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Lewis County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 191 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,492 nationally and #81 in Tennessee.
191
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
18
Direct injuries
$28.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Lewis County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lewis County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 2.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 66 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 4 events fall before 1990 and 187 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lewis County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $26.9M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Lewis County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 94 | 0 | $568K | 65 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 49 | 0 | $18 | 2.75 | 1977–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 21 | 0 | $923K | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Tornado | 16 | 1 | $26.9M | F2 | 1991–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2017 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2024 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $430K | 0 | 1997–2010 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
Decade by decade
Lewis County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
16 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-03-31 | EF3 | 9 | 23 | 86.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-12-23 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 48.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-03-22 | EF2 | 1 | 14 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-03-25 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 22.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-03-01 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 7.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-03-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-03-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-01-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-01-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-05-01 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 5.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lewis County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 23, 1991 | Tornado | 1 | 14 | $25.0M | |
| May 1, 2009 | Tornado | HOHENWALD | 0 | 2 | $200K |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | NAPIER | 0 | 1 | $5K |
| May 28, 2010 | Lightning | HOHENWALD | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This narrative continues and concludes a long track tornado that began in NWS Memphis's area before entering Wayne County in NWS Nashville's area. After leaving Wayne County, the tornado continued into Lewis County along Cothran Road and continued northeast across Seiber Ridge Road, Rockhouse Road, Howard Switch Road, Buffalo Road, and the Natchez Trace Parkway at Summertown Highway, blowing down hundreds of more trees and damaging several homes and outbuildings. The last damage was noted on Tiger Bennett Road before the tornado lifted west of Big Swan Road. Damages are estimated for Lewis County.
Across extreme northwest Lewis County, trailers were destroyed. Roofs were damaged. Barns and outbuildings were flattened along McCord Hollow Road and Cane Creek Rd.||TEMA reported 6 homes had major damage, one mobile home was destroyed in Lewis County.
State Highway 20, from Hohenwald down to the Lawrence County Border, had water across the road in numerous locations, making the road impassible. Also, county's swift water rescue team reported that State Highway 20 was flooded at multiple locations between the Natchez Trace Parkway and Hohenwald. Numerous homes and businesses|across the county also received flood damage. Also, additonal roads across the county|were impassible.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
12,992
Population (ACS)
$173K
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 |
| May 17, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADO | DR |
| 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 Lewis County, Tennessee?
191 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $28.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lewis County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 94 recorded events — 49.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lewis County?
16 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lewis County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lewis County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lewis County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lewis County as very low risk, placing it in the 14 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lewis 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
- Lawrence County 733
- Lincoln County 541
- Lauderdale County 235
- Loudon County 325
- Lake County 108
- McMinn County 484
Cite this page
“Lewis County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/lewis-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.