270
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$4.4M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Sullivan County, Tennessee: 270 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 78. That places the county #577 nationally and #19 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Sullivan County, Tennessee: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Sullivan County is the 2000s, when 95 of the county's 270 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 Sullivan County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 64.1% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #577 for this hazard and #19 within Tennessee, putting it in the 81.7 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Sullivan County with 70 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25, 2022 | SPRINGDALE | 50 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 23, 2002 | JACOB | 0 | 0 | 3 | $20K |
| Jul 10, 2004 | HOLSTON VLY | 45 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 18, 2013 | PINEY FLATS | 65 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 19, 2025 | AVOCA | 52 | $0 |
| Dec 19, 2025 | COLONIAL HGTS | 51 | $0 |
| Sep 4, 2025 | FRIENDSHIP | 52 | $0 |
| Jul 9, 2025 | BRISTOL | 52 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 2025 | GALLOWAY MILL | 52 | $0 |
| Feb 7, 2025 | HILLCREST | 52 | $0 |
| Feb 7, 2025 | LYNN GARDEN | 52 | $40K |
| Sep 25, 2024 | LEONARD | 52 | $0 |
| Sep 25, 2024 | BLOUNTVILLE | 52 | $0 |
| Aug 16, 2024 | AVOCA | 52 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Sullivan County
- Hail 93
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A roof and back wall of a business located at the intersection of Eastman Road and East Stone Drive were heavily damaged due to severe thunderstorm winds. The roof was lifted up and a large portion of the back wall collapsed in.
A strong wind gust destroyed a wooden and metal shed as the roof of the structure was lifted into the air and landed on a vehicle northbound on 11E in Piney Flats. When the structure hit the vehicle a passenger was killed and the driver was injured.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Sullivan County, Tennessee?
270 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Sullivan County between 1957 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Sullivan County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Sullivan County measured 78.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Sullivan 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
“Thunderstorm Wind in Sullivan County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/sullivan-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.