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.

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. Mar 27, 2021Tornado$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF2 tornado with estimated maximum winds near 125 mph touched down again from the same supercell thunderstorm that produced the tornado near and over Lake Murvaul in Southwest Panola County, with this tornado downing and uprooting about 10 hardwood and softwood trees along Highway 59 several miles south of Carthage. The tornado intensified as it tracked parallel to FM 2517 and ripped the roof off of a single family home. The tornado's damage path widened considerably as it moved between FM 2517 and County Road 405. Security footage from a local meat processing center in the Antioch community indicates that a multiple-vortex tornado developed as the storm continued and produced…

2. Mar 31, 2005Thunderstorm Wind$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorm winds destroyed 2 homes and damaged several other homes and buildings. There were three injuries...one was in a home when the roof was blown off their house and two others were injured when a tree fell on their vehicle. All were treated at an area hospital and released.

3. May 25, 2015Tornado$600,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   National Weather Storm Survey Team determined that damage across Panola County was consistent with that of a tornado. An EF1 tornado first touched down near Beckville, Texsa and traveled east northeast before lifting just northeast of De Berry Texas. Numerous trees and powerlines were downed throughout the track of this tornado and some of these trees damaged several homes and outbuildings as well.

4. Mar 21, 2022Tornado$550,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This is a continuation of the Eastern Rusk County tornado. Although this tornado entered Western Panola County with estimated winds around 90 mph, it strengthened to a strong EF-2 with estimated maximum winds around 130 mph, as it lifted northeast through Western Panola County. It crossed FM 348 and County Roads 881, 188, and 189, snapping and uprooting numerous trees before reaching Highway 79. In this area, several homes were significantly damaged, and one well-built residence lost most of its roof with several walls collapsed. One injury occurred in this home, although the injury was not deemed critical. The damage rating on this structure was a strong EF-2, and near this…

5. May 3, 2017Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF1 tornado touched down just north of the intersection of CR 152 and CR 153. The tornado uprooted and snapped several trees while it paralleled CR 152 as it moved east southeast towards Clayton. It damaged a few out building and a few home before it did some concentrated tree damage near several homes just north of Highway 315 and CR 1970. A large, metal outbuilding was completely rolled over here. It continued east where it continued to damage homes and numerous trees along CR 112. The tornado crossed Highway 315 between CR 113 and CR 108. The tornado did some concentrated tree damage where it crossed CR 1081, toppling and splitting numerous trees. The tornado continued east…

6. May 2, 2008Tornado$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF1 tornado with winds of 95 to 105 mph occurred along CR 241 in Panola County and moved southeastward along CR 224 before lifting. Numerous homes were damaged mainly from falling trees. In particular...a manufactured home had its entire roof peeled and strewn into a field east of the home. A cabin 300 yards east of that home had its entire roof lifted off the wooden frame and thrown into the tree line adjacent to the structure. Numerous large trees both hardwood and softwood were snapped and or uprooted along the path which ended 5 miles southeast along CR 224. Several trees were uprooted or snapped onto homes along CR 241 and CR 248. The tornado was 200 yards wide at its…

7. Sep 13, 2008Tropical Storm, Panola$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tropical storm force winds associated with Ike resulted in widespread tree and power line damage throughout the entire county. Numerous roads were impassible from downed trees and power lines. Power outages were widespread as well with many Panola County residents without power during the height of the storm and well after. An amateur weather station positioned 15 feet above the ground measured a wind gust of 85 mph near Lake Murvaul. A roof was blown off a home along with several trees downed in the community of Rock Hill. Elsewhere, the roof from a dugout/locker room collapsed where the Panola College baseball team practices. A tree also fell on an 18-wheeler truck but no…

8. Jul 8, 2024Tornado$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This is a continuation of the Southwest Caddo Parish tornado. This EF-1 tornado, with estimated maximum winds of 110 mph, continued northwest across State Line Road in the Bethany community, where several homes and other structures were damaged by downed trees. The tornado was at its widest and strongest as it crossed CR 332, where multiple trees were snapped and uprooted, the roof was partially removed off of a barn, and a metal roof was partially lifted off of a home. As the tornado crossed Highway 79, additional large trees were snapped and uprooted, with trees falling and significantly damaging three homes. The tornado continued to snap and uproot additional trees as it moved…

9. Mar 27, 2021Tornado$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This is a continuation of the Southern Rusk County tornado. This tornado continued northeast towards Lake Murvaul, where it maintained EF1 intensity while snapping and uprooting numerous trees as it paralleled FM 1971. Upon reaching the lake, the tornado reached several residences along the shoreline where it increased in intensity as it snapped and uprooted more trees and damaged the shingles of many homes. By this time, the tornado had strengthened to an EF2, with estimated maximum winds of 115 mph. One person was injured at their residence on the shore of Lake Murvaul, while video of the tornado was recorded by a storm chaser as it crossed the lake. After downing trees which…

10. Jan 7, 2010Cold/Wind Chill, Panola$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Bitterly cold temperatures swept into the region during the evening hours of January 7th with a hard freeze being observed nearly through the morning hours of January 10th. During this period of time...overnight and early morning low temperatures were well into the teens with daytime high temperatures struggling to make it to the freezing mark. The cold temperatures froze water pipes of many homes throughout the county. Some city and county water lines burst as well resulting in many residents either without water for a short period of time or with reduced water pressure.

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

109°F2 times, most recently Sep 5, 2000

All-time low

1°F2 times, most recently Dec 24, 1989

Warmest night

81°F6 times, most recently Aug 27, 2023

Coldest day

18°FJan 8, 1996

Wettest day

9.25 inApr 14, 1991

Snowiest day

9.0 inFeb 12, 2010

Hottest year

1967mean 67.9°F

Coldest year

1983mean 62.2°F

Wettest year

199177.47 in

Driest year

196324.66 in

Snowiest season

13.0 in2020-21

Station Carthage (USC00411500), 305 ft elevation, 0.3 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1951 to October 23, 2026; 86.1% 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 USC00411500.
• 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.