Morgan County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 324 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 63.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,642 nationally and #39 in Tennessee.
324
Recorded events
9
Direct deaths
46
Direct injuries
$4.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Morgan County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Morgan County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 5.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 156 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 10 events fall before 1990 and 314 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Morgan County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 9 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.5M 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 Morgan County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 207 | 0 | $1.4M | 78 | 1965–2026 |
| Hail | 70 | 0 | $517K | 2.75 | 1961–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 25 | 0 | $325K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 9 | 9 | $1.5M | F3 | 1965–2025 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $156K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2025 |
Decade by decade
Morgan County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
12 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-11-10 | EF3 | 7 | 28 | 8.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 0 | 11 | 12.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-02-06 | EF2 | 2 | 3 | 21.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-03-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-11-18 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 13.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-03-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-04-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-03-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-03-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Morgan County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 11, 2002 | Tornado | WARTBURG | 7 | 28 | $968K |
| Feb 7, 2025 | Tornado | ADKINS MILL | 2 | 3 | $500K |
| Apr 4, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $25K | |
| Aug 23, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | LANCING | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| May 15, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | SUNBRIGHT | 0 | 4 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A strong F3 tornado (with wind speeds estimated around 175 mph) touched down 4.4 miles south of Wartburg in the Mossy Grove community killing 5 people and injuring 28. This tornado then struck Joyner at 8:40 P.M. killing two more people for a total of 7 dead. The tornado damaged 63 homes while destroying 24 others. In addition, 18 mobile homes were damaged and 12 others were destroyed.
Law enforcement personnel reported numerous trees downed by thunderstorm wind in the Wartburg area. Trees were downed on Potters Valley Road as well as White Pine Estate Road and Armes Chapel Road. Additional trees were downed by thunderstorm wind on Highway 27 south of Wartburg.
The tornado began near Summers Hill Road and Deer Lodge Highway producing EF-1 damage in Downtown Sunbright with damage to numerous residential and commercial structures. The tornado continued northeast across White Oak Creek crossing the railroad tracks near the intersection of Dynatex Rd and Raymond Webb Road. There was damage to some metal building structures, hardwood trees, and barns in this area. Primary structure damage along the path of the tornado was uplift, peeling, and partial removal of roofs. The tornado re-intensified and tracked along Mill Creek Road producing damage to several homes and barns before the tornado dissipated near Davis Road.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
21,361
Population (ACS)
$166K
Median home value
21
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 7, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Wartburg 102
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Morgan County, Tennessee?
324 events are on record between 1961 and 2026, causing 9 direct deaths and $4.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Morgan County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 207 recorded events — 63.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Morgan County?
12 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Morgan County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Morgan County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Morgan County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Morgan County as very low risk, placing it in the 19 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Morgan 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
- Moore County 289
- Obion County 281
- Montgomery County 534
- Overton County 290
- Monroe County 421
- Perry County 222
Cite this page
“Morgan County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/morgan-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.