59
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$1.6M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Putnam County, Tennessee: 59 recorded events between 1996 and 2024. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #475 nationally and #10 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Putnam County, Tennessee: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Putnam County is the 2000s, when 20 of the county's 59 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 Putnam County archive, flash flood makes up 12.3% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #475 for this hazard and #10 within Tennessee, putting it in the 84.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for flash flood in Putnam County with 16 recorded events, while Oct 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.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2002 | COOKEVILLE | 0 | 0 | 3 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 2024 | COOKEVILLE ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 30, 2024 | HOLLADAY | 0 | $250K |
| May 8, 2024 | HOLLADAY | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 12, 2024 | DITTY | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 20, 2023 | MONTEREY | 0 | $50K |
| May 18, 2023 | POPLAR GROVE | 0 | $500K |
| Jul 21, 2022 | COOKEVILLE | 0 | $10K |
| Mar 28, 2021 | COOKEVILLE | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 31, 2020 | BAXTER | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 6, 2020 | ENSOR | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Putnam County
- Thunderstorm Wind 245
- Hail 121
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Major flash flooding affected much of Putnam County from the evening hours on July 2 into the morning hours on July 3. Numerous roads throughout the county were flooded and closed, including Highway 111 three miles south of I-40, Neal Street, Jefferson Avenue, and Veterans Drive. Other roads were washed away and destroyed, including Thomas Allen Road, Bennett Road, and Bunker Hill Road at West Cemetery Road. Several water rescues were also performed by emergency personnel. Many homes, businesses, and vehicles were also flooded, including one home on Meadow Wood Drive at Burgess Falls Road, and others along Highway 111 and Highway 70 near Clouse Road. Another house was heavily damaged on Falcon Point in the Prosperity Point subdivision due to the front porch collapsing into a sinkhole. A CoCoRaHS observer 3.3 miles SSW of Cookeville measured 6.74 inches of rain over the 24 hour period ending at 6am on July 3.
Five to seven inches of heavy rain fell across central Putnam County, causing significant flash flooding in and around Cookeville and Algood. Near Algood, a home along Middlebrook Road had to be evacuated due to flooding, and several cars were stalled in flood waters around White Plains Golf Course. Along Fisk Road, a warehouse was also flooded and evacuated. Numerous other roads were flooded in Algood as well, including Mirandy Road, West Washington Street, East Main Street at White Plains Academy, Highway 42, RC Buck Drive, Shag Rad Road, Fish Road, and Whiteaker Springs Road. Numerous roads were also flooded in Cookeville including East 6th Street at Denton Avenue, Fisk Road at East Broad Street, Old Walton Road at Stone Bridge Drive, and Country Club Place at Doris Drive. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. Damages are a rough estimate.
Heavy rain caused numerous roads to flood with several vehicles stranded in and around Cookeville. A few homes and businesses were also flooded. Roads that were flooded included Highway 111 at East 10th Street, Willow Avenue at the railroad overpass, Willow Avenue at State Highway 70, Willow Avenue at Jackson Street, Neal Street just south of Maple, and North Washington Avenue at East 4th Street. Extent of damages is unknown, and damage numbers are just a rough estimate.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Putnam County, Tennessee?
59 flash flood events are recorded in Putnam County between 1996 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Putnam County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Putnam County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Putnam 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
“Flash Flood in Putnam County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/putnam-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.