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Blount County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 533 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 69.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #775 nationally and #12 in Tennessee.
533
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
15
Direct injuries
$20.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Blount County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Blount County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 7.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 158 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 76 events fall before 1990 and 457 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Blount County, Tennessee record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is lightning, with $6.0M 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 Blount County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 369 | 0 | $2.9M | 86 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 108 | 0 | $1K | 2 | 1957–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 19 | 0 | $3.6M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 16 | 0 | $4.8M | F2 | 1972–2019 |
| Flood | 16 | 0 | $2.8M | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2018 |
| Lightning | 2 | 1 | $6.0M | 0 | 1996–1999 |
Decade by decade
Blount County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
17 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-27 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 14.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-02-21 | EF3 | 1 | 55 | 30.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-03-23 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 5.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-04-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-10-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-03-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-03-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-06-28 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Blount County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 13, 1996 | Lightning | ROCKFORD | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 5, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | TREMONT | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Jul 5, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | CADES COVE | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jun 28, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Mar 24, 2011 | Tornado | KISER | 0 | 2 | $2.5M |
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Mar 3, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | ALCOA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An EF-3 tornado produced 140 mph winds along a 5.8 mile path with a maximum damage path width of 500 yards. Twenty six homes sustained damage ranging from fifty percent to entirely demolished as a result of the tornado.
Chilhowee EF4 Tornado. An NWS survey team reported an EF4 tornado touched down west of Chilhowee Lake in northern Monroe County. The max wind of 170 mph smashed a TVA transmission tower in the Lake, and ground up miles of forest in both Cherokee National Forest, then in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. ||This tornado started in northern Monroe County in the Cherokee National Forest, then crossed Chilhowee Lake where it smash the tower, entering into Blount County. On the far shore of the lake (now in Blount County and also entering the Great Smoky Mountains National Park), it took a right turn at 33.5574/84.0061, traveled ENE deeper into the park, towards Cades Cove. Before getting to Cades Cove it took a left turn near 35.5794/83.9878 and headed to the NE. It finally dissipated about 4 miles north of Cades Cove, still in the Park. Its total path was 14.5 miles long.
A Thunderstorm downburst with a record wind gust to 86 mph occurred at Knoxville McGhee-Tyson (TYS) Airport damaging two national guard helicopters, airborne freight containers and an air freight depot. Heavy damage to trees, and a nearby trailer park also occurred.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
139,333
Population (ACS)
$321K
Median home value
18
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 |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 17, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Maryville 142
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Blount County, Tennessee?
533 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $20.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Blount County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 369 recorded events — 69.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Blount County?
17 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 12 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Blount County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Blount County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Blount County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Blount County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 74 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Blount 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
- Bledsoe County 287
- Bradley County 438
- Benton County 287
- Campbell County 279
- Bedford County 378
- Cannon County 208
Cite this page
“Blount County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/blount-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.