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Hardeman County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 287 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 50.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,851 nationally and #52 in Tennessee.
287
Recorded events
8
Direct deaths
26
Direct injuries
$8.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Hardeman County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hardeman County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 3.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 88 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 24 events fall before 1990 and 263 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Hardeman County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 7 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $6.4M 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 Hardeman County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 146 | 1 | $998K | 87 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 93 | 0 | $123K | 4.25 | 1974–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 22 | 0 | $631K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 21 | 7 | $6.4M | F4 | 1952–2025 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2013–2018 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2005–2005 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2019–2019 |
Decade by decade
Hardeman County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
26 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 18 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-02-21 | EF4 | 58 | 795 | 202.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1952-03-21 | EF4 | 38 | 157 | 46.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-12-23 | EF4 | 9 | 36 | 75.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-03-31 | EF3 | 9 | 23 | 86.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-02 | EF3 | 3 | 9 | 29.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-01-19 | EF3 | 3 | 24 | 22.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-04-03 | EF3 | 2 | 3 | 39.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-01-17 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 22.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-03-22 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 23.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 12.5 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hardeman County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 22, 1952 | Tornado | 4 | 14 | $2.5M | |
| Jan 18, 1999 | Tornado | GRAND JCT | 1 | 4 | $400K |
| Nov 22, 1992 | Tornado | 1 | 3 | $25K | |
| May 2, 2010 | Tornado | POOR | 1 | 2 | $250K |
| May 13, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | BOLIVAR | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Nov 21, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| May 24, 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | WHITEVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
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 extreme southeast Fayette county and moved northeast. Fourteen homes including several mobile homes were destroyed and another 27 homes were damaged near Saulsbury. More than thirty power poles were knocked down.
A tornado crossed into Hardeman County from Tippah County, Mississippi. The tornado tracked northeast hitting Pocahontas before moving into McNairy County. One fatality occurred in Pocahontas when a single wide trailer was destroyed. Two injuries also occurred. In total, one home was completely destroyed. Thirteen homes sustained major damage with another five receiving very minor damage. Two mobile homes were destroyed with another two receiving minor damage. Numerous trees were snapped and debarked in the area. In addition, power lines were knocked down as well.
This large tornado caused widespread damage across Grand Junction, including rail cars being blown off the tracks, downed trees, and roofs of homes. Along Highway 57, large sections of roofs were blown off. This tornado then continued northeast through a heavily wooded area in Hardeman County before causing more damage along West Fork Road, north of Saulsbury. High-resolution satellite imagery tracked a sporadic tree damage path across remote areas between West Road and Sain Road, with a more defined track picking up at Lake Hardeman Road and Maxwell Road. Additional damage was found to the east-northeast, with the tornado crossing Highway 125 and causing significant damage to a small community on Lake Vonda. The tornado lifted just before reaching Hebron. Peak winds were estimated between 120-130 mph in Hardeman County.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
25,433
Population (ACS)
$122K
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 |
| 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 |
| Apr 7, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| May 8, 2021 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hardeman County, Tennessee?
287 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 8 direct deaths and $8.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hardeman County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 146 recorded events — 50.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hardeman County?
26 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 18 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Hardeman County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hardeman County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hardeman County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hardeman County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 63 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hardeman 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
- Hancock County 131
- Hardin County 256
- Hamilton County 780
- Hawkins County 318
- Hamblen County 270
- Haywood County 184
Cite this page
“Hardeman County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/hardeman-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.