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Clay County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 187 recorded events between 1969 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 65.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,522 nationally and #83 in Tennessee.
187
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$2.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Clay County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Clay County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 3.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 87 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 7 events fall before 1990 and 180 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $833K 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 Clay County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 122 | 0 | $760K | 74 | 1974–2026 |
| Hail | 34 | 0 | $10K | 2 | 1969–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 21 | 0 | $833K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $21K | 0 | 2012–2018 |
| Tornado | 3 | 0 | $570K | EF1 | 2015–2023 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2019 |
Decade by decade
Clay County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
4 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-12-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-07-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Clay County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | NEELY XRDS | 0 | 2 | $10K |
| May 16, 2018 | Lightning | MEMORIAL | 0 | 1 | $10K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This EF-1 tornado touched down in Hermitage Springs just south of Highway 52 where it uprooted trees. Moving along and just north of Highway 52, the tornado continued to blow down trees and causing shingle damage to multiple homes. The worst damage occurred along Old Clementsville Road where four large agricultural buildings were destroyed. The tornado continued northeast, damaging the roof of a home on Clementsville Road. Scattered tree damage was noted as the path continued into Monroe County, Kentucky, where it caused EF-0 damage to a barn and trees along Beech Groves Boles Road. The tornado continued to weaken as it moved northeast damaging a few trees before lifting near Verona Road east of Hestand, Kentucky. The path length in Tennessee was around 5.78 miles, with a total path length of 11.16 miles.
Major flash flooding affected Clay County from the evening hours on July 2 into the morning hours on July 3. Numerous roads throughout the county were flooded and closed, including many in Celina such as Mitchell Street and others in Arcot. Several water rescues were also performed by emergency personnel, including one on Arcot Road. Homes and businesses were also flooded, mainly in and around Celina. A trailer home on Knob Creek Road was swept off its foundation and washed downstream in Knob Creek around 3 miles west of Celina. A CoCoRaHS observer 0.3 miles NNE of Celina measured 5.32 inches of rain over the 24 hour period ending at 8am on July 3.
Numerous roads were flooded across Clay County, including Wet Mill Creek Road, Pitcock Lane, Kyle Street at West Lake Avenue, Williamson Street, Poor House Road, Free Hill River Road, Arcott Road, Turkey Creek Road, New Hope Road, Finus Cherry Road, Trace Creek Road, Leonard Road, Luther Pedigo Road, and Mack Bean Road.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,670
Population (ACS)
$136K
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 |
| May 17, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADO | DR |
| May 8, 2021 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Clay County, Tennessee?
187 events are on record between 1969 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $2.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Clay County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 122 recorded events — 65.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Clay County?
4 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Clay County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Clay County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Clay County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Clay County as very low risk, placing it in the 13 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Clay 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
- Claiborne County 289
- Cocke County 264
- Chester County 189
- Coffee County 406
- Cheatham County 299
- Crockett County 177
Cite this page
“Clay County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/clay-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.