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Rutherford County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 762 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 54.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #326 nationally and #7 in Tennessee.
762
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
136
Direct injuries
$139.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Rutherford County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Rutherford County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 10.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 276 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 48 events fall before 1990 and 714 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Rutherford County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $123.7M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Rutherford County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 416 | 1 | $6.0M | 85 | 1961–2026 |
| Hail | 194 | 0 | $5.0M | 3 | 1959–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 50 | 0 | $149K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 46 | 3 | $123.7M | F4 | 1955–2025 |
| Flood | 21 | 0 | $3.8M | 0 | 2009–2022 |
| Lightning | 18 | 1 | $1.2M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2018 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Rutherford County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
48 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 38 touched down inside it and 10 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-04-10 | EF4 | 2 | 58 | 23.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-01-24 | EF4 | 0 | 18 | 6.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-11 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-04-28 | EF3 | 0 | 31 | 3.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 15.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-11-06 | EF2 | 1 | 3 | 10.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-05-31 | EF2 | 1 | 2 | 6.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-04-01 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 18.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-01-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-03-24 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Rutherford County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 10, 2009 | Tornado | ALLISONA | 2 | 58 | $100.0M |
| Nov 6, 2018 | Tornado | NEWTOWN | 1 | 3 | $3.4M |
| May 4, 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | MILTON | 1 | 0 | $4K |
| Apr 15, 2001 | Lightning | SMYRNA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | Tornado | MURFREESBORO | 0 | 31 | $2.3M |
| Jan 24, 1997 | Tornado | MURFREESBORO | 0 | 18 | $4.7M |
| May 18, 1995 | Tornado | Eagleville to | 0 | 4 | $50K |
| May 6, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | SOUTH PORTION | 0 | 3 | $5K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Rutherford County EMA reported a 64 year old male riding an ATV was killed on his property in the 7000 block of Ruel McKnight Road by a tree blown down on top of him. Tree was reportedly old and rotten with no other tree damage in the area. EMA estimated winds around 45 mph.
Hail ranging from quarter up to baseball size fell across a wide area from Barfield northward through central Murfreesboro and across the Murfreesboro Municipal Airport. Some hailstones were measured up to baseball size in Barfield, but most of the hail was quarter to golfball size from Murfreesboro northward to east of Walterhill. Hail also reportedly covered the ground in Murfreesboro. Thousands of cars were damaged by the hail, along with hundreds of homes and businesses, resulting in millions of dollars in damage. Up to two dozen planes at the Murfreesboro Municipal Airport were also battered by the hail resulting in $500,000 damage, including holes punctured in the wings of some planes. This was the worst known October hail storm in the history of Rutherford County.
The tornado touchdown near Scott Street and caused some damage to businesses there, and continued across broad street where it caused significant damage to shops in the Jackson Heights Mall, especially a bank and a movie theater, were several people experienced minor injuries. Several vechiles in the parking lot were also damaged. The tornado also caused major damage to the Boys and Girls Club located on Jones Boulevard. Numerous trees and power lines along with minor structural damage was observed to homes north of Lokey Avenue, and there was some structural damage to businesses on Memorial Boulevard near Clark Boulevard. Maximum winds were estimated at 90 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
360,646
Population (ACS)
$383K
Median home value
17
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 |
| Apr 7, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Murfreesboro 187
- Smyrna 106
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Rutherford County, Tennessee?
762 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $139.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Rutherford County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 416 recorded events — 54.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Rutherford County?
48 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 38 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Rutherford County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Rutherford County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Rutherford County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rutherford County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 92 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Rutherford 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
- Robertson County 501
- Scott County 271
- Roane County 383
- Sequatchie County 231
- Rhea County 333
- Sevier County 411
Cite this page
“Rutherford County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/rutherford-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.