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Wayne County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 282 recorded events between 1963 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,883 nationally and #55 in Tennessee.
282
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
28
Direct injuries
$27.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Wayne County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wayne County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 4.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 101 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 9 events fall before 1990 and 273 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wayne County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $15.7M 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 Wayne County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 144 | 0 | $1.6M | 91 | 1971–2026 |
| Hail | 65 | 0 | $50K | 2.75 | 1984–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 44 | 1 | $9.4M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 19 | 4 | $15.7M | F4 | 1963–2023 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $600K | 0 | 1999–2017 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2017 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $500 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2017–2017 |
Decade by decade
Wayne 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-04-16 | EF5 | 3 | 36 | 69.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-03-31 | EF3 | 9 | 23 | 86.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-12-23 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 48.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-06-26 | EF3 | 0 | 22 | 38.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-03-04 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 27.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-03-25 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 22.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-12-23 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 14.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-01-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-11-15 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-03-01 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 7.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wayne County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 1998 | Tornado | CLIFTON | 3 | 6 | $4.0M |
| Nov 27, 1994 | Tornado | Lauderdale and | 1 | 3 | $5.0M |
| May 6, 2003 | Flash Flood | WAYNESBORO | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 24, 2015 | Tornado | LUTTS | 0 | 4 | $2.0M |
| Mar 4, 1964 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 11, 1963 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Apr 1, 2023 | Tornado | CLIFTON | 0 | 2 | $550K |
| Mar 1, 1997 | Tornado | WAYNESBORO | 0 | 2 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado killed 3 people in Wayne county. 2 females, their ages 75 and 57, were killed in a modular home on Lay Creek Rd. Another female, age 69, was killed on Chalk Creek Road in a wooden frame home. The tornado left nothing but the foundation. A lumber yard was destroyed. Many trees were down in the path of the tornado. Many houses and mobile homes were destroyed. 34 homes were completely destroyed, 14 homes had major damage and 22 had minor damage. .
The tornado first touched down about one mile west of the town of Woodville in Lauderdale County. The tornado then continued northeast in Crockett County. The towns of Chestnut Bluff and Crockett Mills were the hardest hit. One woman was killed as the tornado struck her house. Three other persons were injured. Twenty-seven homes were destroyed and eleven others were damaged. Several vehicles were destroyed as well. F75H
A Lawrence County man was killed on Buttermilk Ridge Road, about 3.3 miles from U.S. Highway 64 east. His 1996 Pontiac Sunfire suddenly came upon a section of road that was completely washed away by flood waters. About 40 feet of the road was completely gone. The vehicle went airborne and struck the far side of the washed out road, then came to rest in the rushing flood waters. 50 individuals had to be rescued from flooded homes or assisted in getting out of the flloded areas. 18 people had to be rescued from the Tennessee-Fitness Spa by airboat. On Cantrell Lane, just south of Waynesboro, several families were rescued by boat. 5 mentally challenged individuals had to be rescued by boat at Belew Hollow Rd. 100 homes were under water in Wayne County. 18 roads and bridges were washed out in southern Wayne County.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
16,168
Population (ACS)
$131K
Median home value
27
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Jun 19, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 2, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | EM |
| May 17, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADO | DR |
| Apr 7, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Waynesboro 110
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wayne County, Tennessee?
282 events are on record between 1963 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $27.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wayne County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 144 recorded events — 51.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wayne 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 Wayne County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wayne County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wayne County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wayne County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 43 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wayne 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
- Washington County 299
- Weakley County 316
- Warren County 265
- White County 258
- Van Buren County 103
- Williamson County 787
Cite this page
“Wayne County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/wayne-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.