Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Stewart; Montgomery; Robertson; Sumner; Macon; Clay; Houston; Humphreys; Dickson; Cheatham; Davidson; Wilson; Trousdale; Smith; Jackson; Putnam; Overton; Perry; Hickman; Lewis; Williamson; Maury; Marshall; Rutherford; Cannon; De Kalb; White; Bedford; Coffee; Warren; Wayne; Lawrence; Giles
Wilson County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 885 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 61.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #221 nationally and #3 in Tennessee.
885
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
78
Direct injuries
$473.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Wilson County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wilson County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 12.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 415 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 44 events fall before 1990 and 841 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wilson County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $425.5M 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 Wilson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 546 | 0 | $5.8M | 85 | 1964–2026 |
| Hail | 129 | 0 | $15K | 3 | 1966–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 82 | 1 | $34.1M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 45 | 3 | $425.5M | F3 | 1955–2025 |
| Lightning | 34 | 0 | $2.6M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 22 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2022 |
| Flood | 17 | 0 | $5.0M | 0 | 2008–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2023 |
Decade by decade
Wilson County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
47 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 35 touched down inside it and 12 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 | EF3 | 5 | 220 | 60.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-04-16 | EF3 | 1 | 60 | 42.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 15.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-04-27 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-05-31 | EF2 | 1 | 2 | 6.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-01-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-02-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-02-24 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 27.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-01-24 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 10.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wilson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2020 | Tornado | MT JULIET | 3 | 50 | $409.0M |
| Jan 24, 2002 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 5, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | LEBANON | 0 | 7 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 25, 2020 | Tornado | COMMERCE | 0 | 3 | $15K |
| Apr 9, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Apr 28, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Feb 25, 2011 | Tornado | GLADEVILLE | 0 | 2 | $500K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Sheriff's office reported several roads were flooded around the county. A Knox county woman, age 31, fell into or tried to wade across a fast moving creek between 1030 AM-1100 AM CST at Sue Warren Trail at Cedars of Lebanon State Park.
Major flash flooding impacted much of northern Wilson County during the morning and early afternoon hours on August 8 after 5 to 7 inches of rain fell across the area. The worst flooding was across Mount Juliet, where dozens of roads were covered by several feet of water and closed, and some homes and businesses were flooded. Road that were closed included Needmore Road, Division Street, Woodridge Place, Curd Road, Old Lebanon Dirt Road, Mount Juliet Road, Cairo Bend Road, York Road, Cooks Road, and Northern Road. Businesses flooded included the Valley Center strip mall on Mount Juliet Road at Division Street. Homes were flooded along *INSERT INFO HERE*.
This tornado travelled just south of Lebanon Pike and did damage to homes and businesses in West Lebanon. The TRW plant received some damage on HWY 70 Bypass. Trees were uprooted and homes sustained roof damage. There was extensive agricultural losses. Approximately $60,000 worth of fencing was destroyed or damaged. 20 hogs were killed. Farmers lost 26 outbuildings, and 21 vehicles were damaged.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
158,805
Population (ACS)
$428K
Median home value
17
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 |
| Jan 14, 2022 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| May 8, 2021 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Lebanon 188
- Mt Juliet 178
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wilson County, Tennessee?
885 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $473.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wilson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 546 recorded events — 61.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wilson County?
47 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 35 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wilson County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wilson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wilson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wilson County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 80 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wilson 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
- Williamson County 787
- White County 258
- Weakley County 316
- Wayne County 282
- Washington County 299
- Warren County 265
Cite this page
“Wilson County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/wilson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.