Columbus

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Flood insurance figures are for Lowndes County, the county that contains Columbus.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges in Lowndes County, the county that contains Columbus.

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

The drought index is for Lowndes County, the county that contains Columbus.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Aug 29, 2005Hurricane (Typhoon), Lowndes$100 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Katrina will likely go down as the worst and costliest natural disaster in United States history. The amount of destruction, the cost of damaged property/agriculture and the large loss of life across the affected region has been overwhelming. Catastrophic damage was widespread across a large portion of the Gulf Coast region. The devastation was not only confined to the coastal region, widespread and significant damage occurred well inland up to the Hattiesburg area and northward past Interstate 20. This hurricane has changed life as we know it across the Gulf Coast region which will take many years to return to normal.Hurricane Katrina was a very large and powerful storm…

2. Nov 10, 2002Tornado$60.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   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 Women and the Mississippi School for Math and Science. Major damage was received by approximately 60 homes in the southern part of Columbus as the tornado moved through. The tornado then moved into Lamar County, Alabama 2.5 miles southeast of Steens, Mississippi.

3. Mar 9, 2006Thunderstorm Wind$15.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An intense squall line moved across Lowndes County and caused extensive damage across the northern half of the county. The most extensive damage occurred across two swaths. The first swath was from Columbus AFB to the Caledonia Community. The second was from just west and southwest of Columbus eastward to the Alabama state line.The first swath of damage downed numerous trees and power lines. Many homes sustained roof and shingle damage with a few homes sustaining minor structural damage. One home, which was under construction, was completely leveled. Most of this this damage occurred in and around the Caledonia Community.The second swath of damage started just southwest of…

4. Feb 16, 2001Thunderstorm Wind$11.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A major derechho storm moved eastward across much of the northern half of Lowndes County. The storm caused extensive damage across the county including: $500,000 in damage to the East Mississippi Community College in Mayhew, $1 million to Columbus public schools, and over $1 million in damage to the Mississippi University for Women in Columbus. Damage reports indicated 17 houses and 21 mobile homes were destroyed, 512 houses and 16 mobile homes sustained major damage, and 1732 houses and 110 mobile homes received minor damage. There were two apartment units that were destroyed, six units had major damage, and 63 apartment units sustained minor damage. The Columbus-Lownes…

5. Jan 10, 2008Tornado$7.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado started by damaging a home and shed along with some tree and power pole damage. Next, a shed was damaged and a combine harvester that was in the shed was thrown into some trees. After moving through a wooded area, the tornado moved into a neighborhood with new, well-built homes. Around 8 homes were damaged in this neighborhood, with around 5 of them being severely damaged. Roofs were ripped off, walls were collapsed, and a few were even moved off their foundations. The tornado moved through another wooded area and emerged into the Caledonia school complex. It was here that the tornado reached its maximum intensity. The press box and concession stand of the football…

6. May 9, 2006Flash Flood$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Between 5:00 and 6:30 PM, nearly 3 to 5 inches of rain fell over the Columbus area. This intense amount of rain resulted in widespread flash flooding across the Columbus area. Many roads and area streets were under water. This high water resulted in a few dozen homes and several businesses flooded with several feet of water entering homes and buildings.

7. Feb 23, 2019Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   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 side of downtown Columbus, MS, it became evident that the storm had grown in strength a bit as streets became littered with uprooted and snapped hardwood and softwood trees, many of which had fallen on homes, causing significant roof damage. As the tornado moved along 9th street and College Street, damage was noted on top of a cell tower, where portions of the metal…

8. Jun 16, 2023Hail$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Very large hail the size of ping pong balls to softballs fell in a swath through the Kolola Springs and Woodlawn areas. Pictures showed that the largest hailstones were slightly larger than the size of grapefruits.

9. Jul 15, 2000Thunderstorm Wind$1.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   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 blown away. Numerous trees were blown down.

10. Mar 9, 2006Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    An intense squall line moved across Lowndes County and caused extensive damage across the northern half of the county. The most extensive damage occurred across two swaths. The first swath was from Columbus AFB to the Caledonia Community. The second was from just west and southwest of Columbus eastward to the Alabama state line.The first swath of damage downed numerous trees and power lines. Many homes sustained roof and shingle damage with a few homes sustaining minor structural damage. One home, which was under construction, was completely leveled. Most of this this damage occurred in and around the Caledonia Community.The second swath of damage started just southwest of…

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

108°FAug 29, 2000

All-time low

−4°FDec 23, 1989

Warmest night

82°F3 times, most recently Jul 31, 2021

Coldest day

13°FDec 22, 1989

Wettest day

7.92 inDec 23, 1990

Snowiest day

4.0 in2 times, most recently Feb 25, 2015

Hottest year

1998mean 67.3°F

Coldest year

1983mean 61.2°F

Wettest year

198383.64 in

Driest year

200732.39 in

Snowiest season

4.0 in1999-00

Station Columbus (USC00221880), 145 ft elevation, 3.1 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1981 to October 27, 2026; 93.0% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Declarations for Lowndes County.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00221880.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.