416
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$6.0M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Rutherford County, Tennessee: 416 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 85. That places the county #192 nationally and #8 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Rutherford County, Tennessee: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Rutherford County is the 2010s, when 161 of the county's 416 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 Rutherford County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 54.6% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #192 for this hazard and #8 within Tennessee, putting it in the 93.8 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Rutherford County with 78 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 2016 | MILTON | 39 | 1 | 0 | $4K |
| May 6, 1999 | SOUTH PORTION | 0 | 0 | 3 | $5K |
| Apr 9, 1991 | 0 | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Mar 1, 2017 | SANDHILL | 70 | 0 | 1 | $30K |
| Aug 2, 2016 | OVERALL | 52 | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| May 16, 2009 | MURFREESBORO | 45 | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Jul 14, 2004 | SMYRNA | 70 | 0 | 1 | $50K |
| May 26, 1998 | SMYRNA ARPT | 0 | 0 | 1 | $500 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2026 | MURFREESBORO | 52 | $1K |
| Apr 16, 2026 | OVERALL | 52 | $2K |
| Apr 16, 2026 | PUCKETT | 43 | $2K |
| Dec 19, 2025 | MURFREESBORO | 52 | $15K |
| Sep 21, 2025 | MURFREESBORO ARPT | 52 | $1K |
| Jun 6, 2025 | ROCK SPGS | 52 | $10K |
| May 20, 2025 | LEANNA | 61 | $5K |
| May 20, 2025 | LITTLE HOPE | 70 | $50K |
| Apr 10, 2025 | SMYRNA ARPT | 52 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | BIG SPGS | 52 | $10K |
Other hazards here
More from Rutherford County
- Hail 194
- Flash Flood 50
- Tornado 46
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.
A swath of intense damaging winds up to 80 mph occurred across central Murfreesboro from around the Stones River to downtown. Damage consisted of many trees down or uprooted, many branches snapped off, and some structural damage, primarily due to trees or branches falling. There was some minor roof damage to a few buildings, including metal peeled up at a business and some shingles lost on a few houses. Damages are a rough estimate.
High winds toppled the steel radio tower for WGNS-AM radio station. The tower was built in 1946 and was 328 feet tall. The tower was Murfreesboro tallest structure. Damage to the tower was estimated between $250K to $500K.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Rutherford County, Tennessee?
416 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Rutherford County between 1961 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Rutherford County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Rutherford County measured 85.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Rutherford 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 Rutherford County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/rutherford-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.