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Houston County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 162 recorded events between 1972 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 58.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,653 nationally and #88 in Tennessee.
162
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$9.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Houston County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Houston County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 3.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 51 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 2 events fall before 1990 and 160 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Houston County, Tennessee record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $4.9M 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 Houston County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 95 | 1 | $1.1M | 95 | 1991–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 28 | 0 | $4.9M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Hail | 22 | 0 | $15K | 2.75 | 1972–2024 |
| Tornado | 7 | 0 | $2.2M | F3 | 2000–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2016 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $801K | 0 | 2008–2010 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2024–2024 |
Decade by decade
Houston County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
8 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-05-27 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 17.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-02-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-11-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-03-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2009-04-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-11-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-02-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-11-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Houston County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 5, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | ERIN | 1 | 0 | $30K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Repeated development of thunderstorms across Houston County resulted in 5 to 7 inches of rain falling during the evening hours on April 27. Major flash flooding resulted from the heavy rainfall, with several homes and businesses damaged along with numerous roadways flooded. A house off Midway Drive was significantly damaged by the flood. Erin First Baptist Church, Houston County Middle School, and Sudden Service were some of the non-residential buildings that flooded. Fourteen residents were evacuated from the Oak Brook Retirement Home. Roads that were flooded, closed, or suffered flood damage in Erin included Main Street, Mobley Lane, Mitchell Road, Spring Street, Metcalf Drive, Front Street, Denmark Road, Hill Street Bridge, Tank Hill Road, Maple Street, Highway 149 and Highway 147. Other roadways across the county that were flooded or received flood damage included Highway 147 in McKinnon, Dancer Branch Road, Herman Clark Road, Moore Branch Road, and Kaiser Ridge Road.
The storm complex that produced a tornado in Benton county moved into Houston county and generated a tornado that hit Tennessee Ridge and Erin. The Houston county executive estimated 1.3 million dollars worth of damage. Roofs and walls of some well constructed homes were torn off. Many trees were snapped and blown down along with power lines. The Betty Ligon Pavillion in Erin was flattened. 50 people required shelter at Erin. A storage trailer was moved 50 feet at Tennessee Ridge.
A 5-10 mile wide swath of severe downburst winds struck eastern Houston County, mainly from Erin eastward to the Dickson County border. Dozens of power lines and power poles were blown down and thousands of trees were snapped or uprooted, with a few falling on homes. Power outages lasted up to 2 weeks, with most Houston County schools closed during this 2 week period. Damage estimates from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency across Houston County reached $500,000. Winds were estimated up to 90 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,353
Population (ACS)
$173K
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 |
| Aug 23, 2021 | Flood | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Houston County, Tennessee?
162 events are on record between 1972 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $9.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Houston County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 95 recorded events — 58.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Houston County?
8 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 4 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Houston County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Houston County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Houston County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Houston County as very low risk, placing it in the 13 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Houston 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
- Hickman County 376
- Humphreys County 262
- Henry County 333
- Jackson County 211
- Henderson County 307
- Jefferson County 307
Cite this page
“Houston County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/houston-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.