Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Stewart; Montgomery; Robertson; Sumner; Macon; Clay; Houston; Humphreys; Dickson; Cheatham; Davidson; Wilson; Trousdale; Smith; Jackson; Putnam; Overton; Perry; Hickman; Lewis; Williamson; Maury; Marshall; Rutherford; Cannon; De Kalb; White; Bedford; Coffee; Warren; Wayne; Lawrence; Giles
Overton County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 290 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 58.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,832 nationally and #49 in Tennessee.
290
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
133
Direct injuries
$27.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Overton County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Overton County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 4.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 98 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 13 events fall before 1990 and 277 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Overton County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $11.1M 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 Overton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 169 | 0 | $1.1M | 78 | 1975–2026 |
| Hail | 59 | 0 | $125K | 4.5 | 1961–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 28 | 0 | $4.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 14 | 3 | $11.1M | F4 | 1956–2025 |
| Lightning | 9 | 2 | $805K | 0 | 1998–2019 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $10.0M | 0 | 2010–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2019–2019 |
Decade by decade
Overton County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
19 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 13 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 | EF4 | 10 | 51 | 28.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 3 | 120 | 9.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-03-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-03-28 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 5.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-03-16 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-03-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-03-19 | EF1 | 1 | 1 | 12.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-02-06 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 7.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-02-06 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 5.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Overton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1974 | Tornado | 3 | 120 | $2.5M | |
| Aug 11, 1998 | Lightning | NORTHEAST PORTION | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 23, 2007 | Lightning | WATERLOO | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 28, 2021 | Tornado | OKALONA | 0 | 2 | $10K |
| Mar 29, 1997 | Tornado | LIVINGSTON | 0 | 2 | $250K |
| Feb 7, 2025 | Tornado | HANGING LIMB | 0 | 1 | $1.0M |
| Feb 7, 2025 | Tornado | WATERLOO | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| Apr 2, 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | LIVINGSTON | 0 | 1 | $20K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A man was struck by lightning while attending an outdoor festival on June 23, 2007. The 47-year-old Indiana man was among a crowd watching a stage show. A bolt of lightning struck the man, knocking him unconscious. No one else was injured. He was leaning against a motorcycle when the bolt hit his right shoulder and exited out both of his feet according to Sheriff's Deputy Sgt. Durham. He was initially taken to Livingston Regionally Hospital, and then he was transferred to Cookeville Regional Hospital. He died the following day on Sunday June 24. ||The Junebug Boogie festival is held every summer on private property in the Waterloo area of Overton County. It draws motorcycle and music fans from all over the country. It features shows, games, exhibitions, and contests in the open air. The festival ran for four days from June 21 through June 24.
This EF-1 tornado touched down near Coy Phillips Road, west of Hanging Limb in Overton County. It then tracked east-southeast into Hanging Limb where it snapped dozens of trees and caused roof damage to outbuildings along E Fork Lane. The tornado continued along E Fork Lane where it caused significant roofing damage to a residence and uprooted trees. Along Steel Tram Ridge Lane, the tornado completely ripped a porch off the front of a house and caused a camper to roll on its side. The tornado presumably lifted near the end of Indian Creek Trail east of Hanging Limb. This tornado was also responsible for one injury in Overton County. Damages are a rough estimate.
The tornado that began in southeast Jackson County and crossed into northern Putnam County continued northeastward, producing EF2 damage across southern Overton County. Several homes were damaged as the tornado crossed Highway 136 just south of Hardys Chapel Road. Curving more eastward, the tornado continued down Hardys Chapel Road where several mobile homes were destroyed and other frame homes were heavily damaging. Hundreds of trees were blown down in this area. More homes were damaged on Windle Community Road and Highway 111 before the tornado lifted north of the intersection of River Trace Road and East Howard Road, about 4 miles south-southwest of Livingston. The total path length of the tornado was 12.3 miles.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
23,065
Population (ACS)
$173K
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 |
| May 8, 2021 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 21, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Overton County, Tennessee?
290 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $27.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Overton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 169 recorded events — 58.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Overton County?
19 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Overton County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Overton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Overton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Overton County as very low risk, placing it in the 22 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Overton 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
- Obion County 281
- Perry County 222
- Morgan County 324
- Pickett County 99
- Moore County 289
- Polk County 270
Cite this page
“Overton County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/overton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.