Jefferson County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 307 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 74.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,747 nationally and #42 in Tennessee.
307
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$4.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Jefferson County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jefferson County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 4.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 105 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 15 events fall before 1990 and 292 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $2.2M 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 Jefferson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 230 | 0 | $1.5M | 74 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 51 | 0 | $1K | 2 | 1986–2025 |
| Tornado | 10 | 0 | $153K | F2 | 1955–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $8K | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $150K | 0 | 1996–2010 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $2.2M | 0 | 2009–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
Jefferson 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: 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-06-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-11-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-01-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-01-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-07-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jefferson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 11, 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | NEW MARKET | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 17, 2004 | Lightning | GRAVELLY HILL | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 2, 2002 | Lightning | DOUGLAS LAKE NORTH | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 26, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Continuous heavy rainfall from thunderstorms caused extensive flooding countywide. 50 homes and five mobile homes in the county suffered minor to major damage due to the flooding. Two local businesses also had minor damage due to the flood waters.
The NWS storm survey team concluded that an EF1 tornado tracked across Jefferson County on the 13th of June. It formed 4.7 miles northwest of New Market and lifted 3.1 west-northwest of New Market. It had a path length of 2.0 miles and a path width of 120 yards. The max wind of 100 mph snapped and uprooted numerous trees along its damage path, as well as causing roof damage to a home.
A NWS Storm Survey reported an EF0 tornado touched down near White Pine. It formed near Rankin Road then tracked to the southern portions of White Pine where it dissipated. The max wind of 80 mph caused minor roof damage on a few homes and downed several trees.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
56,864
Population (ACS)
$229K
Median home value
21
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 |
| Oct 2, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | DR |
| Sep 27, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADO | DR |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jefferson County, Tennessee?
307 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $4.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jefferson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 230 recorded events — 74.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jefferson County?
10 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 Jefferson County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jefferson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jefferson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jefferson County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 45 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jefferson 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
- Jackson County 211
- Johnson County 119
- Humphreys County 262
- Knox County 774
- Houston County 162
- Lake County 108
Cite this page
“Jefferson County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/jefferson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.