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Bledsoe County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 287 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 59.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,851 nationally and #52 in Tennessee.
287
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$21.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Bledsoe County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bledsoe County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 4.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 111 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 10 events fall before 1990 and 277 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Bledsoe County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $15.7M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Bledsoe County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 170 | 0 | $743K | 70 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 65 | 0 | $15K | 2.75 | 1984–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 33 | 0 | $4.8M | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Tornado | 8 | 4 | $15.7M | F1 | 1955–2011 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $57K | 0 | 1999–2018 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2011 |
Decade by decade
Bledsoe County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
7 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 4 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-27 | EF4 | 4 | 12 | 40.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2002-11-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1983-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-05-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-08-22 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-05-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bledsoe County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2011 | Tornado | HENDON | 4 | 10 | $15.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
New Harmony Tornado. A NWS storm survey reported a tornado path in Sequatchie county and continued its track northeast into and across southeastern Bledsoe County. It had a path length of 16.3 miles in Bledsoe county and a 1/2 mile path width. The 190 mph wind destroyed several homes up on Waldens Ridge, with continuous damage noted into Rhea county. Numerous trees and barns were also downed in the path of the large tornado. Vehicles were picked up and thrown. ||Four people died in the Pitts Gap area just before the tornado reached New Harmony. The fatalities included a married couple–a 43 year old woman and a 39 year old man in their mobile home. A man, his wife (64 years old), and her sister (70 years old, visiting from Nashville) were in a camper, camping on Waldens Ridge when the tornado struck, killing the two sisters, and injuring the man. Another 10 people were injured.
N Dunlap Tornado. A NWS storm survey reported an EF1 tornado continued into Bledsoe county, Tennessee, just northeast of Mount Airy, Tennessee. The tornado tracked to near Highway 603 and the Lower East Valley Road in Bledsoe County where it dissipated. It had a path width of 80 yards and a path length of 1.47 miles in Bledsoe county. The 100 mph wind damage a few roofs and downed numerous trees.
Emergency manager personnel reported several trees downed by thunderstorm wind in Pikeville on Upper East Valley Road as well as Old Dayton Highway and Lockford Road. A roof on a TDOT building in Pikeville was also damaged.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
15,032
Population (ACS)
$189K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Apr 2, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | EM |
| Sep 27, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADO | DR |
| May 17, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADO | DR |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Pikeville 202
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bledsoe County, Tennessee?
287 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $21.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bledsoe County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 170 recorded events — 59.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bledsoe County?
7 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 4 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bledsoe County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bledsoe County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bledsoe County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bledsoe County as very low risk, placing it in the 24 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bledsoe County, Tennessee severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Benton County 287
- Blount County 533
- Bedford County 378
- Bradley County 438
- Anderson County 360
- Campbell County 279
Cite this page
“Bledsoe County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/bledsoe-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.