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McMinn County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 484 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 64.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #932 nationally and #16 in Tennessee.
484
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
121
Direct injuries
$25.1M
Property damage
The record
What the McMinn County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, McMinn County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 6.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 165 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 50 events fall before 1990 and 434 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the McMinn County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $16.8M 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 McMinn County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 310 | 0 | $2.2M | 73 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 99 | 0 | $6K | 3 | 1962–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 27 | 0 | $16.8M | 0 | 1999–2023 |
| Tornado | 22 | 1 | $6.1M | F4 | 1952–2018 |
| Flood | 13 | 0 | $4K | 0 | 1997–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $500 | 0 | 2013–2017 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2005–2005 |
Decade by decade
McMinn County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
24 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 17 touched down inside it and 7 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 | 20 | 335 | 48.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 3 | 50 | 21.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-04-15 | EF3 | 1 | 9 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2012-03-02 | EF3 | 0 | 44 | 41.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-02-21 | EF3 | 0 | 17 | 19.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-02-06 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-08 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-04-15 | EF3 | 0 | 50 | 10.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-27 | EF2 | 4 | 0 | 28.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-11-30 | EF2 | 0 | 20 | 11.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in McMinn County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 1 | 32 | $3K | |
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 50 | $250K | |
| Nov 30, 2016 | Tornado | POPLAR HILL | 0 | 20 | $0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | Tornado | COGHILL | 0 | 7 | $2.0M |
| Apr 28, 2011 | Tornado | LUSKVILLE | 0 | 5 | $200K |
| Nov 7, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | RICEVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | ATHENS | 0 | 1 | $25K |
| Jul 10, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | ATHENS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Harrison Tornado – Segment #4. The Harrison Tornado continued to intensify again as it crossed from Polk into McMinn County. It was an EF1 at 100 MPH when it crossed the county line but quickly elevated to an EF2, and reached its maximum strength only about 1 1/2 miles inside McMinn County as an EF2 at 130 MPH where it caused heavy damage to several rural homes.||The tornado then continued to the northeast slowly weakening, crossed U.S. Highway 411, then started to climb the terrain on the north end of Starr Mountain where it dissipated. This storm went on to produce another tornado in Monroe County.||In McMinn County 37 homes and mobile homes were damaged. Four homes and seven mobile homes were destroyed. Property damages totaled about $2 Million. There were 7 injuries.||This tornado ended in McMinn County, but crossed parts of four counties, had an over pathlength of 41 miles and caused 44 injuries.
Ringgold-Apison Tornado. The tornado continued from Polk into McMinn County. The tornado re-intensified causing EF2 damage with 130 mph estimated max winds. Near the intersection of County Road 750 and County Road 966 two houses and a mobile home were destroyed and five people were injured. The tornado finally dissipated southwest of the McMinn County Airport. ||This prolific tornado started in Catoosa County, GA, accounted for 21 fatalities and tracked 57 miles over 5 parts of counties; 46 miles and 4 counties in Tennessee.
Englewood-S. Madisonville Tornado. A NWS storm survey reported an EF1 tornado touched down northeast of Englewood. It formed near Carl Lee Road in McMinn County and tracked into Monroe County before dissipating. It had a path width of 200 yards. The 100 mph wind damaged several homes and downed numerous trees and powerlines.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
54,884
Population (ACS)
$212K
Median home value
16
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 2, 2015 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Athens 161
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in McMinn County, Tennessee?
484 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $25.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in McMinn County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 310 recorded events — 64.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed McMinn County?
24 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 17 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover McMinn County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include McMinn County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is McMinn County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates McMinn County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 60 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the McMinn 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
- Loudon County 325
- McNairy County 235
- Lincoln County 541
- Macon County 241
- Lewis County 191
- Madison County 493
Cite this page
“McMinn County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/mcminn-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.