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Van Buren County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 103 recorded events between 1984 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 46.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,872 nationally and #94 in Tennessee.
103
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$994K
Property damage
The record
What the Van Buren County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Van Buren County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 2.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 48 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 6 events fall before 1990 and 97 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Van Buren County, Tennessee record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $690K 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 Van Buren County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 48 | 0 | $690K | 83 | 1988–2023 |
| Hail | 30 | 0 | $10K | 2.75 | 1984–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 18 | 1 | $102K | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $112K | 0 | 1997–2022 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $80K | F2 | 1995–2002 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2017 |
Decade by decade
Van Buren County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
4 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 touched down inside it and 1 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 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-11-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-05-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Van Buren County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 6, 2021 | Flash Flood | LONEWOOD | 1 | 1 | $5K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Satellite imagery along with damage photos indicate a large and very damaging 10 mile wide downburst struck eastern Van Buren County. Scattered trees were snapped and uprooted in this large downburst with winds estimated from 60 to 75 mph. Within the downburst area, a smaller but much more damaging 1.5 mile wide microburst blew down thousands of trees from western Fall Creek Falls State Park eastward to south of Saratoga Springs. Numerous roads were blocked by falling trees in this area, with some trees falling onto buildings. Winds in the microburst were estimated up to 95 mph. This resulted in numerous trees falling on cars in the park and trapping multiple people. Multiple campers were also damaged, and widespread power outages forced the park to close. Damages are a rough estimate.
Several roads were flooded throughout Van Buren County. Newspaper reported that water ran over State Highway 30 east of Spencer, causing the roadway to be closed|for nearly two hours until the Tennessee Department of Transportation and other volunteers could clean ditches and divert the water which was crossing the roadway nearly a foot deep. The water was washing rocks and other debris into the road, causing at least one vehicle to sustain a flat tire when it was driven through the area.
Lightning struck a utility building on RT Davis Rd. It caught fire, and the building and its contents were completely destroyed. The building housed antiques and flammable materials that were used to refurbish the antiques.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
6,437
Population (ACS)
$159K
Median home value
20
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 |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Van Buren County, Tennessee?
103 events are on record between 1984 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $994K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Van Buren County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 48 recorded events — 46.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Van Buren County?
4 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 Van Buren County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Van Buren County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Van Buren County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Van Buren County as very low risk, placing it in the 3 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Van Buren 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
- Union County 214
- Warren County 265
- Unicoi County 110
- Washington County 299
- Trousdale County 124
- Wayne County 282
Cite this page
“Van Buren County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/van-buren-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.