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White County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 258 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 62.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,055 nationally and #67 in Tennessee.
258
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
14
Direct injuries
$9.6M
Property damage
The record
What the White County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, White County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 3.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 86 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 16 events fall before 1990 and 242 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the White County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $5.2M 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 White County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 160 | 0 | $5.2M | 83 | 1960–2025 |
| Hail | 47 | 0 | $31K | 2 | 1958–2025 |
| Tornado | 20 | 1 | $4.2M | F4 | 1965–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 20 | 0 | $152K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2011–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2017–2021 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2005–2005 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
White 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: 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 | EF4 | 10 | 51 | 28.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-03-15 | EF2 | 1 | 3 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-03-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 28 | 16.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-02-29 | EF1 | 1 | 0 | 14.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-02-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-02-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-04-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-04-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-03-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in White County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 1973 | Tornado | 1 | 3 | $250K | |
| Apr 4, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $25K | |
| Mar 17, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| May 29, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Damage began near the intersection of Indian Mound Road and Old Smithville Highway. Hundreds of trees were uprooted or snapped along a nearly continuous 9 mile path. Three homes had complete roof loss and a mobile home was completely destroyed with debris scattered over a large area. Around a dozen barns and outbuildings were destroyed. The last evidence of damage was just southwest of downtown Sparta on Iris Drive. Maximum wind speeds associated with this tornado were estimated to be around 115 mph.
The EF1 tornado with maximum wind speeds around 95 mph moved out of DeKalb County into White County near Twilight Lane. A mobile home was damaged and a church steeple was blown off along Browntown Road near Wildcat Road, and two nearby outbuildings suffered roof damage. The roof of a barn was blown off southwest of the Browntown Road and Austin Road intersection, with debris blown for nearly one quarter mile across fields. A nearby home suffered minor roof damage. The tornado lifted just prior to reaching Austin Road.
Substantial wind damage was noted to a grove of trees near the Horseshoe Bend Marina. All trees were blown to the northeast. At the marina itself, an awning covering the dock was blown off, collapsing on some boats. Winds were up to 75 mph, a determination mainly made from the tree damage. Damages are a rough estimate.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
28,160
Population (ACS)
$207K
Median home value
18
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 17, 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 White County, Tennessee?
258 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $9.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in White County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 160 recorded events — 62.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed White County?
19 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 18 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover White County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include White County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is White County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates White County as very low risk, placing it in the 39 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the White 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
- Weakley County 316
- Williamson County 787
- Wayne County 282
- Wilson County 885
- Washington County 299
- Warren County 265
Cite this page
“White County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/white-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.