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Putnam County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 478 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #957 nationally and #18 in Tennessee.
478
Recorded events
30
Direct deaths
155
Direct injuries
$138.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Putnam County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Putnam County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 6.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 190 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 25 events fall before 1990 and 453 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Putnam County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 30 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $101.7M 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 Putnam County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 245 | 0 | $3.4M | 83 | 1959–2025 |
| Hail | 121 | 0 | $1K | 3 | 1965–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 59 | 0 | $1.6M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 20 | 30 | $101.7M | F4 | 1955–2025 |
| Lightning | 14 | 0 | $6.5M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Flood | 12 | 0 | $25.1M | 0 | 2009–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2011–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Putnam 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: 20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-03-03 | EF4 | 19 | 87 | 8.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF4 | 10 | 51 | 28.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-02-21 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-03-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-03-02 | EF2 | 0 | 20 | 3.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-01-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-03-19 | EF1 | 1 | 1 | 12.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-02-06 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 7.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-03-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-03-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Putnam County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2020 | Tornado | ENSOR | 19 | 87 | $100.0M |
| Apr 4, 1974 | Tornado | 10 | 51 | $0 | |
| Mar 19, 2003 | Tornado | COOKEVILLE | 1 | 1 | $100K |
| Feb 21, 1993 | Tornado | Double Springs | 0 | 6 | $500K |
| Jan 23, 2002 | Flash Flood | COOKEVILLE | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 30, 2002 | Lightning | MONTEREY | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Mar 23, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Sep 2, 2014 | Lightning | DOUBLE SPGS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado touched down 1.5 miles east of exit #280 on I-40. The tornado continued for about 12.2 miles. One person was killed, and another person was injured inside a mobile home on Pippin Road and near Anderson Rd. The time of the fatality was around 11:15 AM CST. The storm ripped the trailer loose from its anchors and flung it over on its side at least 100 feet from its foundation. Numerous trees and power lines were down. The fallen trees and power lines blocked many roads. A total of 67 properties in the Pippin area reported damage. There was damage to houses, barns, trailers, garages, sheds, and at least one church. In the Buffalo Valley Road area, the tornado destroyed a barn and uprooted several huge trees.All six sirens in Cookeville sounded for the tornado warning, which was issued at 10:58 AM CST.
Lightning struck an apartment building at Eagle Summit Apartments at Tennessee Tech University along Willow Avenue near Cookeville, causing a fire. All occupants were evacuated, and firefighters put out the fire just after 7 AM local time. Four apartments were destroyed, impacting eleven occupants. No injuries were reported, and damages are a rough estimate.
Lightning struck the Saxony's Apartments, one of the oldest apartment complexes in Cookeville. Flames raced through the common attic of a 10 apartment two story wood structure unit at a high rate of speed. 10 families were left homeless. The Saxony Apartment complex is about 30 years old. At that time, codes regulations did not require draft stop walls in the attic.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
82,558
Population (ACS)
$283K
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 |
| Mar 8, 2023 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Apr 21, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Cookeville 173
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Putnam County, Tennessee?
478 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 30 direct deaths and $138.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Putnam County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 245 recorded events — 51.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Putnam County?
24 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 20 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Putnam County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Putnam County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Putnam County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Putnam County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 66 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Putnam 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
- Polk County 270
- Rhea County 333
- Pickett County 99
- Roane County 383
- Perry County 222
- Robertson County 501
Cite this page
“Putnam County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/putnam-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.