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Fayette County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 356 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,451 nationally and #33 in Tennessee.
356
Recorded events
14
Direct deaths
108
Direct injuries
$7.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Fayette County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Fayette County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 4.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 102 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 38 events fall before 1990 and 318 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Fayette County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 13 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $4.1M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Fayette County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 188 | 0 | $2.6M | 74 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 110 | 0 | $62K | 2.75 | 1956–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 26 | 0 | $717K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Tornado | 23 | 13 | $4.1M | F4 | 1952–2025 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $255K | 0 | 2011–2018 |
| Lightning | 4 | 1 | $11K | 0 | 2004–2018 |
Decade by decade
Fayette County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
23 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 20 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952-03-21 | EF4 | 16 | 74 | 29.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-02-05 | EF3 | 3 | 14 | 31.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-01-19 | EF3 | 3 | 24 | 22.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-03 | EF3 | 2 | 3 | 39.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-05-24 | EF2 | 0 | 22 | 10.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-02-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-04-27 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-11-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-06-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Fayette County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 22, 1952 | Tornado | 7 | 50 | $250K | |
| Jan 19, 1988 | Tornado | 3 | 24 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 3, 2025 | Tornado | FORTY FIVE | 2 | 3 | $100K |
| Jul 14, 2018 | Lightning | GRIFFEN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | Tornado | YUM YUM | 1 | 0 | $100K |
| May 24, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 22 | $250K | |
| Apr 3, 2006 | Tornado | LONGTOWN | 0 | 2 | $200K |
| Nov 27, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | LACONIA | 0 | 2 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado then crossed into Tennessee in Fayette County, along Sweet Road and Yager Road, where a manufactured home was destroyed, as well as more uprooted trees and snapped trunks. More sporadic tree damage was observed south of La Grange along Highway 18 before crossing into Hardeman County. Peak winds were estimated between 120-130 mph in Fayette County.
A tornado touched down near Akin Road. Shortly after touchdown, the tornado crossed Yum Yum Road. A man sitting in his truck in a shed was killed when the tornado struck the shed. The truck tumbled at least 40 feet and was severely damaged. Other vehicles were tossed about from the tornado. Substantial damage to large trees in the area occurred as well. The tornado continued northeast and crossed into Haywood County, Tennessee.
Several businesses and homes were damaged. One person was injured when a tree fell on their car. Numerous trees, power poles and power lines were blown down across the county resulting in some homes losing power for several hours.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
43,267
Population (ACS)
$341K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Jun 19, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 2, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | EM |
| Sep 4, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Aug 17, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Fayette County, Tennessee?
356 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 14 direct deaths and $7.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Fayette County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 188 recorded events — 52.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Fayette County?
23 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 20 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Fayette County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Fayette County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Fayette County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Fayette County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 76 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Fayette 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
- Dyer County 263
- Fentress County 298
- Dickson County 484
- Franklin County 449
- DeKalb County 209
- Gibson County 399
Cite this page
“Fayette County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/fayette-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.