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Chester County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 189 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 40.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,505 nationally and #82 in Tennessee.
189
Recorded events
23
Direct deaths
103
Direct injuries
$5.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Chester County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Chester County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 2.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 56 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 14 events fall before 1990 and 175 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Chester County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 23 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $4.0M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Chester County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 77 | 0 | $615K | 87 | 1957–2024 |
| Hail | 75 | 0 | $60K | 4.5 | 1962–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 18 | 0 | $211K | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Tornado | 13 | 23 | $4.0M | F4 | 1952–2024 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $90K | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $80K | 0 | 2018–2018 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2019–2019 |
Decade by decade
Chester County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
14 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952-03-21 | EF4 | 38 | 157 | 46.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-04 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 21.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2012-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 17.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 24.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-03-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-11-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-02-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Chester County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 22, 1952 | Tornado | 23 | 100 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 26, 2012 | Tornado | MONTEZUMA | 0 | 1 | $400K |
| Nov 15, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | HENDERSON | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| May 6, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | HENDERSON | 0 | 1 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down along Highway 225 and Silerton Road near Montezuma and moved southeast for roughly 2 miles. Six homes were damaged with two sustaining significant damage. A roof of a church sustained minor damage. A few farm sheds were damaged as well. A camper and boat was destroyed. Trees were snapped in the area and a few vehicles sustained shattered windows. A cotton module compress was also destroyed. The tornado lifted along Cecil Thomas Road.
Very heavy rain, up to 12 inches, produced widespread flooding in Chester County. As many as 30 roads and bridges were flooded or washed out. The flash flood event transitioned to a flood event by late in the afternoon as heavy rain allowed rivers to overflow their banks.
A weak tornado touched down southwest of Jacks Creek and traveled northeast lifting just northeast of Jacks Creek. Numerous tree tops were broken off and many large trees were knocked down along the path. On Sweet Lips Road, a mobile home was damaged from a fallen tree. A couple of structures sustained roof damage. On Highway 100, trees and power lines were knocked down.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
17,611
Population (ACS)
$164K
Median home value
16
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 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| May 9, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Henderson 114
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Chester County, Tennessee?
189 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 23 direct deaths and $5.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Chester County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 77 recorded events — 40.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Chester County?
14 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Chester County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Chester County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Chester County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Chester County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 45 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Chester 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
- Cheatham County 299
- Claiborne County 289
- Carter County 183
- Clay County 187
- Carroll County 330
- Cocke County 264
Cite this page
“Chester County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/chester-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.