Lightning Risk in Mississippi
All Mississippi counties ranked by FEMA National Risk Index lightning score
Lightning risk — electrical discharges from storms that ignite fires and cause casualties — is rated for 82 of 82 Mississippi counties in FEMA's National Risk Index. Harrison County carries the state's highest lightning score at 97.1, with $2M in expected annual lightning losses.
15 Mississippi counties are rated High or Very High for lightning, and expected annual losses from lightning total roughly $31M statewide. The full ranking below links to each county's complete 18-hazard risk profile.
County Rankings — Lightning
| # | County | Lightning Score | Rating | Ann. Freq. | Ann. Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harrison County | Very High | 87.00 / yr | $2M | |
| 2 | Jackson County | High | 86.80 / yr | $2M | |
| 3 | Yazoo County | High | 67.57 / yr | $1M | |
| 4 | Hinds County | High | 71.29 / yr | $1M | |
| 5 | Lauderdale County | High | 71.58 / yr | $947K | |
| 6 | Hancock County | High | 85.95 / yr | $1000K | |
| 7 | DeSoto County | High | 62.14 / yr | $1M | |
| 8 | Forrest County | High | 81.51 / yr | $1M | |
| 9 | Rankin County | High | 72.43 / yr | $1M | |
| 10 | Lee County | High | 63.75 / yr | $898K | |
| 11 | Wilkinson County | High | 78.93 / yr | $492K | |
| 12 | Pike County | High | 79.53 / yr | $505K | |
| 13 | Jones County | High | 76.70 / yr | $607K | |
| 14 | Panola County | High | 63.81 / yr | $500K | |
| 15 | Monroe County | High | 66.01 / yr | $569K | |
| 16 | Pearl River County | Medium | 84.34 / yr | $580K | |
| 17 | Madison County | Medium | 69.54 / yr | $899K | |
| 18 | Yalobusha County | Medium | 65.02 / yr | $543K | |
| 19 | Lamar County | Medium | 81.31 / yr | $626K | |
| 20 | Lowndes County | Medium | 66.46 / yr | $533K | |
| 21 | Clarke County | Medium | 72.62 / yr | $550K | |
| 22 | Itawamba County | Medium | 63.48 / yr | $496K | |
| 23 | Warren County | Medium | 68.66 / yr | $458K | |
| 24 | Lafayette County | Medium | 63.86 / yr | $648K | |
| 25 | Washington County | Medium | 63.48 / yr | $364K | |
| 26 | Stone County | Medium | 84.51 / yr | $447K | |
| 27 | Oktibbeha County | Medium | 67.87 / yr | $473K | |
| 28 | Grenada County | Medium | 65.14 / yr | $361K | |
| 29 | Holmes County | Medium | 66.97 / yr | $293K | |
| 30 | Scott County | Medium | 71.59 / yr | $295K | |
| 31 | George County | Medium | 84.51 / yr | $501K | |
| 32 | Marshall County | Medium | 61.88 / yr | $291K | |
| 33 | Leflore County | Medium | 65.19 / yr | $259K | |
| 34 | Pontotoc County | Medium | 64.09 / yr | $327K | |
| 35 | Copiah County | Medium | 74.42 / yr | $257K | |
| 36 | Alcorn County | Medium | 61.48 / yr | $275K | |
| 37 | Wayne County | Medium | 76.70 / yr | $248K | |
| 38 | Union County | Medium | 63.65 / yr | $270K | |
| 39 | Newton County | Medium | 71.85 / yr | $211K | |
| 40 | Clay County | Medium | 66.93 / yr | $220K | |
| 41 | Lincoln County | Medium | 76.73 / yr | $232K | |
| 42 | Prentiss County | Medium | 62.27 / yr | $233K | |
| 43 | Neshoba County | Medium | 71.25 / yr | $242K | |
| 44 | Leake County | Medium | 70.14 / yr | $182K | |
| 45 | Jasper County | Medium | 73.70 / yr | $189K | |
| 46 | Chickasaw County | Low | 66.03 / yr | $197K | |
| 47 | Simpson County | Low | 75.04 / yr | $211K | |
| 48 | Tishomingo County | Low | 62.06 / yr | $206K | |
| 49 | Bolivar County | Low | 62.59 / yr | $169K | |
| 50 | Smith County | Low | 73.84 / yr | $166K | |
| 51 | Winston County | Low | 69.27 / yr | $155K | |
| 52 | Sunflower County | Low | 63.67 / yr | $158K | |
| 53 | Tippah County | Low | 62.23 / yr | $180K | |
| 54 | Marion County | Low | 79.75 / yr | $180K | |
| 55 | Greene County | Low | 82.29 / yr | $169K | |
| 56 | Amite County | Low | 79.52 / yr | $136K | |
| 57 | Adams County | Low | 75.04 / yr | $149K | |
| 58 | Tate County | Low | 62.89 / yr | $196K | |
| 59 | Covington County | Low | 76.22 / yr | $135K | |
| 60 | Attala County | Low | 68.84 / yr | $157K | |
| 61 | Calhoun County | Low | 65.45 / yr | $156K | |
| 62 | Coahoma County | Low | 61.77 / yr | $138K | |
| 63 | Tallahatchie County | Low | 64.22 / yr | $127K | |
| 64 | Noxubee County | Low | 68.50 / yr | $100K | |
| 65 | Webster County | Low | 67.12 / yr | $120K | |
| 66 | Kemper County | Low | 70.49 / yr | $110K | |
| 67 | Humphreys County | Low | 65.10 / yr | $95K | |
| 68 | Carroll County | Low | 66.09 / yr | $107K | |
| 69 | Jefferson Davis County | Low | 76.63 / yr | $87K | |
| 70 | Perry County | Low | 81.56 / yr | $115K | |
| 71 | Walthall County | Low | 79.82 / yr | $113K | |
| 72 | Montgomery County | Low | 66.69 / yr | $105K | |
| 73 | Franklin County | Low | 76.47 / yr | $84K | |
| 74 | Lawrence County | Low | 76.87 / yr | $83K | |
| 75 | Benton County | Low | 61.41 / yr | $65K | |
| 76 | Claiborne County | Low | 71.21 / yr | $67K | |
| 77 | Choctaw County | Low | 68.18 / yr | $76K | |
| 78 | Tunica County | Low | 62.11 / yr | $60K | |
| 79 | Quitman County | Low | 63.57 / yr | $52K | |
| 80 | Sharkey County | Very Low | 65.34 / yr | $49K | |
| 81 | Jefferson County | Very Low | 73.73 / yr | $39K | |
| 82 | Issaquena County | Very Low | 65.29 / yr | $15K |
82 Mississippi counties with measurable lightning risk. See the national lightning ranking or all Mississippi counties by overall risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Mississippi county has the highest lightning risk?
Harrison County has the highest FEMA lightning risk score in Mississippi at 97.1 (Very High), with $2M in expected annual losses and about 87.00 events per year.
How many Mississippi counties face significant lightning risk?
82 Mississippi counties record measurable lightning risk in FEMA's National Risk Index; 15 of them are rated High or Very High.