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Cannon County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 208 recorded events between 1974 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 58.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,395 nationally and #78 in Tennessee.
208
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
13
Direct injuries
$6.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Cannon County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cannon County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 4.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 62 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 3 events fall before 1990 and 205 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cannon County, Tennessee record is flash flood, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $4.2M 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 Cannon County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 122 | 0 | $2.1M | 78 | 1979–2025 |
| Hail | 37 | 0 | $3K | 2.75 | 1976–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 35 | 3 | $421K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 11 | 2 | $4.2M | F3 | 1974–2023 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $3K | 0 | 2004–2004 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2015 |
Decade by decade
Cannon County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
12 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 1 | 23 | 14.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-05-31 | EF2 | 1 | 2 | 6.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-04-01 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 18.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2002-04-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-01-24 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 3.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-04-07 | EF1 | 2 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-11-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-09-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cannon County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 2003 | Flash Flood | AUBURNTOWN | 3 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | Tornado | 1 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jun 1, 2001 | Tornado | AUBURNTOWN | 1 | 2 | $80K |
| Apr 1, 2023 | Tornado | READYVILLE | 0 | 2 | $3.0M |
| May 3, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | WOODBURY | 0 | 2 | $53K |
| Jan 24, 1997 | Tornado | PLEASANT RIDGE | 0 | 2 | $150K |
| May 10, 2004 | Lightning | WOODBURY | 0 | 1 | $3K |
| May 10, 2004 | Lightning | WOODBURY | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An outbreak of tornadic thunderstorms also produced locally heavy rainfall across middle Tennessee during the early morning hours of May 5, 2003. This series of storms also caused flooding on the Saunders Fork Creek in Cannon County, Tennessee. 3 people were drowned, in 2 separate vehicles, from the flooding waters of Sanders Fork Creek, along treacherous State Route 145. Louis Calhoun, age 71 was in one vehicle and Betty Gipson, age 60 with husband Jackie Gipson age 64 was in the other vehicle. These vehicles entered into the stream of water from different directions. Mr. Calhoun customarily made his 10-mile trip to a Hardee's restaurant around 4 AM CDT each day for breakfast. Jackie and Betty Gipson were attempting to get to a Rutherford county hospital at about 5 AM CDT.
The heaviest damage was at Marshall Creek Road. 2 homes were also damaged on Hughes Road. A farm house…where there was one fatality…was demolished on Marshall Creek Rd. There was destruction to a 2 story Cape Cod home, built in 1998, across the street. Bradley Jackson, age 64, was eating dinner when the tornado struck. His wife went into a closet. She was injured. Mr. Jackson was sucked out of his home and slammed against a silo 100 yards away and was killed. The couple's daughter Mrs. Felicity Vaughter, who lived across the street in a modular home, was injured. The modular home was ripped up and blown 30 to 50 yards. A washing machine landed on Mrs. Vaughter and paralyzed her. She was 3 months pregnant and lost her baby.
This narrative continues and concludes a tornado that began in Rutherford County. Near the Rutherford/Cannon county line, the tornado intensified even further to a strong EF2 and moved into the Readyville community on Murfreesboro Road, heavily damaging or destroying numerous homes and businesses. Several historic properties dating to the early 1800s such as the Readyville Mill and The Corners on Stones River were also heavily damaged. The tornado weakened as it continued northeast but still blew down numerous trees and caused minor damage to homes on Porterfield Road, Locke Creek Road, and Auburntown Road before the tornado lifted. Two people were injured. Damages are estimated for Cannon County.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
14,818
Population (ACS)
$252K
Median home value
22
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 |
| Jun 17, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 7, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| May 8, 2021 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cannon County, Tennessee?
208 events are on record between 1974 and 2025, causing 5 direct deaths and $6.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cannon County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 122 recorded events — 58.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cannon County?
12 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cannon County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cannon County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cannon County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cannon County as very low risk, placing it in the 23 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cannon 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
- Campbell County 279
- Carroll County 330
- Bradley County 438
- Carter County 183
- Blount County 533
- Cheatham County 299
Cite this page
“Cannon County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/cannon-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.