbs and uprooted hardwood trees, which fell a top of a Voting Precinct single-story home. Minor roof damage to a nearby two story home also occurred. As the tornado tracked northeast across the eastern ... EF3 9.74 mi x 440 yd 2 11 $2.3M
2000-07-15 Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Lowndes County A large tree limb fell on a car in Columbus and one woman in the car was killed. A man in the car was injured. The marina at the Columbus Lock and Dam on Columbus Lake collapsed and was almost totally destroyed. Several boats in the marina were damaged or destroyed. A 20 foot porch on a mobile home in Columbus was ... 1 1 $2.1M
2023-07-21 Excessive HeatLowndes County · forecast zone Lowndes A 72-year old man died from excessive heat in his un-air conditioned mobile home on the afternoon of July 21st. It was reported that the temperature in the home was over 104 degrees during the investigation time frame. The maximum temperature measured by the ASOS site KGTR at Golden Triangle Airport was 94 degrees on ... 1 0 –
2011-01-14 Cold/Wind ChillLowndes County · forecast zone Lowndes An elderly man in the city of Columbus died of hypothermia during the early morning hours of January 14th. The low temperature on the city of Columbus was 19 degrees, far below normal for early January. 1 0 –
2006-07-15 LightningColumbus, Lowndes County Lightning struck a man while going outside to lower the windows on some vehicles. Lightning struck a pecan tree and then traveled to a clothes line where the man was walking underneath. The man was in a coma for a week and a half before he passed away due to injuries from the lightning strike. 1 0 –
2002-11-10 TornadoCrawford, Lowndes County This tornado originally developed in Winston County, almost 8 miles northeast of Louisville around 7:20 PM. After moving through parts of Noxubee and Oktibbeha Counties, the tornado moved into Southwest Lowndes County around 7:45 PM. As it moved through the town of Crawford, a man was killed while trying to warn his ... F1 27 mi x 400 yd 1 0 $164K
2000-07-20 Thunderstorm WindColumbus, Lowndes County A man was killed when a large tree was blown onto and through his house. Many other trees were blown down and caused damage to several homes and vehicles. 1 0 $86K
2002-11-10 TornadoArtesia, Lowndes County A tornado formed in Lowndes County, about 3 miles southeast of Artesia. It moved 22 miles across the county, resulting in numerous injuries. Most of the damage and injuries was seen in Columbus around 7:20 PM. Here, extensive damage was received by several buildings on the campuses of the Mississippi University for ... F3 22 mi x 440 yd 0 55 $98M
The costliest records in Lowndes County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2005-08-29 Hurricane (Typhoon)Lowndes County · forecast zone Lowndes 0 0 $166M
2002-11-10 TornadoArtesia, Lowndes County F3 22 mi x 440 yd 0 55 $98M
2006-03-09 Thunderstorm WindColumbus, Lowndes County 80 kt wind 0 3 $22M
2001-02-16 Thunderstorm WindMayhew, Lowndes County 0 0 $18M
2008-01-10 TornadoKolola Spgs, Lowndes County EF3 8.69 mi x 400 yd 0 11 $9.6M
2006-05-09 Flash FloodColumbus, Lowndes County 0 0 $4.4M
2007-06-01 DroughtLowndes County · forecast zone Lowndes 0 0 $2.8M
2019-02-23 TornadoColumbus, Lowndes County EF3 9.74 mi x 440 yd 2 11 $2.3M

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 $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: October 10, 1992 (tornado, Lowndes 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 Lowndes 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).

Lowndes County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind25279371039973
Hail017425553826
Floods––––1172814
Tornadoes526347158
Winter storms––––24117
High wind and dust storms––––06106

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 Lowndes County. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 44 · Feb 49 · Mar 99 · Apr 115 · May 78 · Jun 87 · Jul 65 · Aug 59 · Sep 27 · Oct 25 · Nov 37 · Dec 26 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Lowndes County

FEMA's register lists 23 declarations that include Lowndes County: 19 major disasters, 4 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (10) and hurricane (6).

Declarations including Lowndes County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2026-02-06DR-4899Winter StormSevere Winter Storm
2026-01-24EM-3640Winter StormSevere Winter Storm
2021-10-22DR-4626HurricaneHurricane Ida
2021-08-28EM-3569HurricaneHurricane Ida
2020-04-05DR-4528BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3474BiologicalCovid-19
2019-04-23DR-4429Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2014-04-30DR-4175Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2008-08-30EM-3291HurricaneHurricane Gustav
2005-08-29DR-1604HurricaneHurricane Katrina
2005-07-10DR-1594HurricaneHurricane Dennis
2004-09-15DR-1550HurricaneHurricane Ivan
2003-05-23DR-1470Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes and High Winds
2002-11-14DR-1443Severe StormSevere Storms and Tornadoes
2001-02-23DR-1360Severe StormSevere Storms and Tornadoes
1999-01-25DR-1265Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storms, Ice and Freezing Rain
1992-10-17DR-967TornadoWind Storms, Tornadoes & Hail
1991-05-17DR-906Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1991-03-05DR-895FloodSevere Storms & Flooding
1991-01-03DR-888Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1983-06-01DR-683Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
1979-04-16DR-577Severe StormStorms, Tornadoes, Floods
1973-03-27DR-368Severe StormHeavy Rains, Tornadoes & Flooding

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 Lowndes County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 60 flood or flash flood records for Lowndes County from 1998 to 2025, on 51 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Lowndes County ranks 291st of 2,942 U.S. counties.

Named storms on Lowndes County's flood and tropical record
StormBeganRecordsDeaths in the county
Hurricane Katrina2005-08-2910
Hurricane Dennis2005-07-1010

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $7.2 million on 1,186 claims filed in Lowndes County; the most in one year was 253 in 1983. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1978: 15 · 1979: 154 · 1980: 55 · 1982: 68 · 1983: 253 · 1984: 7 · 1985: 1 · 1989: 2 · 1990: 155 · 1991: 207 · 1992: 4 · 1993: 2 · 1994: 11 · 1995: 23 · 1996: 6 · 1997: 1 · 1998: 25 · 1999: 4 · 2000: 5 · 2001: 5 · 2002: 2 · 2003: 17 · 2004: 21 · 2005: 15 · 2006: 3 · 2009: 39 · 2010: 1 · 2011: 5 · 2013: 6 · 2014: 3 · 2015: 4 · 2016: 3 · 2018: 2 · 2019: 23 · 2020: 22 · 2021: 6 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2025: 8; 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 Lowndes County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lowndes County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $33.6 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 Lowndes County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
TornadoRelatively High$5.9Monce in about 2 years (modeled)
Cold WaveRelatively High$5.2M1.1 a year (modeled)
Strong WindRelatively High$1.3M2 a year (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Moderate$1.9M12 modeled event-days a year
LightningRelatively Moderate$533K66 a year (modeled)
Riverine FloodingRelatively Moderate$14M1.7 a year (modeled)
Ice StormRelatively Moderate$244Kabout once a year (modeled)
HailRelatively Moderate$527K3.5 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 Lowndes County

  1. Lowndes County 711
  2. Monroe County 682
  3. Lamar County, AL 598
  4. Oktibbeha County 497
  5. Pickens County, AL 403
  6. Noxubee County 391
  7. Clay County 323

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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