Panola County

Every recorded tornado

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

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.

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. Nov 24, 2001Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado moved into the far western part of Panola county from Quitman county and tracked northeast eventually moving into Tate county. One girl was killed when the mobile home where she was staying was destroyed. A cluster of homes and a Baptist church were destroyed. In all 35 homes damaged or destroyed.

2. Jan 23, 2026Ice Storm, Panola$1.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Sleet and snow accumulation of 2 to 5 inches, followed by 1/4 to 1/2 inch of ice over the southern and eastern part of Panola County.

3. Dec 23, 2015Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado moved from Quitman County into Panola County. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted. As the tornado approached Interstate 55 the tornado damaged several homes. This is where the tornado reached peak intensity with winds estimated at 160 mph. The tornado crossed Interstate 55 between Sardis and Como and then dissipated east of Como. A total of 29 homes were affected in Panola. Eight homes were either destroyed or suffered major damage.

4. Mar 10, 2016Flood$600,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain caused drainage ditches and small creeks off of the Coldwater River to flood western portions of Panola County. Sandbagging protected 12 homes in the Crenshaw area and another 3 homes near Curtis Station. Homes were flooded on Renaissance Street in Crenshaw. A total of 35 homes and 14 roads were affected. Forty people were displaced. Two businesses suffered minor damage.

5. Mar 9, 2006Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down near downtown Sardis and moved northeast. Five homes were totally destroyed. Several businesses and fifteen other homes were damaged. Many trees and power lines were knocked down.

6. May 6, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Straight line winds blew numerous trees and power lines down all across Panola County. Winds were estimated at 60 to 70 mph in Batesville. A grand total of 94 homes in Batesville received damage from the winds or from falling trees. Sixty-eight homes of those homes received minor damage while six received major damage. Four homes were destroyed. In addition, two vehicles were damaged from falling trees as well. Outside of Batesville, fifty homes received damage by the winds.

7. Jan 11, 2020Tornado$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado crossed from Quitman County into Panola County. The tornado continued northeast, damaging numerous homes along Waldrup Road in western Panola County. The tornado dissipated east of Nash Road after crossing Highway 278. A total of 50 homes were damaged by tornadoes and straight-line winds on this date across Panola County.

8. Jun 8, 2021Flash Flood$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several cars were stalled in floodwaters due to street flooding in Batesville. Part of Old Panola Road was washed out near the bridge over the Tallahatchie River. In total, 23 roads were impacted across Panola County.

9. Jun 1, 2018Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   At least 20 homes with wind damage due to falling trees. Two commercial buildings also damaged.

10. Dec 21, 2013Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Straight line winds caused widespread damage across Northwest Panola County. Major building damage occurred on Highway 315W near the Panola and Quitman County line. There was farm damage near the intersection of Landfill and Springhill Roads where a crop duster was flipped. A tree was knocked on to a house north of Highway 310 and Bishop Road. Trees were knocked down on several roads and multiple power lines were downed. There were two vehicle accidents with injuries due to fallen trees.

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, 23.1 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.