Oktibbeha County, Mississippi

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 28105 · population 51,639 · 458 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 497 records for Oktibbeha County, Mississippi from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 341 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (227 records). The deadliest single record is the February 20, 1951 tornado: 1 death and 1 injury. FEMA has issued 19 declarations naming the county since 1979, 17 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
497on 341 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
145 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$360Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
33strongest F4
FEMA declarations
19latest 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 Oktibbeha County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 227 since 1963. 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.

Oktibbeha County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 227 175 1963-2026 0 16 $21M 21 of 82
Hail 79 67 1971-2026 0 0 $2.6M 30 of 82
Floods 52 39 1997-2025 0 0 $3.0M 18 of 82
Winter storms 40 29 1996-2026 0 0 $6.1M 14 of 82
Tornadoes 33 26 1951-2024 1 28 $12M 38 of 82
Drought 24 17 2006-2026 0 0 $9.6M 28 of 82
High wind and dust storms 15 13 2009-2024 0 1 $724K 11 of 82
Heat 10 5 2005-2010 0 0 – 42 of 82
Hurricanes and tropical storms 7 5 2004-2021 0 0 $303M 32 of 82
Lightning 5 4 2005-2021 0 0 $312K 29 of 82
Extreme cold 3 2 2010-2026 0 0 $744K 43 of 82
Heavy rain 2 2 2011-2014 0 0 $4K 9 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 Oktibbeha County had?

NOAA records 33 tornadoes in Oktibbeha County from 1951 to 2024, the strongest rated F4, with 1 death and 28 injuries recorded in the county. That is 38th of 82 Mississippi 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 32 tornadoes whose track touched Oktibbeha County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 33: 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, 1 of them in Oktibbeha County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Oktibbeha County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1963-03-11 17:25, as SPC files itFrench CampF445.2 mi2
1951-02-20 15:00, as SPC files itStarkvilleF30.1 mi1
2002-11-10 19:20, as SPC files itCrawfordCrossed AL, MSF151 mi1

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Mississippi.

Every tornado record filed for Oktibbeha County (33)
Every tornado recorded in Oktibbeha County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2024-12-28 Patrick, Oktibbeha County EF1 2.11 mi x 300 yd 0 0 $75K
2022-04-13 Sessums, Oktibbeha County EF1 3.01 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $10K
2022-04-13 Sessums, Oktibbeha County EF1 2.09 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $1K
2022-04-13 Sessums, Oktibbeha County EF0 2.01 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $1K
2019-12-29 Adaton, Oktibbeha County EF0 2.61 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $6K
2019-04-13 State College, Oktibbeha County EF1 4.46 mi x 400 yd 0 0 $40K
2019-04-13 Bugh, Oktibbeha County EF2 6.75 mi x 830 yd 0 0 $115K
2018-11-06 Starkvl Oktibbeha Ar, Oktibbeha County EF0 1.09 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $41K
2018-04-14 Sessums, Oktibbeha County EF0 2.17 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $18K
2016-11-29 Sessums, Oktibbeha County EF1 3.59 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $55K
2014-04-28 Sessums, Oktibbeha County EF1 2.04 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $44K
2011-01-01 Starkville Bryan Arp, Oktibbeha County EF1 1.29 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $3.9M
2010-11-29 Starkville Bryan Arp, Oktibbeha County EF2 1.68 mi x 200 yd 0 15 $1.2M
2010-04-24 Starkville, Oktibbeha County EF2 6.98 mi x 800 yd 0 0 $880K
2010-04-24 Sturgis, Oktibbeha County EF1 2.87 mi x 800 yd 0 0 $47K
2009-07-28 Patrick, Oktibbeha County EF0 0.26 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2007-10-18 Starkvl Oktibbeha Ar, Oktibbeha County EF0 0.36 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2007-10-18 State College, Oktibbeha County EF0 0.32 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $43K
2005-09-25 Starkville, Oktibbeha County F1 3.5 mi x 75 yd 0 7 $3.0M
2005-09-25 Maben, Oktibbeha County F0 1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $30K
2004-12-07 Sturgis, Oktibbeha County F0 1.2 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $31K
2004-12-07 Sturgis, Oktibbeha County F0 0.2 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $8K
2002-11-10 Starkville, Oktibbeha County F1 1.5 mi x 400 yd 0 0 $16K
2001-11-24 Starkville, Oktibbeha County F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1989-07-02 Oktibbeha County F1 1 mi x 73 yd 0 0 $25K step
1988-05-22 Oktibbeha County F1 1.5 mi x 73 yd 0 0 $250K step
1982-12-24 Oktibbeha County F1 0.7 mi x 67 yd 0 0 $250K step
1974-01-28 Oktibbeha County F2 3 mi x 33 yd 0 3 $25K step
1967-12-17 Oktibbeha County F0 0.3 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1963-03-11 Oktibbeha County F4 5.1 mi x 440 yd 0 0 –
1961-03-07 Oktibbeha County F2 0 0 $25K step
1954-01-20 Oktibbeha County F2 11.9 mi x 27 yd 0 2 $25K step
1951-02-20 Oktibbeha County F3 1 1 $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 Oktibbeha County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the September 2, 2025 thunderstorm wind.

