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Dyer County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 263 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,019 nationally and #65 in Tennessee.
263
Recorded events
36
Direct deaths
147
Direct injuries
$98.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Dyer County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Dyer County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 3.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 68 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 58 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 Dyer County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 35 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $79.8M 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 Dyer County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 138 | 0 | $6.0M | F0 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 55 | 0 | $264K | 2 | 1967–2026 |
| Tornado | 33 | 35 | $79.8M | F4 | 1952–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 0 | $119K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 14 | 0 | $12.5M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Lightning | 6 | 1 | $147K | 0 | 1996–2007 |
Decade by decade
Dyer County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
34 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 32 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952-03-21 | EF4 | 4 | 5 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-03-21 | EF4 | 2 | 10 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-03-01 | EF4 | 1 | 15 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-03-01 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-04-02 | EF3 | 16 | 70 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-03-21 | EF3 | 10 | 30 | 18.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-04-16 | EF3 | 2 | 3 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-10 | EF3 | 0 | 38 | 122.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-04-02 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Dyer County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 2006 | Tornado | NEWBERN | 16 | 70 | $20.0M |
| Mar 22, 1952 | Tornado | 10 | 30 | $250K | |
| Mar 22, 1952 | Tornado | 4 | 5 | $250K | |
| Mar 22, 1952 | Tornado | 2 | 10 | $250K | |
| Apr 16, 1998 | Tornado | RO ELLEN | 2 | 3 | $250K |
| Mar 2, 1997 | Tornado | CHIC | 1 | 15 | $2.0M |
| May 30, 2006 | Lightning | NEWBERN | 1 | 1 | $10 |
| May 5, 2003 | Tornado | DYERSBURG | 0 | 10 | $50.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado spawned from the same parent supercell that produced damaging tornadoes west of the Mississippi River moved across Dyer County during the evening of April 2nd. The most affected areas were Millsfield, Maxey, and Newbern. The F3 tornado resulted in sixteen fatalities and 70 injuries. Seventy-one homes were destroyed and one hundred eighty-two were damaged.
The tornado started west of Ro Ellen and moved east. One mobile home with two persons inside was destroyed. The two persons in the mobile home were killed. Two other mobile homes were destroyed. A brick home was destroyed with a truck thrown on top of the house. Several other homes were damaged. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Debris from this tornado such as old income tax forms and life insurance policies were found near Dyer, Tennessee in nearby Gibson county. This meant the debris travelled about 15 miles.
The tornado touched down just southwest of Dyersburg and tracked northeast through the middle of the city. Over 70 homes were destroyed and more than 300 were damaged. Eight commercial buildings were destroyed and nearly 20 were damaged.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
36,508
Population (ACS)
$166K
Median home value
24
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 |
| Jan 14, 2022 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Dec 13, 2021 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Dyer County, Tennessee?
263 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 36 direct deaths and $98.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Dyer County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 138 recorded events — 52.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Dyer County?
34 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 32 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Dyer County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Dyer County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Dyer County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dyer County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 87 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Dyer 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
- Dickson County 484
- Fayette County 356
- DeKalb County 209
- Fentress County 298
- Decatur County 198
- Franklin County 449
Cite this page
“Dyer County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/dyer-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.