Mississippi tornado risk
Hinds County has the highest tornado risk in Mississippi, scoring 98.2 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded tornado events across Mississippi have increased 16% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hinds County | 98.2 | Relatively High | 44 |
| 2 | DeSoto County | 96.8 | Relatively High | 5 |
| 3 | Harrison County | 96 | Relatively High | 25 |
| 4 | Madison County | 95.8 | Relatively High | 26 |
| 5 | Rankin County | 94.7 | Relatively High | 40 |
| 6 | Lauderdale County | 94.4 | Relatively High | 23 |
| 7 | Jones County | 93.2 | Relatively High | 18 |
| 8 | Washington County | 93 | Relatively High | 3 |
| 9 | Forrest County | 92.7 | Relatively High | 13 |
| 10 | Warren County | 91.7 | Relatively High | 26 |
| 11 | Lowndes County | 91 | Relatively High | 15 |
| 12 | Pike County | 90.1 | Relatively Moderate | 15 |
| 13 | Jackson County | 90 | Relatively Moderate | 28 |
| 14 | Copiah County | 89.5 | Relatively Moderate | 15 |
| 15 | Yazoo County | 89.2 | Relatively Moderate | 29 |
| 16 | Marshall County | 89 | Relatively Moderate | 5 |
| 17 | Leflore County | 88.7 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 18 | Panola County | 87.8 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 19 | Alcorn County | 87.5 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 20 | Lee County | 86.8 | Relatively Moderate | 18 |
| 21 | Coahoma County | 86.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 22 | Monroe County | 86.4 | Relatively Moderate | 15 |
| 23 | Neshoba County | 86 | Relatively Moderate | 17 |
| 24 | Newton County | 83.5 | Relatively Moderate | 15 |
| 25 | Oktibbeha County | 83.3 | Relatively Moderate | 10 |
| 26 | Bolivar County | 82.9 | Relatively Moderate | 9 |
| 27 | Pearl River County | 82.8 | Relatively Moderate | 11 |
| 28 | Holmes County | 82.5 | Relatively Moderate | 17 |
| 29 | Adams County | 82.1 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 30 | Lafayette County | 81.1 | Relatively Moderate | 5 |
| 31 | Sunflower County | 81.1 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 32 | Winston County | 79.2 | Relatively Moderate | 16 |
| 33 | Tippah County | 78.6 | Relatively Moderate | 5 |
| 34 | Lincoln County | 78.5 | Relatively Moderate | 28 |
| 35 | Scott County | 78.4 | Relatively Moderate | 25 |
| 36 | Leake County | 77.9 | Relatively Moderate | 26 |
| 37 | Pontotoc County | 77.2 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 38 | Simpson County | 76.7 | Relatively Moderate | 30 |
| 39 | Hancock County | 76.6 | Relatively Moderate | 21 |
| 40 | Clay County | 75.1 | Relatively Moderate | 3 |
| 41 | Tate County | 74.9 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 42 | Grenada County | 74.8 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 43 | Lamar County | 73.8 | Relatively Moderate | 17 |
| 44 | Marion County | 73.4 | Relatively Moderate | 19 |
| 45 | Attala County | 73 | Relatively Moderate | 18 |
| 46 | Prentiss County | 72.9 | Relatively Moderate | 7 |
| 47 | Chickasaw County | 72.6 | Relatively Moderate | 8 |
| 48 | Jasper County | 72.3 | Relatively Moderate | 23 |
| 49 | Smith County | 71.2 | Relatively Moderate | 32 |
| 50 | Wayne County | 71.2 | Relatively Moderate | 21 |
| 51 | Amite County | 67.1 | Relatively Moderate | 19 |
| 52 | Claiborne County | 66.6 | Relatively Moderate | 12 |
| 53 | Itawamba County | 66.4 | Relatively Moderate | 9 |
| 54 | Clarke County | 66 | Relatively Moderate | 26 |
| 55 | Tallahatchie County | 65.8 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 56 | Tishomingo County | 64.4 | Relatively Low | 13 |
| 57 | Noxubee County | 62.9 | Relatively Low | 17 |
| 58 | Covington County | 62.5 | Relatively Low | 22 |
| 59 | Tunica County | 59.5 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 60 | Franklin County | 57.4 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 61 | Greene County | 56.9 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 62 | Quitman County | 56.9 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 63 | Kemper County | 56.4 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 64 | Lawrence County | 56.3 | Relatively Low | 15 |
| 65 | Benton County | 54.9 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 66 | Stone County | 54.7 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 67 | Jefferson Davis County | 53.9 | Relatively Low | 34 |
| 68 | Humphreys County | 50.8 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 69 | George County | 49.6 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 70 | Calhoun County | 49.4 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 71 | Yalobusha County | 49.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 72 | Wilkinson County | 49 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 73 | Choctaw County | 48.6 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 74 | Webster County | 48.4 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 75 | Union County | 47.4 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 76 | Carroll County | 47.3 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 77 | Sharkey County | 45.3 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 78 | Montgomery County | 44.8 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 79 | Perry County | 44.3 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 80 | Walthall County | 36.1 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 81 | Jefferson County | 36 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 82 | Issaquena County | 29.4 | Relatively Low | 6 |
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.
Tornado risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Mississippi:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest tornado risk county in Mississippi?
Hinds County, MS has the highest tornado risk in Mississippi, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 98.2 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").
What causes tornado risk in Mississippi?
Tornado risk concentrates in the central and southern plains ("Tornado Alley") and the Southeast ("Dixie Alley"), where atmospheric conditions favor supercell thunderstorm development. The highest scores often belong to counties with significant mobile home and manufactured housing stock, which carries disproportionate tornado mortality risk.