The 12 most recent records kept for Oktibbeha County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-01 DroughtOktibbeha County · forecast zone Oktibbeha 0 0 –
2026-05-01 DroughtOktibbeha County · forecast zone Oktibbeha 0 0 –
2026-04-28 HailState College, Oktibbeha County 0.88 in hail 0 0 –
2026-03-15 Thunderstorm WindStarkville, Oktibbeha County 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 Thunderstorm WindStarkville, Oktibbeha County 54 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-01-26 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillOktibbeha County · forecast zone Oktibbeha 0 0 –
2026-01-24 Ice StormOktibbeha County · forecast zone Oktibbeha 0 0 –
2025-10-18 Thunderstorm WindStarkville Bryan Arp, Oktibbeha County 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2025-09-02 Thunderstorm WindStarkville Bryan Arp, Oktibbeha County 45 kt wind 0 0 $200
2025-08-13 Thunderstorm WindAdaton, Oktibbeha County 55 kt wind 0 0 –
2025-06-08 Flash FloodStarkville, Oktibbeha County 0 0 $50K
2025-05-11 Thunderstorm WindStarkville, Oktibbeha County 40 kt wind 0 0 $5K

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 Oktibbeha County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1951-02-20 TornadoOktibbeha County F3 1 1 $3K step
2010-11-29 TornadoStarkville Bryan Arp, Oktibbeha County Initial damage was roof and siding damage to a church along Lynn Lane. The tornado then moved northeast through an area of apartment buildings, causing minor to moderate roof damage to a number of buildings, as well as downing several trees. The tornado then moved into the Pines Trailer Park, where it destroyed a ... EF2 1.68 mi x 200 yd 0 15 $1.2M
1990-04-10 Thunderstorm WindOktibbeha County 0 15 –
2005-09-25 TornadoStarkville, Oktibbeha County This tornado touched down on the southeast side of Starkville, just southwest of the MSU Campus, in the Sherwood Forest subdivision and tracked northeast for 3.5 miles through the MSU Campus then dissipated at Highway 82.The Sherwood Forest subdivision had several trees uprooted and about 5 homes with shingle damage. ... F1 3.5 mi x 75 yd 0 7 $3.0M
1974-01-28 TornadoOktibbeha County F2 3 mi x 33 yd 0 3 $25K step
1954-01-20 TornadoOktibbeha County F2 11.9 mi x 27 yd 0 2 $25K step
2023-03-03 High WindOktibbeha County · forecast zone Oktibbeha Several trees and power poles were blown down in Starkville over a 15 minute period due to strong gradient winds before a line of showers came through, and with the line of showers. A tree fell onto a house and injured one occupant. Two vehicles were damaged by fallen trees. A large rotted tree next to Davis Wade ... 52 kt wind 0 1 $19K
2023-03-03 Thunderstorm WindStarkville, Oktibbeha County In addition to wind damage from preceding high gradient winds, several trees in the Starkville area were also blown down as a line of strong rain showers moved through the city. A tree fell onto a house and injured one occupant. A large rotted tree next to Davis Wade stadium snapped and damaged a few cars. 50 kt wind 0 1 $48K

