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Meigs County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 199 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 64.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,447 nationally and #79 in Tennessee.
199
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$11.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Meigs County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Meigs County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 2.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 93 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 6 events fall before 1990 and 193 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Meigs County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $9.3M 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 Meigs County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 129 | 0 | $894K | 88 | 1963–2026 |
| Hail | 43 | 0 | $6K | 2.5 | 1984–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 12 | 0 | $9.3M | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Tornado | 5 | 4 | $765K | F4 | 1953–2023 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2025–2025 |
Decade by decade
Meigs County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
7 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-05-02 | EF4 | 4 | 8 | 4.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-04-15 | EF3 | 1 | 9 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-27 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 5.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-01-12 | EF0 | 0 | 1 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Meigs County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 1953 | Tornado | 4 | 8 | $250K | |
| Dec 30, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | FOREST GROVE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jan 12, 2023 | Tornado | DECATUR | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Hiwassee River Tornado. A NWS Storm Survey reported an EF0 tornado touched down in extreme southern Meigs County, just north of the Hamilton County line and just south of the Hiwassee River. It formed near Highway 58 and County Road 114 then tracked parallel to Highway 58 to the Hiwassee River where it dissipated. The max wind of 80 mph downed several trees.
Several large trees scattered about were felled by severe thunderstorm winds on private property and seen in southwestern Meigs County, on both sides of the Hiwassee River and near Highway 58 for a few miles north of the river. One of the trees on the private land was snapped, the rest were felled at their roots. At least one road was impassable due to the tree damage.
This is the continuation of an EF0 tornado path that started in northeastern Hamilton County before it lifted just over the Meigs County line near the Highway 60 and |Highway 58 intersection in Georgetown. Mostly tree damage was observed along this |path but some minor structural damage was noted.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
13,343
Population (ACS)
$180K
Median home value
19
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 |
| Sep 27, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADO | DR |
| May 17, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADO | DR |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Meigs County, Tennessee?
199 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $11.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Meigs County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 129 recorded events — 64.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Meigs County?
7 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Meigs County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Meigs County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Meigs County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Meigs County as very low risk, placing it in the 13 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Meigs 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
- Maury County 523
- Monroe County 421
- Marshall County 265
- Montgomery County 534
- Marion County 383
- Moore County 289
Cite this page
“Meigs County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/meigs-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.