245
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$3.4M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Putnam County, Tennessee: 245 recorded events between 1959 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 83. That places the county #712 nationally and #25 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Putnam County, Tennessee: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Putnam County is the 2010s, when 88 of the county's 245 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Putnam County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 51.3% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #712 for this hazard and #25 within Tennessee, putting it in the 77.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Putnam County with 64 recorded events, while Sep is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 23, 1991 | 0 | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jul 22, 2008 | COOKEVILLE | 50 | 0 | 1 | $10K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2025 | COOKEVILLE | 61 | $25K |
| May 2, 2025 | BERBLECH | 70 | $250K |
| Jul 30, 2024 | COOKEVILLE | 56 | $5K |
| Jul 30, 2024 | SILVER PT | 50 | $5K |
| Jul 30, 2024 | ENSOR | 56 | $5K |
| Jul 30, 2024 | BOMA | 56 | $5K |
| Jul 30, 2024 | DITTY | 56 | $5K |
| Jul 30, 2024 | MILL CREEK | 56 | $5K |
| Jul 30, 2024 | GOFFTON | 56 | $5K |
| Jul 30, 2024 | POPLAR GROVE | 56 | $5K |
Other hazards here
More from Putnam County
- Hail 121
- Flash Flood 59
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Very strong thunderstorm winds caused significant damage in the Monterey area. On Belmont Road, a tree fell onto a home which caused siding damage. Also on Belmont Road, a tree fell onto another home, this time causing more significant damage as the tree fell into the home which caused roof and wall damage. On Highway 70, winds caused shingle damage to a mobile home as well as a commercial building. No injuries were reported. Damages are a rough estimate.
Numerous trees were down around the county. Cookeville Police Department reported that the "City of Cookeville looks like a war zone". At least 15 power poles were downed by strong winds in Monterey. Some trees fell on homes. One mobile home was destroyed. A newspaper story said a tree fell and ruptured some gas line equipment at the Windrowe subdivision off South Maple Avenue in Cookeville. Several people were evacuated from their homes as a precautionary measure until the gas line was shut off.
A NWS storm survey found a severe 17 mile long by 1 mile wide downburst caused major wind damage along the Putnam/Overton County border from southwest of Rickman southeastward to around Monterey. Damage was first reported on Cindy Lane in northern Putnam County where trees were blown down. Numerous more trees were snapped and uprooted along Ben Mason Road just north of the county line in Overton County. The roof was blown off a large warehouse at a flea market on Highway 111, and a nearby outbuilding lost many wood panels on the outside walls. Dozens of large trees were also snapped and uprooted along Spring Creek Road in Rickman, with several falling on homes and vehicles. Farther to the east, a barn lost much of its roof on Highway 84 near Lewis Lane, and numerous trees and power lines were blown down along Highway 84 south of Boswell Road. Large trees were blown down and playground equipment destroyed in Whittaker Park in Monterey, and several more trees were blown down on Clinchfield Drive and Meadow Creek Road southeast of Monterey. Wind speeds were estimated up to 85 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Putnam County, Tennessee?
245 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Putnam County between 1959 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Putnam County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Putnam County measured 83.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Putnam County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Putnam County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/putnam-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.