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.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank 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.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-03-11 17:25, as SPC files it | French Camp | F4 | 45.2 mi | 2 |
| 1951-02-20 15:00, as SPC files it | Starkville | F3 | 0.1 mi | 1 |
| 2002-11-10 19:20, as SPC files it | CrawfordCrossed AL, MS | F1 | 51 mi | 1 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Mississippi.
Every tornado record filed for Oktibbeha County (33)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 26 | 47 | 79 | 50 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 28 | 26 | 5 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 2 | 7 | 24 | 19 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 4 | 8 | 18 | 10 |
| Tornadoes | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 11 | 4 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 0 | 13 | 7 | 4 |
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).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-06 | DR-4899 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2026-01-24 | EM-3640 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2021-10-22 | DR-4626 | Hurricane | Hurricane Ida |
| 2021-08-28 | EM-3569 | Hurricane | Hurricane Ida |
| 2020-04-05 | DR-4528 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3474 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2020-03-12 | DR-4478 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2019-12-06 | DR-4470 | Severe Storm | Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2019-06-20 | DR-4450 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2010-04-29 | DR-1906 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2008-08-30 | EM-3291 | Hurricane | Hurricane Gustav |
| 2005-08-29 | DR-1604 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina |
| 2005-07-10 | DR-1594 | Hurricane | Hurricane Dennis |
| 2004-09-15 | DR-1550 | Hurricane | Hurricane Ivan |
| 2002-11-14 | DR-1443 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Tornadoes |
| 2001-02-23 | DR-1360 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Tornadoes |
| 1999-01-25 | DR-1265 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Ice and Freezing Rain |
| 1991-05-17 | DR-906 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding |
| 1979-04-16 | DR-577 | Severe Storm | Storms, 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.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Katrina | 2005-08-29 | 2 | 0 |
| Hurricane Dennis | 2005-07-10 | 1 | 0 |
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.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $4.0M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | $1.3M | 12 modeled event-days a year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $2.8M | 1.2 a year (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | $634K | 3.5 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $473K | 68 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | $193K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $88K | 2.9 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $653K | 2.2 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
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 Oktibbeha CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Oktibbeha County's FEMA declarations (CSV)19 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis