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Gibson County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 399 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 42.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,261 nationally and #25 in Tennessee.
399
Recorded events
14
Direct deaths
66
Direct injuries
$565.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Gibson County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Gibson County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 5.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 113 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 57 events fall before 1990 and 342 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Gibson County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 11 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $500.0M 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 Gibson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 168 | 0 | $6.9M | 78 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 131 | 0 | $100K | 2.75 | 1962–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 51 | 1 | $9.3M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 35 | 11 | $48.6M | F4 | 1952–2025 |
| Lightning | 8 | 2 | $667K | 0 | 2002–2021 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $500.0M | 0 | 2002–2019 |
Decade by decade
Gibson County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
36 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 30 touched down inside it and 6 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 | Touched down here |
| 1997-03-01 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-04-02 | EF3 | 6 | 44 | 31.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-04-02 | EF3 | 2 | 6 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-10 | EF3 | 0 | 38 | 122.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1952-03-21 | EF2 | 2 | 2 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-01-19 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-02-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-03-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Gibson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 2006 | Tornado | DYER | 6 | 42 | $25.0M |
| Apr 3, 2006 | Tornado | RUTHERFORD | 2 | 6 | $15.0M |
| Mar 22, 1952 | Tornado | 2 | 2 | $25K | |
| Aug 23, 2002 | Lightning | DYER | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| May 1, 2010 | Flash Flood | HUMBOLDT | 1 | 0 | $9.0M |
| Jan 19, 1988 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $250K | |
| May 3, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Apr 27, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | GANN | 0 | 3 | $1K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado was also spawned by the same supercell that produced the killer Dyer County tornado. The F3 tornado tracked east across Gibson County. The tornado then continued east into Weakley County. The hardest hit area was the city of Bradford. There were six fatalities in Bradford along with forty-four injuries. Approximately two hundred fifty homes were damaged and seventy-five homes were destroyed. The Bradford Police Department was completely destroyed. Other businesses were also severely damaged.
This tornado was the second of two F3 tornadoes that affected Gibson County on April 2nd. The tornado touched down just south of the Obion and Gibson County line and tracked southeast. The tornado lifted just east of Rutherford near the intersection of China Grove Rd and Highway 105. Two fatalities occurred as a result of this tornado along with six injuries. Approximately two hundred fifty homes were damaged and six were destroyed. Cars were tossed into open fields.
Very heavy rain produced widespread flash flooding in Gibson County. Rainfall amounts were estimated between 10 to 15 inches. As many as 16 roads were flooded or washed out. Highway 79 between Milan and the Carroll County line was covered by as much as 8 feet of water. In total, 137 homes sustained some kind of flood damage in Gibson County. Of those homes, six were completely destroyed. Eighty-seven businesses received damage with two businesses being completely destroyed. A few apartment complexes, mobile homes and other public buildings sustained damage as well. One fatality occurred as the waters quickly rose and swept one person off their feet. The flash flood event transitioned into a flood event as the heavy rain caused the North Fork Forked Deer and the Middle Fork Forked Deer River to overflow their banks.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
50,869
Population (ACS)
$157K
Median home value
28
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 |
| Dec 13, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR |
| May 17, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADO | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Gibson County, Tennessee?
399 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 14 direct deaths and $565.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Gibson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 168 recorded events — 42.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Gibson County?
36 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 30 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Gibson County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Gibson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Gibson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Gibson County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 86 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Gibson 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
- Franklin County 449
- Giles County 327
- Fentress County 298
- Grainger County 232
- Fayette County 356
- Greene County 399
Cite this page
“Gibson County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/gibson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.