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Decatur County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 198 recorded events between 1975 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 44.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,455 nationally and #80 in Tennessee.
198
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$12.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Decatur County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Decatur County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 3.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 74 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 5 events fall before 1990 and 193 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 $5.1M 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 Decatur County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 89 | 0 | $4.0M | 78 | 1975–2026 |
| Hail | 56 | 0 | $38K | 3 | 1995–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 43 | 0 | $5.1M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 8 | 0 | $2.9M | F1 | 1984–2021 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Decatur County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 6 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-02-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-03-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-04-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 25.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-02-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2000-05-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-05-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-03-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-05-20 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Decatur County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 26, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | LIBERTY | 0 | 1 | $3.1M |
| May 31, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | BEACON | 0 | 1 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Very heavy rain up to 20 inches produced widespread flooding in Decatur County. Numerous roads and bridges were flooded or washed out. At least 40 roads and eight bridges were damaged from the flooding. As many as 89 homes sustained damage from the flood waters. Numerous rescues from homes and vehicles stranded in flood waters had to be made. The flash flood event transitioned to a flood event by late in the afternoon as heavy rain allowed rivers to overflow their banks.
Straight line winds caused significant damage across Decatur County. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down around the county. A 300 foot tower buckled and fell north of Decaturville. A large tree fell on a trailer home and car in rural Decatur County. A woman was critically injured. Numerous homes and structures around the county were damaged.
A tornado moved from Carroll County into Decatur County and continued northeast. Major damage was sustained to a mobile home in the Five Forks area. A large grain bin was tossed 50 yards and destroyed and there was minor damage to homes and trees in the Bible Hill area. Several tombstones were also overturned and damaged in Bible Hill. The most significant damage occurred on Blue Bird Circle at the Lick Creek Inlet. Eight homes sustained enough damage to render them uninhabitable along with damage to private boat docks and pontoon boats. A roof to a floating boat dock was lifted off of its foundation and tossed approximately one half mile across the inlet and destroyed. Damage to homes and businesses were estimated at 1.285 million dollars.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
11,579
Population (ACS)
$140K
Median home value
28
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Jun 19, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
| Jan 14, 2022 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Parsons 102
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Decatur County, Tennessee?
198 events are on record between 1975 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $12.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Decatur County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 89 recorded events — 44.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Decatur County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 6 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Decatur County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Decatur County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Decatur County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Decatur County as very low risk, placing it in the 38 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Decatur 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
- Davidson County 1,534
- DeKalb County 209
- Cumberland County 304
- Dickson County 484
- Crockett County 177
- Dyer County 263
Cite this page
“Decatur County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/decatur-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.