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Lake County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 108 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 50.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,856 nationally and #93 in Tennessee.
108
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$7.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Lake County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lake County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 1.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 33 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 11 events fall before 1990 and 97 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lake County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.4M 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 Lake County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 54 | 0 | $491K | 80 | 1956–2024 |
| Hail | 28 | 0 | $533K | 2.5 | 1971–2025 |
| Tornado | 10 | 3 | $5.4M | F2 | 1978–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 9 | 0 | $51K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $1.3M | 0 | 1998–2019 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $60K | 0 | 1999–2001 |
Decade by decade
Lake County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
9 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-12-10 | EF4 | 8 | 14 | 81.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-05-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 24.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 18.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2002-04-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-09-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-07-22 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-01-21 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-04-19 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-03-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lake County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 11, 2021 | Tornado | MOORING | 3 | 0 | $4.5M |
| May 4, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | COTTONWOOD | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
After traveling along the Mississippi River the tornado crossed into Lake County, Tennessee southwest of Wynnburg. The tornado significantly damaged trees with debarking southwest of Wynnburg. Homes and shop buildings suffered substantial damage north of Wynnburg. The tornado approached the Reelfoot Lake area and caused significant damage to a hotel, convenience store, restaurant, and camping facilities in the Cypress Point area. Three fatalities occurred in this area. On the southeast shore of Reelfoot Lake, the tornado damaged cabins and numerous recreational vehicles that were parked in a storage area. The tornado then crossed into Obion County, Tennessee. Peak winds in Lake County were estimated at 165-170 mph.
The Mississippi River rose to record levels in Tiptonville during the beginning to middle part of May. A few homes along the river were flooded and sustained damage while additional homes in Tiptonville were flooded and sustained minor damage. Campgrounds at Reelfoot Lake were flooded. Several thousand acres of agriculture fields were flooded. Several roads were flooded and/or damaged. Lake County Airport was closed due to the flooding. The river remained above flood stage through the end of the month.
The tornado touched down just west of Tiptonville and tracked northeast just north of Tiptonville. Eleven mobile homes were destroyed and another twelve were damaged. A shed was demolished. Five homes were also damaged. Numerous trees were blown down.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
6,579
Population (ACS)
$98K
Median home value
22
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 |
| 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 |
| 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 Lake County, Tennessee?
108 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths and $7.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lake County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 54 recorded events — 50.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lake County?
9 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lake County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lake County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lake County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lake County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 48 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lake 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
- Knox County 774
- Lauderdale County 235
- Johnson County 119
- Lawrence County 733
- Jefferson County 307
- Lewis County 191
Cite this page
“Lake County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/lake-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.