Mississippi lightning risk
Harrison County has the highest lightning risk in Mississippi, scoring 97.1 out of 100 — rated "Very High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded lightning events across Mississippi have decreased 30% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harrison County | 97.1 | Very High | 5 |
| 2 | Jackson County | 95.1 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 3 | Yazoo County | 94.4 | Relatively High | 2 |
| 4 | Hinds County | 94 | Relatively High | 6 |
| 5 | Lauderdale County | 92 | Relatively High | 1 |
| 6 | Hancock County | 91.2 | Relatively High | 1 |
| 7 | DeSoto County | 90.3 | Relatively High | 1 |
| 8 | Forrest County | 90.1 | Relatively High | 8 |
| 9 | Lee County | 87.9 | Relatively High | 2 |
| 10 | Rankin County | 87.9 | Relatively High | 10 |
| 11 | Wilkinson County | 83.5 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 12 | Pike County | 82.7 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 13 | Jones County | 82.5 | Relatively High | 8 |
| 14 | Panola County | 82.3 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 15 | Monroe County | 82 | Relatively High | 2 |
| 16 | Pearl River County | 81.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 17 | Madison County | 81.6 | Relatively Moderate | 7 |
| 18 | Yalobusha County | 79.7 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 19 | Lamar County | 79.5 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 20 | Lowndes County | 79.2 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 21 | Clarke County | 79.1 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 22 | Itawamba County | 78.2 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 23 | Warren County | 77.7 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 24 | Lafayette County | 75.5 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 25 | Stone County | 75.3 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 26 | Washington County | 75.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 27 | Oktibbeha County | 73.8 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 28 | Grenada County | 73.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 29 | Holmes County | 71.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 30 | Scott County | 68.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 31 | George County | 67.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 32 | Marshall County | 67 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 33 | Leflore County | 65.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 34 | Pontotoc County | 65.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 35 | Copiah County | 63.9 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 36 | Alcorn County | 62 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 37 | Wayne County | 61.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 38 | Union County | 61.5 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 39 | Newton County | 60.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 40 | Clay County | 60 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 41 | Lincoln County | 59.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 42 | Prentiss County | 59.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 43 | Neshoba County | 59.3 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 44 | Leake County | 57.9 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 45 | Jasper County | 57.3 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 46 | Chickasaw County | 55.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 47 | Simpson County | 55.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 48 | Tishomingo County | 55.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 49 | Bolivar County | 54.9 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 50 | Smith County | 52.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 51 | Winston County | 52.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 52 | Sunflower County | 52 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 53 | Tippah County | 51.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 54 | Marion County | 51.3 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 55 | Greene County | 50.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 56 | Amite County | 50.4 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 57 | Adams County | 49.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 58 | Tate County | 48.6 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 59 | Covington County | 48.2 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 60 | Attala County | 48.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 61 | Calhoun County | 48 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 62 | Coahoma County | 47.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 63 | Tallahatchie County | 45.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 64 | Noxubee County | 42 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 65 | Webster County | 41.1 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 66 | Kemper County | 40.3 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 67 | Carroll County | 39.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 68 | Humphreys County | 39.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 69 | Jefferson Davis County | 37.9 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 70 | Perry County | 36.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 71 | Walthall County | 36 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 72 | Montgomery County | 34.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 73 | Franklin County | 34.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 74 | Lawrence County | 30.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 75 | Benton County | 29.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 76 | Choctaw County | 28.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 77 | Claiborne County | 28.4 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 78 | Tunica County | 25.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 79 | Quitman County | 25 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 80 | Sharkey County | 23.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 81 | Jefferson County | 18.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 82 | Issaquena County | 6.6 | Very Low | 0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Lightning risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Mississippi:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest lightning risk county in Mississippi?
Harrison County, MS has the highest lightning risk in Mississippi, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 97.1 out of 100 (rated "Very High").
How many counties in Mississippi are rated Very High for lightning risk?
1 of 82 scored Mississippi counties are rated "Very High" for lightning risk by FEMA's National Risk Index.
What causes lightning risk in Mississippi?
Lightning risk reflects expected annual losses from cloud-to-ground strikes, which ignite building fires, damage electrical systems, and cause fatalities. Florida consistently leads the US in lightning density. High scores also appear across the Gulf Coast, Southeast, and central Plains, where afternoon convective storms are most frequent in summer months.