231
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$2.4M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Bedford County, Tennessee: 231 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 85. That places the county #804 nationally and #28 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Bedford County, Tennessee: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Bedford County is the 2010s, when 73 of the county's 231 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 Bedford County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 61.1% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #804 for this hazard and #28 within Tennessee, putting it in the 74.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Mar is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Bedford County with 49 recorded events, while Nov 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 20, 1996 | COUNTYWIDE | 80 | 0 | 2 | $100K |
| Aug 4, 2011 | SHELBYVILLE | 65 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 11, 2026 | RICHMOND | 52 | $5K |
| Mar 11, 2026 | RICHMOND | 52 | $2K |
| Jun 7, 2025 | GRAY | 52 | $10K |
| May 25, 2025 | FLAT CREEK | 52 | $1K |
| May 25, 2025 | MT HERMAN | 52 | $5K |
| May 20, 2025 | UNION RIDGE | 61 | $25K |
| Mar 15, 2025 | BOMAR ARPT | 53 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | LONGVIEW | 61 | $10K |
| Aug 2, 2024 | SHELBYVILLE | 39 | $1K |
| Jun 26, 2024 | SIMS SPG | 50 | $1K |
Other hazards here
More from Bedford County
- Hail 70
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous trees and power lines were down. Flat Creek and Hilltop areas were hardest hit. A 2-story brick home lost the front porch which was facing west at 415 Smith Chapel Rd. The damage to the home was estimated to be about $40,000. The EMA Director estimated one million dollars worth of damage to utilities because of the straight line winds.
A microburst resulted in three barns with partial roof loss and an outbuilding along Unionville-Deason Road losing its entire roof. A couple dozen trees were snapped and many more had large limbs lost. The damage path was approximately 5 miles long and nearly half mile wide. Maximum wind speeds were estimated at around 70 mph.
A severe microburst struck an industrial park area and the Shelbyville Airport north of Shelbyville. A tractor trailer was blown over at a warehouse on Northcreek Road. Significant damage occurred at the Shelbyville Airport Fire Station, where much of the roof was blown off, windows were blown out, and a steel beam on the building frame was twisted around 180 degrees. An old small airplane at the north end of the airport was flipped upside down and thrown 30 yards to the east, heavily damaging the plane. Unfortunately, the AWOS station at the Shelbyville Airport lost power, so no peak wind gusts were measured. Security cameras at the airport captured the microburst on video as well as a nearby power flash.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Bedford County, Tennessee?
231 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Bedford County between 1957 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Bedford County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Bedford County measured 85.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Bedford 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 Bedford County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/bedford-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.