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Lincoln County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 541 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 65.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #752 nationally and #10 in Tennessee.
541
Recorded events
11
Direct deaths
255
Direct injuries
$7.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Lincoln County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lincoln County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 7.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 173 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 39 events fall before 1990 and 502 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lincoln County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 10 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $6.0M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Lincoln County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 354 | 1 | $1.1M | 81 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 69 | 0 | $36K | 2.75 | 1973–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 59 | 0 | $162K | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Tornado | 45 | 10 | $6.0M | F4 | 1952–2024 |
| Lightning | 8 | 0 | $520K | 0 | 2006–2019 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2022–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2012 |
Decade by decade
Lincoln County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
44 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 36 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-27 | EF5 | 72 | 145 | 132.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF5 | 16 | 190 | 83.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF4 | 11 | 121 | 27.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-02-29 | EF4 | 2 | 150 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-04-28 | EF3 | 2 | 0 | 26.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-04-01 | EF3 | 1 | 5 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-05 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-02-13 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 7.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-04-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lincoln County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1974 | Tornado | 6 | 100 | $2.5M | |
| Feb 29, 1952 | Tornado | 2 | 150 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 29, 2014 | Tornado | LINCOLN | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 30, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | KELSO | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 5, 2003 | Tornado | BELLEVILLE | 0 | 2 | $50K |
| Feb 14, 1952 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Oct 17, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A gust front from decaying severe thunderstorms produced widespread strong to severe level thunderstorm winds across the entire county from north to south. No less than 50 reports of wind damage were received due to the 50 to 60 mph wind gusts associated with this gust front. The wind damage consisted of numerous trees being knocked down, some very large, which also resulted in power transformers and power lines being knocked down. Many roadways were also blocked due to the fallen trees and limbs.
Numerous trees and power lines were downed by a line of severe thunderstorms in the county. The locations around Fayetteville Tennessee where the most concentrated thunderstorm wind damage occurred included: Lewisburg highway, North Main Street, Kidd Highway, and Clay and Oak Streets.
The Oak Hill Baptist Church on Wiley Hollow Road was heavily damaged. The church was established in 1883. The nearby residence of the pastor had major roof damage. One of the parishioners was going to take shelter at the church. The tornado carried his truck over the roof of the church and crashed it on top of a nearby tree and utility pole. Also, a frame home on U.S Highway 231 was completely leveled in Belleville and the debris was burned on the spot. There were 2 injuries. One was due to a tree falling on a truck.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
35,946
Population (ACS)
$230K
Median home value
17
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
- Fayetteville 102
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lincoln County, Tennessee?
541 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 11 direct deaths and $7.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lincoln County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 354 recorded events — 65.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lincoln County?
44 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 36 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lincoln County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lincoln County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lincoln County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lincoln County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 59 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lincoln 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
- Lewis County 191
- Loudon County 325
- Lawrence County 733
- McMinn County 484
- Lauderdale County 235
- McNairy County 235
Cite this page
“Lincoln County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/lincoln-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.