Johnson County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 119 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 59.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,817 nationally and #91 in Tennessee.
119
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$9.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Johnson County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Johnson County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 1.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 50 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 5 events fall before 1990 and 114 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Johnson County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $7.0M 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 Johnson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 71 | 0 | $350K | 65 | 1963–2025 |
| Hail | 23 | 0 | $6K | 2 | 1957–2015 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 1 | $7.0M | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $900K | 0 | 1999–2020 |
| Tornado | 3 | 2 | $1.1M | F1 | 1998–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2007–2007 |
Decade by decade
Johnson County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-27 | EF2 | 2 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-03 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 9.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-05-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Johnson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2011 | Tornado | DOEVILLE | 2 | 0 | $1.0M |
| Sep 27, 2024 | Flash Flood | TRADE | 1 | 0 | $6.5M |
| Jun 4, 1998 | Tornado | DOEVILLE | 0 | 3 | $125K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A NWS storm survey reported an EF2 tornado touched down near Butler. It had a path length of 12 miles and a path width of 250 yards. The max wind of 120 mph destroyed homes and buildings and downed numerous trees. In addition, 2 women died. A 54 year old woman died in her home in the Doe Valley community and a 53 year old woman died in her home in Butler.
Reports of water rescues in Trade were received at 8:30 am EST. By 9:30 am EST, multiple structures had been damaged by flood waters throughout Trade. Damaging flood waters occurred in Mountain City and northward through Laurel Bloomery through the morning. Employees at the Parkdale Plant between Mountain City and Midway were evacuated by helicopter. Antioch Baptist Church near Midway was completely washed away by Roan Creek, to which it was adjacent. Portions of TN 91 from Laurel Bloomery northward to the state line were washed out. Flooding hazards in the county continued into the night. Reports were received from county officials, trained spotters, social media, and broadcast media.
This was a very small and brief tornado that remained on the ground for less than 8 minutes and 250 yards while causing widespread roof damage to two homes, as well as completely destroying two sheds and a carport structure. Everyone interviewed stated that the system was rain shielded, thereby not allowing any witnesses to the event. The storm moved almost due east dropping out of the Holston Mountains and into the valley floor below where the brief EF-0 spun up before weakening into a straight line wind event with estimated winds of 50-70 mph for another one quarter mile. The straight line winds also caused some minor roof damage as well as completely destroying a dilapidated barn.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
18,196
Population (ACS)
$179K
Median home value
20
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, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | EM |
| Apr 7, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Johnson County, Tennessee?
119 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths and $9.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Johnson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 71 recorded events — 59.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Johnson County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Johnson County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Johnson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Johnson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Johnson County as very low risk, placing it in the 28 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Johnson 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
- Jefferson County 307
- Knox County 774
- Jackson County 211
- Lake County 108
- Humphreys County 262
- Lauderdale County 235
Cite this page
“Johnson County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/johnson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.