Lafayette County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Lafayette 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$35.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado touched down in the Lafayette County Industrial Park on County Road 166 north of Oxford. The tornado destroyed the Ability Works Incorporated plant and tracked northeast hitting a county owned speculation warehouse and the Caterpillar Plant. The Elliot Lumber Company was also heavily damaged. The tornado then tracked northeast crossing County Road 101 near the County Road 104 intersection. In this area the Harvest Ministries Church, a mobile home and a veterinary clinic were all destroyed. Tree damage was noted as the tornado crossed Highway 7. The tornado continued northeast inflicting heavy damage along County Road 291 where 12 homes and mobile homes were destroyed.…

2. Jan 23, 2026Ice Storm, Lafayette$8.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Sleet and snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches over the western part of Lafayette County, followed by 1/2 to 1 inch of ice over the entire county.

3. Jan 31, 2026Cold/Wind Chill, Lafayette$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A dry, mid-level shortwave aid in the push of another cold front in late January. Another arctic airmass residing behind this boundary resulting in another bitterly cold period. Cold temperatures combined with elevated northerly winds resulted in sub zero wind chill values across north Mississippi.

4. Apr 27, 2011Tornado$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado touched down along County Road 378, east-southeast of Springdale, and moved northeast. The most concentrated area of damage was in the Pine Flat community. A number of homes and mobile homes were damaged or destroyed. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down as well. Damage occurred on County Roads 415, 369, and 469. The tornado lifted just north of Highway 278 along County Road 213. Eight injuries occurred from the tornado.

5. Sep 2, 2012Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Showers and thunderstorms trained over Oxford for a couple of hours producing very heavy rain. Major flash flooding occurred as a result. Numerous streets had at least six inches of water covering them with others flooded up to three feet. Three homes were flooded on Chandler Avenue and one home was flooded on South 18th Street. The homes had anywhere from a few inches up to a foot of water inside them. Cars and apartments were flooded along Highway 314 near the Oxford Airport.

6. May 16, 2010Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Very heavy rain produced flash flooding in Oxford. Many roads were covered with 3 to 4 feet of water throughout Oxford. Flooding damaged 21 homes, 7 apartments, 10 businesses and 25 cars.

7. Jun 9, 2021Flash Flood$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain caused flash flooding across Lafayette County. Four homes and six businesses were impacted. There was flooding at Old Sardis Road, Turnberry Circle, Hathorn Road near Jackson Road, and County Road 317. In total 14 roads were impacted by flooding.

8. Sep 2, 2012Lightning$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning struck a house in Oxford causing a fire. The house was destroyed as a result of the fire.

9. May 2, 2010Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado touched down just southwest of Abbeville and tracked northeast hitting the south side of Abbeville. The tornado lifted along County Road 215. One fatality occurred when a single family home was destroyed. A double wide mobile home was also destroyed. Three other homes sustained major damage. Numerous trees were also uprooted along the path.

10. Apr 14, 2018Tornado$200,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The tornado developed in a wooded area west of County Road 215. The tornado damaged the roofs of several homes and farm buildings, and destroyed 3 smaller outbuildings. After crossing CR 215, the tornado caused EF-1 damage to a residence and uprooted several trees in the vicinity. The tornado dissipated roughly one quarter of a mile east of CR 215.

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

110°FSep 5, 1925

All-time low

−13°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

85°FSep 6, 1899

Coldest day

4°FJan 21, 1985

Wettest day

8.29 inOct 7, 1982

Snowiest day

8.0 inJan 22, 1935

Hottest year

1921mean 66.5°F

Coldest year

1976mean 57.7°F

Wettest year

199183.76 in

Driest year

194333.62 in

Snowiest season

21.0 in1967-68

Station University (USC00229079), 430 ft elevation, 0.9 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1893 to October 27, 2026; 96.6% 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 USC00229079.
• 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.