Lawrence County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Lawrence County: 6.
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.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

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.

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. Aug 29, 2005Hurricane (Typhoon), Lawrence$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. May 5, 2023Thunderstorm Wind$1.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An intensifying wind event entered New Hebron, the winds intensified with widespread tree fall across town and at least minor damage to most buildings��� roofs. It was in the New Hebron area where the most widespread damage occurred. An older barn was shifted off its foundation, and numerous tin roofs were peeled. Power lines were down along with hundreds of trees downed, and wind gusts were estimated to be as high as 90 mph in this area. The damage diminished east of town into Jefferson Davis County.

3. Apr 12, 2020Tornado$1.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This strong tornado traveled over 84 miles through parts of six counties including southern Lawrence, central Jefferson Davis, northern Covington, far northwestern Jones, far southeastern Smith, and Jasper counties. Some of the communities impacted include Oak Vale, the area north of Carson, the north side of Collins, Hot Coffee, Summerland, Stringer, and the west side of Paulding. This tornado is preliminarily rated EF3 with an estimated peak wind of 150 MPH near MS Highway 35 northeast of Carson in Jefferson Davis County. The maximum path width was 1.16 miles also near MS Highway 35 in Jefferson Davis County. No fatalities were reported in this tornado, but there was an…

4. Jul 25, 2017Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flooding occurred on Cherry Street Extension and Ferguson Mill Road. Numerous roads in downtown New Hebron were flooded, including Highways 42 and 43 North and South. Water entered homes around Cherry Avenue and Highway 43. Highway 43 between Silver Creek and Highway 478 was closed by MDOT due to flooding. Highway 42 between New Hebron and Joe Buckley Road was closed due to flooding. The Hamburger House had 10 to 12 inches of water inside.

5. Apr 12, 2020Tornado$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down near Jefferson Rd just east of the intersection with Jack Foil Rd in Walthall County. It quickly strengthened as it moved northeastward through the Hope area where it produced damage consistent with 115 mph winds. It also quickly grew in width and was roughly 1200 yd/0.67 mi wide in Walthall County by the time it approached Hwy 27. As it crossed Hwy 27 it continued to cause significant damage along East Sartinville Rd. The tornado was strongest as it approached James Ratcliff Rd. Two homes on this road were leveled, one being reduced to a slab. Consultation with subject matter experts including both engineers and experts in forensic tornado damage analysis…

6. May 13, 2024Thunderstorm Wind$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An intense downburst caused a swath of significant wind damage beginning north of Jayess between China Grove Road and Holmesville Road. This downburst intensified quickly as it approached and crossed Holmesville Road and peaked along Conn-Rutherford and Conn Lane. Extensive tree damage was noted with thousands of uprooted or snapped trees. Sheds were destroyed, and several homes were damaged from fallen trees, sheds being blown into them, or by the wind directly. Numerous power lines and poles were down. A couple of large grain silos were damaged, and three smaller ones were rolled across a field for 200 to 300 yds. A travel trailer was rolled. One resident was trapped in a…

7. Feb 11, 2010Heavy Snow, Lawrence$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Up to 6 inches of snow fell across portions of Lawrence County, with 5 inches reported in Jayess.

8. May 13, 2024Thunderstorm Wind$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An intense downburst caused significant wind damage in a swath generally in the Highway 27 portion of southern Lawrence County near Robert Tynes, Divide, and Renfroe roads. Numerous trees were uprooted and or snapped, and multiple power lines were blown down. The most intense part of the downburst was at Robert Tynes Road, Calvin Rutland Road, and Armstrong Circle toward Highway 27 near Fuller Circle. Here significant tree damage was noted. Multiple homes sustained damage from downed trees or damage from winds with parts of roofs blown off or shingles removed. One resident was trapped and injured when a tree fell onto a trailer along Robert Tynes Road. Part of a chicken house and…

9. Apr 4, 2011Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado started by downing trees along Cole Drive west of the Ruth community. The tornado quickly intensified and produced its first area of damage with winds estimated near 100 mph in Ruth. The awning of a gas station was destroyed, the volunteer fire department building had the back wall blown out, a church had the steeple blown off along with extensive shingle damage, and a number of homes suffered roof damage due to trees falling on them or due to direct minor roof damage. The tornado continued to move east across southeast Lincoln county and into southwest Lawrence county to the northwest and north of Jayess, causing tree damage. A few trees here fell on homes, and one…

10. Apr 17, 2022Hail$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Hail the size of quarters to nearly the size of golf balls fell in and near Silver Creek.

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

106°FAug 30, 2000

All-time low

2°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

83°FJul 29, 1990

Coldest day

19°FJan 10, 1962

Wettest day

10.98 inOct 4, 1964

Snowiest day

4.7 inFeb 23, 1968

Hottest year

2023mean 68.3°F

Coldest year

1976mean 63.3°F

Wettest year

200285.53 in

Driest year

196336.86 in

Snowiest season

7.0 in1967-68

Station Mccomb Airport (USW00093919), 405 ft elevation, 33.4 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 99.8% 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 USW00093919.
• 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.