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Pickett County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 99 recorded events between 1973 and 2024. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 57.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,886 nationally and #95 in Tennessee.
99
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$13.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Pickett County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Pickett County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 1.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 40 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 6 events fall before 1990 and 93 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Pickett County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $12.6M 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 Pickett County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 57 | 0 | $639K | 78 | 1973–2024 |
| Hail | 27 | 0 | $10K | 1.75 | 1978–2023 |
| Tornado | 6 | 5 | $12.6M | F4 | 1974–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $126K | 0 | 2001–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2018 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2019–2019 |
Decade by decade
Pickett 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: 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 | EF4 | 5 | 6 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-04-16 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 8.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 11 | 27.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-07-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-04-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2000-04-20 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-05-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Pickett County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1974 | Tornado | 5 | 6 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 16, 1998 | Tornado | BYRDSTOWN | 0 | 4 | $10.0M |
| May 29, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | STATIC | 0 | 1 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
40 homes and 22 mobile homes were destroyed from this tornado. 95% of the trees were destroyed in the path of the tornado. 45 utility poles were blown down. 100 barns were destroyed, 2 green houses were heavily damaged, and there was damage to fences and pasture land. There were 4 people injured, but they were treated and released.
Strong to severe winds associated with the rear flank downdraft of a supercell blew down numerous trees across southern Pickett County. Several trees were blown down on Hill Cemetary Road, and another tree fell and blocked Cherry Tree Lane near the Oak Grove Cemetary. A barn was damaged at the south end of Tompkins Lane. A tree fell on a home at 525 Tallman Lane causing significant damage, and another tree fell on a cabin on Eastport Road crushing part of the building. A marina broke away from shore at East Port Marina causing minor damage.
A Microburst resulted in snapped and uprooted trees, with a farm straddling the state line receiving the most significant damage. A carport was destroyed and blown away, and a barn was completely destroyed. The damage path was approximately two miles long and 100 yards wide.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
5,079
Population (ACS)
$179K
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 |
| May 17, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADO | DR |
| Apr 21, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Pickett County, Tennessee?
99 events are on record between 1973 and 2024, causing 5 direct deaths and $13.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Pickett County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 57 recorded events — 57.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Pickett County?
8 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 6 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Pickett County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Pickett County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Pickett County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pickett County as very low risk, placing it in the 5 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Pickett 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
- Perry County 222
- Polk County 270
- Overton County 290
- Putnam County 478
- Obion County 281
- Rhea County 333
Cite this page
“Pickett County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/pickett-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.