53
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
295
Direct injuries
$1.2B
Property damage
Tornado in Davidson County, Tennessee: 53 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #337 nationally and #2 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Davidson County, Tennessee: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Davidson County is the 2010s, when 15 of the county's 53 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Davidson County archive, tornado makes up 3.5% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #337 for this hazard and #2 within Tennessee, putting it in the 88.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Davidson County with 14 recorded events, while Aug is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-04-07 | EF3 | 22.7 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
| 2020-03-03 | EF3 | 60.1 mi | 1,600 yd | Touched down here |
| 1998-04-16 | EF3 | 42.1 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-12-09 | EF2 | 34.8 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-01 | EF2 | 10.9 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-12-09 | EF2 | 18.4 mi | 500 yd | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-11 | EF2 | 12.6 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 2011-02-24 | EF2 | 7.5 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1998-04-16 | EF2 | 27.7 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
| 1998-04-16 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 800 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 9, 2023 | MADISON | EF2 | 3 | 21 | $10.0M |
| Mar 3, 2020 | SCOTTSBORO | EF3 | 2 | 170 | $1.1B |
| Apr 16, 1998 | NASHVILLE | F3 | 1 | 60 | $100.0M |
| Apr 2, 1974 | F2 | 1 | 12 | $3K | |
| Apr 7, 1972 | F2 | 0 | 15 | $250K | |
| Apr 7, 2006 | GOODLETTSVILLE | F3 | 0 | 7 | $10.0M |
| Jan 22, 1957 | F2 | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| May 25, 1971 | F0 | 0 | 3 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2026 | FOREST GROVE | EF1 | $200K |
| Dec 9, 2023 | MADISON | EF2 | $10.0M |
| Dec 9, 2023 | SCOTTSBORO | EF2 | $250K |
| Dec 11, 2021 | HERMITAGE | EF0 | $250K |
| Dec 11, 2021 | SEVEN PTS | EF0 | $250K |
| Dec 11, 2021 | OLD HICKORY | EF0 | $250K |
| Dec 11, 2021 | SCOTTSBORO | EF0 | $250K |
| Dec 11, 2021 | SCOTTSBORO | EF0 | $5K |
| May 4, 2021 | IVY PT | EF0 | $15K |
| May 4, 2021 | FOREST GROVE | EF0 | $5K |
Other hazards here
More from Davidson County
- Thunderstorm Wind 965
- Hail 274
- Flash Flood 141
- Lightning 47
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado destroyed many residential homes in Goodlettsville. Significant damage was done to the Metro Baptist Church with part of the roof blown off and front of church blown away. This tornado destroyed 25 homes, 13 homes or businesses with major damage and 31 with moderate damage/.
Damaged occurred in the Smith Springs Area of southeast Davidson County. Damage began near the intersection of Butler and Smith Springs Road where two churches experienced significant roof damage. Damage continued to the northeast across the Priest Lake Forecast Community where approximately ten homes suffered significant roof damage. A couple of homes had complete roof loss including a two story home which lost most of its second floor. Damage continued northeast across Percy Priest Lake and eventually into Wilson County. The last evidence of damage was near the intersection of Gladieville Circle and Stewarts Ferry Pike.
The initial touchdown was near the intersection of South Dickerson Pike and Old Dickerson Pike in northeast Davidson county. Trees were snapped, trailers suffered roof and underpinning damage, and an old building had its roof removed.||Damage, which continued to the northeast for over 3.5 miles, consisted of minor roof uplifting along with hundreds of snapped trees. The tornado crossed Rivergate Parkway at the Rivergate Mall. It blew over power poles and business signs. Several large projectiles impacted the Mall���s facade, leaving craters as high as 30 feet off the ground. The last evidence of damage was to business signs just east of Rivergate Mall on Gallatin Pike.||Maximum wind speeds in the tornado were estimated to be around 105 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Davidson County, Tennessee?
53 tornado events are recorded in Davidson County between 1952 and 2026, causing 7 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Davidson County?
The strongest tornado on record in Davidson County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Davidson County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Davidson County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/davidson-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.