46
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
118
Direct injuries
$123.7M
Property damage
Tornado in Rutherford County, Tennessee: 46 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #455 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Rutherford County, Tennessee: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Rutherford County is the 2000s, when 11 of the county's 46 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 Rutherford County archive, tornado makes up 6.0% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #455 for this hazard and #3 within Tennessee, putting it in the 84.3 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in Rutherford County with 13 recorded events, while Sep 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-04-10 | EF4 | 23.3 mi | 750 yd | Crossed in |
| 1997-01-24 | EF4 | 6.5 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-11 | EF3 | 1.0 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2002-04-28 | EF3 | 3.2 mi | 350 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 15.9 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2018-11-06 | EF2 | 10.5 mi | 150 yd | Crossed in |
| 2001-05-31 | EF2 | 6.3 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-04-01 | EF2 | 18.5 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 1997-01-24 | EF2 | 4.8 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 1980-03-24 | EF2 | 1.9 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 10, 2009 | ALLISONA | EF4 | 2 | 58 | $100.0M |
| Nov 6, 2018 | NEWTOWN | EF2 | 1 | 3 | $3.4M |
| Apr 28, 2002 | MURFREESBORO | F3 | 0 | 31 | $2.3M |
| Jan 24, 1997 | MURFREESBORO | F4 | 0 | 18 | $4.7M |
| May 18, 1995 | Eagleville to | F0 | 0 | 4 | $50K |
| Mar 24, 1980 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 2025 | NEWTOWN | EF1 | $500K |
| Jul 29, 2024 | MURFREESBORO | EF0 | $750K |
| May 8, 2024 | NEWTOWN | EF0 | $100K |
| Apr 1, 2023 | RUCKER | EF2 | $250K |
| Apr 1, 2023 | EAGLEVILLE ARPT | EF1 | $1.0M |
| Apr 1, 2023 | GREENWOOD | EF1 | $200K |
| Mar 26, 2021 | ROCKY FORK | EF1 | $50K |
| Feb 6, 2019 | MILTON | EF0 | $25K |
| Nov 6, 2018 | NEWTOWN | EF2 | $3.4M |
| Nov 18, 2017 | J PERCY PRIEST RES S | EF0 | $15K |
Other hazards here
More from Rutherford County
- Thunderstorm Wind 416
- Hail 194
- Flash Flood 50
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado touchdown near Scott Street and caused some damage to businesses there, and continued across broad street where it caused significant damage to shops in the Jackson Heights Mall, especially a bank and a movie theater, were several people experienced minor injuries. Several vechiles in the parking lot were also damaged. The tornado also caused major damage to the Boys and Girls Club located on Jones Boulevard. Numerous trees and power lines along with minor structural damage was observed to homes north of Lokey Avenue, and there was some structural damage to businesses on Memorial Boulevard near Clark Boulevard. Maximum winds were estimated at 90 mph.
31 people were injured. Most of them were treated and released from the hospital. 6 people had to be hospitalized, and one person was seriously injured and had to be Life-Flighted to Vanderbilt hospital. 7 mobile homes were destroyed, and one mobile home had major damage and another mobile home had minor damage. 5 residences were destroyed, 10 residences had major damage and 36 residences had minor damage. 2 horse banrs were destroyed, and 6 horses/and or cattle were killed. The tornado touched down on W. Gum Road, just west of I-24. Interstate 24 was littered with tree limbs and debris at one point. The tornado lifted up around Mankin-McKnight Rd. This storm complex moved into Cannon county and produced another tornado near Bradyville.Damage assessment in Rutherford county by the Emergency Management Agency was placed at 2.3 million dollars.
At least 18 homes were destroyed and dozens more were damaged from the tornado. There was considerable damage at the Roanoke Subdivision. The old Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, located on Holly Grove Road which is just northeast of Walter Hill, will have to be torn down because of the tornado damage. The church has been at that location for more than 100 years.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Rutherford County, Tennessee?
46 tornado events are recorded in Rutherford County between 1955 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Rutherford County?
The strongest tornado on record in Rutherford County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Rutherford 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 Rutherford County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/rutherford-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.