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Bradley County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 438 recorded events between 1963 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 61.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,106 nationally and #20 in Tennessee.
438
Recorded events
14
Direct deaths
423
Direct injuries
$53.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Bradley County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bradley County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 7.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 142 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 26 events fall before 1990 and 412 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Bradley County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 13 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $38.0M 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 Bradley County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 269 | 0 | $1.8M | 70 | 1963–2026 |
| Hail | 111 | 0 | $2K | 3 | 1974–2025 |
| Tornado | 27 | 13 | $38.0M | F3 | 1963–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 16 | 0 | $14.0M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 13 | 0 | $8K | 0 | 1997–2015 |
| Lightning | 2 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2009 |
Decade by decade
Bradley County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
28 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 21 touched down inside it and 7 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 | 20 | 335 | 48.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 3 | 50 | 21.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-12 | EF3 | 2 | 18 | 19.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-04-15 | EF3 | 1 | 9 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 1 | 100 | 18.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-03-02 | EF3 | 0 | 44 | 41.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-03-29 | EF3 | 0 | 50 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-02-06 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-04-15 | EF3 | 0 | 50 | 10.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-27 | EF2 | 4 | 0 | 28.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bradley County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2011 | Tornado | PINE HILL | 4 | 200 | $23.0M |
| Apr 27, 2011 | Tornado | CECILTON | 4 | 0 | $500K |
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 2 | 0 | $250K | |
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 1 | 100 | $250K | |
| Apr 27, 2011 | Tornado | MC DONALD | 1 | 0 | $75K |
| Jun 26, 1999 | Lightning | CLEVELAND | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 17, 1998 | Tornado | CLEVELAND | 1 | 0 | $750K |
| Mar 29, 1997 | Tornado | SW OF CLEVELAND | 0 | 50 | $3.2M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Ringgold-Apison Tornado. This tornado touched down in north Georgia and tracked northeast into Hamilton County, Tennessee, and then into Bradley County. In Bradley County, the max intensity still caused EF4 damage with the max wind extimated at 170 mph and did extensive damage to many homes and businesses. An additional 4 people were killed by the tornado in Bradley County in the Blue Springs Community. The fatalities included a 42 year old women from Wisconsin visiting her son in the Blue Springs community as well as the 3 month old boy in the same house she was trying to protect. In addition, a 40 year old women died in her home. Also, a 67 year old woman died in her home.
Cleveland-to-Etowah Tornado. A NWS storm survey reported this tornado formed south of Cleveland. The max wind of 130 mph downed many trees and caused EF2 damage to several homes. Four people died in the hardest-hit area. The fatalities included a 42 year old women as well as a 77 year old man both dying in their homes. In addition, a 34 year old women and a 56 year old women both died in their homes. The tornado continued to the east-northeast then tracked into Polk County.
Ooltewah-to-Cleveland Tornado. An EF1 tornado continued its path to the northeast from Hamilton county almost parallel to I-75 into western Bradley County. The tornado path showed a slight right bend at near 35.140N/84.993W, then continued to the northeast into the north side of Cleveland. The 90 mph wind downed numerous trees and slightly to moderately damaged several roofs throughout its path. A 56 year old man was killed due to flying debris and trees landing on the vehicle he was driving.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
111,065
Population (ACS)
$262K
Median home value
18
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 |
| Apr 24, 2020 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Cleveland 240
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bradley County, Tennessee?
438 events are on record between 1963 and 2026, causing 14 direct deaths and $53.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bradley County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 269 recorded events — 61.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bradley County?
28 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 21 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bradley County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bradley County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bradley County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bradley County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 73 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bradley 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
- Blount County 533
- Campbell County 279
- Bledsoe County 287
- Cannon County 208
- Benton County 287
- Carroll County 330
Cite this page
“Bradley County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/bradley-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.