Washington County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 299 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 64.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,788 nationally and #45 in Tennessee.
299
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$44.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Washington County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Washington County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 4.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 99 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 15 events fall before 1990 and 284 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Washington County, Tennessee record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $39.1M 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 Washington County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 192 | 0 | $1.2M | 87 | 1960–2025 |
| Hail | 55 | 0 | $100 | 3 | 1960–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 28 | 2 | $39.1M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 12 | 1 | $325K | 0 | 2001–2025 |
| Tornado | 9 | 1 | $4.1M | F2 | 1957–2014 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $150K | 0 | 2010–2010 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2009 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2017–2017 |
Decade by decade
Washington County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
9 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-27 | EF3 | 6 | 33 | 15.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-27 | EF3 | 2 | 70 | 13.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-04-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-06-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-07-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 7.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2009-05-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Washington County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2024 | Flash Flood | EMBREEVILLE | 2 | 0 | $39.0M |
| May 26, 2018 | Flood | GRAY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 28, 2011 | Tornado | LIBERTY | 1 | 0 | $3.0M |
| Jun 22, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Horse Creek Tornado. A NWS storm survey reported an EF3 tornado that initially touched in the Horse Creek area in Greene county, continued a northeast path into Washington county. The tornado had weakened to an EF2 by the time it was in Washington County with 115 mph winds, but still caused extensive damage. One 47-year-old man was killed in his home.||This tornado had a total path length in the two counties of 13.6 miles.
Ducktown Tornado. A NWS storm survey reported an EF2 tornado touched down in the Ducktown area in Greene County and tracked northeast into Washington County south of Falls Branch. The 120 mph wind ripped off the entire roofs off several homes and downed numerous trees. Across Greene and Washington Counties this tornado had a pathlength of 8.8 miles.
Carmel Village mobile home park flooded. Car submerged to hood. All told, there was about 324 thousand dollars in individual and public flood damages throughout the county for the overall event, but fortunately very little in the way of infrastructure and roads.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
136,261
Population (ACS)
$249K
Median home value
16
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 |
| Oct 2, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | DR |
| Sep 27, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | EM |
| Mar 8, 2023 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Johnson City 107
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Washington County, Tennessee?
299 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 4 direct deaths and $44.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Washington County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 192 recorded events — 64.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Washington County?
9 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 5 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Washington County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Washington County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Washington County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Washington County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 61 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Washington 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
- Warren County 265
- Wayne County 282
- Van Buren County 103
- Weakley County 316
- Union County 214
- White County 258
Cite this page
“Washington County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/washington-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.