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Benton County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 287 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,851 nationally and #52 in Tennessee.
287
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$19.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Benton County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Benton County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 3.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 80 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 8 events fall before 1990 and 279 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Benton County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $16.0M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Benton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 148 | 0 | $2.7M | 85 | 1971–2026 |
| Hail | 60 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1989–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 48 | 0 | $360K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 25 | 2 | $16.0M | F4 | 1952–2025 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $11K | 0 | 2005–2009 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $310K | 0 | 2010–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Benton County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
29 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 24 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-05-07 | EF4 | 3 | 137 | 50.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-01-19 | EF3 | 3 | 24 | 22.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-01-22 | EF3 | 1 | 5 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-05-27 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 17.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-03-21 | EF3 | 0 | 19 | 5.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-03-02 | EF2 | 1 | 2 | 18.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-02-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-04-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-11-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-03-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Benton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 22, 1999 | Tornado | CAMDEN | 1 | 5 | $1.0M |
| Mar 3, 2020 | Tornado | LIBERTY | 1 | 2 | $1.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado started in Benton County northwest of Camden and caused a substantial amount of tree damage along the path the extended into the Tennessee River. Several homes and mobile homes were damaged along the path in Benton County. The most damage, in Benton County, was in the Ballard Road area. Peak winds were estimated around 125 mph. The tornado then moved across the Tennessee River and into Humphreys County.
This tornado resulted in the only fatality in Middle Tennessee from the severe weather outbreak of January 22,1999. The tornado killed a 50 year old woman who left her shelter in a brick ranch home located on Cedar Grove Road. She went outside to get her dogs inside her home, and that's when the tornado struck and killed her. Her husband remained inside the home and survived. There were 5 injuries from the tornado. A 1600 square foot frame home was moved 10 to 12 feet from its foundation. 12 homes were destroyed, 33 homes sustained damage and 5 businesses were damaged. Power lines and trees were blown down. The winds picked up a 7500 pound Cadillac, and hurled its engine 300-400 yards into a field. The chassis, its empty metal skin, was hurled even further.
The tornado came out of northern Benton County and caused damage in Houston County. Trees were uprooted and snapped, and homes were damaged along Highway 147 from the Tennessee River to just west-northwest of McKinnon. There were 20 power poles down on Danville Rd. Worst damage was from Big Sandy to Faxon to Grannys Branch.||Fourteen homes were destroyed, and one other had major damage. About half of these homes were mobile homes.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
16,006
Population (ACS)
$154K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Apr 2, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | EM |
| May 17, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADO | DR |
| Jul 9, 2020 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Camden 121
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Benton County, Tennessee?
287 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $19.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Benton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 148 recorded events — 51.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Benton County?
29 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 24 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Benton County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Benton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Benton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Benton County as very low risk, placing it in the 39 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Benton County, Tennessee severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Bedford County 378
- Bledsoe County 287
- Anderson County 360
- Blount County 533
- Bradley County 438
- Campbell County 279
Cite this page
“Benton County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/benton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.