DeSoto County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within DeSoto County: 1.
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.

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

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.

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 county boundary (or inside the county).
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. Feb 5, 2008Tornado$28.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado touched down at Southaven High School and tracked northeast crossing into Shelby County, Tennessee, northeast of the intersection of Stateline Road and Airways Boulevard. Roughly 30 windows were blown out of the High School. The school also sustained minor roof damage. Damage at the high school was classified EF-0. Many homes in the Carriage Hills subdivision sustained minor damages as well. Further northeast, more significant damage occurred near the intersection of Stateline Road and Airways Boulevard in the warehouse area. Three warehouses were destroyed including the Cooper Lighting Plant. A gas station was damaged as well. Damage was classified as EF-2 in this area.…

2. Jul 30, 2009Tornado$6.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado touched down on Highway 305, four tenths of a mile south of College Road, southeast of Olive Branch. The tornado moved northeast on a non-continuous track. Several subdivisions had numerous trees and power lines knocked down. Some of which fell onto houses damaging them. The hardest hit area was in the Bethel Park Subdivison. Seven homes were destroyed, 15 homes sustained major damage while at least 113 other homes received minor damage including damage such as minor roof or shingle damage. In addition, one business sustained major damage and another business sustained minor damage. The tornado lifted just east of the intersection of Center Hill Road and Knightsbridge Road.

3. Jul 15, 2005Flash Flood$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   More than 200 homes were flooded in the Southaven area with water reaching up to 4 feet in some of the houses. Numerous roads were flooded and several people had to rescued from their cars.

4. Jun 12, 2009Tornado$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado touched down at the truck weighing scales on Highway 78 about 1 mile southeast of Goodman Road in Olive Branch. The tornado had a non continuous track to the east-northeast for 2.9 miles and ended a few hundred yards east of Hacks Cross Road about one half mile south of Goodman Road. The maximum estimated winds were 125 mph. There was widespread damage along the tornado track in Olive Branch. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down. Four homes were destroyed while numerous other homes suffered some degree of damage. Streets that suffered the heaviest damage included Roberta Street, College Street, Blocker Street, Chickasaw Drive, Cherokee Drive, Sequoia Lane,…

5. Jun 13, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Winds were estimated at 95 mph at the Olive Branch AWOS. Major damage occurred to airport hangars. Doors were blown out of two hangars while another one had the side panel blown out. One employee was injured when the wind slammed a hangar door into his hand. Two planes were overturned and damaged. In total, eight planes sustained damage. Minor damage occurred to buildings surrounding the airport.

6. Jan 11, 2020Tornado$2.6 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado developed just south of Interstate 269 northeast of Hernando. The tornado initially damaged trees and signs as it crossed I-269. The tornado strengthened as it crossed Craft Road. The tornado heavily damaged a stable and a large metal storage building and then crossed into residential areas east of Craft Road. Numerous homes were damaged, with some sustaining significant damage. The tornado continued northeast, causing minor roof damage, and dissipated near the intersection of Bethel Road and Interstate 22. Strong straight-line winds caused additional damage just south of the tornado track. Peak winds were estimated at 120 mph. A total of 210 homes were damaged by…

7. Jun 5, 1998Thunderstorm Wind$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A 75 mph wind gust was reported along U.S. highway 51 near Horn Lake. The winds caused damage to several houses, apartments and buildings across the county. A radio tower was pulled from its concrete footing in Horn Lake. Twenty-one planes were damaged at the Olive Branch airport. Numerous trees were blown down as well.

8. Mar 31, 2023Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado moved from Tunica County into DeSoto County. Near Cub Lake and Koko Reef Lake communities, there was widespread tree damage, where numerous homes were damaged or destroyed by falling trees. Tree damage in the area was extensive. Near West Oak Grove and Highway 301 South, there was significant tree damage, with a concentrated section of snapped trees. A small area of EF2 damage was found north of West Commerce Street between Baldwin and Fogg Roads. Shingles were removed from several houses and mobile homes. The tornado path continued northeast before dissipating in a wooded area southwest of Nesbit. A total of 47 homes suffered damage in DeSoto County with about 10…

9. Sep 11, 2014Flash Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Showers and thunderstorms trained over DeSoto County for several hours. Widespread 3-6 inches fell across the county with a small corridor, near Horn Lake and Olive Branch, that received as much as 8-10 inches of rain. Major flooding occurred near Hernando. Four homes near Cedarview had sewage back into the houses. An apartment complex near Southaven was flooded. Numerous roads and streets were closed due to high water. Some roads sustained damage from culverts washing out or gaping holes developing in the asphalt. Small rivers and streams overflowed their banks producing additional flooding. In total, 55 homes sustained minor damage from flooding with 4 sustaining major damage.…

10. Nov 24, 2001Tornado$1.9 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    The tornado began just southwest of Lewisburg in eastern De Soto county and moved northeast. Nineteen homes were destroyed and 119 homes were damaged. Numerous trees were also knocked down.

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°FJul 13, 1980

All-time low

−13°FDec 24, 1963

Warmest night

84°F4 times, most recently Aug 3, 2010

Coldest day

6°FJan 10, 1962

Wettest day

5.88 inNov 28, 2001

Snowiest day

14.3 inDec 22, 1963

Hottest year

2012mean 65.9°F

Coldest year

1958mean 59.8°F

Wettest year

195776.85 in

Driest year

200734.81 in

Snowiest season

23.8 in1967-68

Station Memphis International Airport (USW00013893), 251 ft elevation, 9.2 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 100.0% 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USW00013893.
• 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.