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 Oktibbeha County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2005-08-29 Hurricane (Typhoon)Oktibbeha County · forecast zone Oktibbeha 0 0 $174M
2005-08-29 Hurricane (Typhoon)Choctaw County and Oktibbeha County · forecast zone Choctaw 0 0 $128M
2001-02-16 Thunderstorm WindSturgis, Oktibbeha County 0 0 $17M
2011-01-01 TornadoStarkville Bryan Arp, Oktibbeha County EF1 1.29 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $3.9M
2005-09-25 TornadoStarkville, Oktibbeha County F1 3.5 mi x 75 yd 0 7 $3.0M
2025-05-08 HailStarkville, Oktibbeha County 2.25 in hail 0 0 $1.8M
2007-06-01 DroughtOktibbeha County · forecast zone Oktibbeha 0 0 $1.7M
1998-12-23 Ice StormOktibbeha County · forecast zone Oktibbeha 0 0 $1.4M

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: December 24, 1982 (tornado, Oktibbeha County); May 22, 1988 (tornado, Oktibbeha 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 Oktibbeha 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).

Oktibbeha County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind0610926477950
Hail00321528265
Floods––––272419
Winter storms––––481810
Tornadoes231309114
Drought––––01374

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 Oktibbeha County. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 42 · Feb 40 · Mar 54 · Apr 83 · May 49 · Jun 55 · Jul 59 · Aug 39 · Sep 11 · Oct 20 · Nov 18 · Dec 27 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Oktibbeha County

FEMA's register lists 19 declarations that include Oktibbeha County: 15 major disasters, 4 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (8) and hurricane (6).

Declarations including Oktibbeha 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
2020-03-12DR-4478Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2019-12-06DR-4470Severe StormSevere Storm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2019-06-20DR-4450Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2010-04-29DR-1906Severe 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
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
1991-05-17DR-906Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1979-04-16DR-577Severe StormStorms, Tornadoes, Floods

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 Oktibbeha County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 52 flood or flash flood records for Oktibbeha County from 1997 to 2025, on 39 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Oktibbeha County ranks 1723rd of 2,942 U.S. counties.

Named storms on Oktibbeha County's flood and tropical record
StormBeganRecordsDeaths in the county
Hurricane Katrina2005-08-2920
Hurricane Dennis2005-07-1010

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $678,000 on 44 claims filed in Oktibbeha County; the most in one year was 8 in 1979. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1979: 8 · 1980: 1 · 1982: 4 · 1983: 3 · 1984: 1 · 1990: 1 · 1991: 2 · 1998: 1 · 2001: 1 · 2003: 1 · 2004: 2 · 2005: 2 · 2009: 1 · 2011: 1 · 2013: 2 · 2015: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2019: 3 · 2020: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2025: 3; 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 Oktibbeha County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Oktibbeha County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $19.2 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.

National Risk Index ratings for Oktibbeha County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
TornadoRelatively Moderate$4.0Monce in about 2 years (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Moderate$1.3M12 modeled event-days a year
Cold WaveRelatively Moderate$2.8M1.2 a year (modeled)
HailRelatively Moderate$634K3.5 a year (modeled)
LightningRelatively Moderate$473K68 a year (modeled)
Ice StormRelatively Moderate$193Kabout once a year (modeled)
Winter WeatherRelatively Moderate$88K2.9 a year (modeled)
Strong WindRelatively Moderate$653K2.2 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 Oktibbeha County

  1. Lowndes County 711
  2. Oktibbeha County 497
  3. Winston County 448
  4. Noxubee County 391
  5. Webster County 352
  6. Clay County 323
  7. Choctaw County 289

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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