Mississippi heat

Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 82 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 2,741 heat records in Mississippi from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 142 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the August 1, 2010 excessive heat: 3 deaths and 1 injury across 4 records. Mississippi ranks 5th of 51 states and territories by count and 6th of 50 per square mile.

Heat in Mississippi, 1996 to 2026

Heat records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

recorded, no damage figure
under $1 million
$1 million or more
$10 million or more
$100 million or more, or 10 deaths
$1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
a year with a death

Records: 2,7411996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000: 142average
Deaths: 408 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $112Kas filed
Busiest year: 2023609 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are heat records common in Mississippi?

Mississippi averages about 142 heat records a year since 2000, 5th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2023 (609). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Mississippi records 584 heat records since 1996, 6th of 50 states and territories by that measure.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Mississippi have the most heat records?

Per square mile, Quitman County leads Mississippi: 135 days with a heat record since 1996, 333.3 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Coahoma County has the most heat records (141 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

Quitman County 333.3 (136)
Tunica County 292.9 (135)
Tate County 286.6 (118)
DeSoto County 258.2 (139)
Coahoma County 249.5 (141)
Yalobusha County 226.9 (107)
Alcorn County 217.5 (102)
Lee County 206.7 (95)
Tallahatchie County 206.0 (134)
Tishomingo County 200.3 (86)
Prentiss County 200.0 (84)
Union County 197.3 (83)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the heat season in Mississippi?

81% of its heat records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (1,130 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 0 · Apr 0 · May 1 · Jun 504 · Jul 1,130 · Aug 1,099 · Sep 7 · Oct 0 · Nov 0 · Dec 0 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest heat records in Mississippi?

Mississippi: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
2010-08-01	Excessive HeatPanola County · forecast zone Panola One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. An upper level ridge of high pressure further intensified over the Mid-South continuing from the end of July into the beginning of August. The upper ridge of high pressure produced above normal temperatures over the area. The combination of high humidity and above normal temperatures produced brutal heat indices of ...	3	1	–
2010-08-01	Excessive HeatJefferson County · forecast zone Jefferson One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A four day stretch of extreme temperatures occurred across the region to start off the month of August. High pressure was firmly entrenched across the southeast and allowed temperatures to soar into the triple digits across much of the region. Across the NWS Jackson, MS forecast area, 19 record highs were set between ...	3	0	–
2010-07-30	Excessive HeatHarrison County · forecast zone Harrison The Harrison County Coroner stated that two deaths in a mobile home on Smith Road near Canal Road were caused by heat stroke. High temperatures at Gulfport Airport, approximately 3 miles away, were between 98 and 102 degrees from July 29 through August 2. Bodies were discovered on August 4, but deaths occurred several ...	2	0	–
2000-07-13	HeatCopiah County · forecast zone Copiah One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A man suffered from heat stroke while working on a construction project.	2	0	–
2023-08-11	Excessive HeatForrest County · forecast zone Forrest On August 11th, a soldier training at Camp Shelby died from heat exposure after a 2 mile run. Another soldier was injured from the heat on August 12th. The ASOS site KHBG at Hattiesburg - Bobby Chain Airport measured a maximum temperature of 104 degrees on the 11th and 105 degrees on the 12th. Peak heat index values ...	1	2	–
2007-08-05	HeatCovington County · forecast zone Covington During the first half of August, a heat wave took hold of the region and brought some of the warmest temperatures since the summer of 2000. This heat wave began around August 5th and lasted until the 16th. Between August 10th and 15th, the entire area reached 100 degrees or higher. Twenty three record highs were also ...	1	0	–
2012-07-01	HeatTishomingo County · forecast zone Tishomingo Heat indices rose between 105 and 110 degrees.	1	0	–
2011-05-29	HeatCoahoma County · forecast zone Coahoma A three month old baby was left by accident in a vehicle during a hot May morning. The baby died as a result.	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	–
2010-07-29	HeatMonroe County · forecast zone Monroe Heat index readings ranged between 105-109 degrees during the afternoon and evening hours. One heat related death occurred as a result.	1	0	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

Are heat records becoming more frequent in Mississippi?

Mississippi's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Heat: Mississippi and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
Decade	Mississippi	United States	Mississippi's share
1996-99	0	4,355	0
2000s	235	9,163	2.6%
2010s	675	16,445	4.1%
2020-26	1,831	26,796	6.8%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent heat records in Mississippi

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
Date	Record	Damage
2026-06-30	HeatYalobusha County · forecast zone Yalobusha	–
2026-06-30	HeatUnion County · forecast zone Union	–
2026-06-30	HeatTunica County · forecast zone Tunica	–
2026-06-30	HeatTishomingo County · forecast zone Tishomingo	–
2026-06-30	HeatTippah County · forecast zone Tippah	–
2026-06-30	HeatTate County · forecast zone Tate	–
2026-06-30	HeatTallahatchie County · forecast zone Tallahatchie	–
2026-06-30	HeatQuitman County · forecast zone Quitman	–
2026-06-30	HeatPrentiss County · forecast zone Prentiss	–
2026-06-30	HeatPontotoc County · forecast zone Pontotoc	–
2026-06-30	HeatPanola County · forecast zone Panola	–
2026-06-30	HeatMonroe County · forecast zone Monroe	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.