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Shelby County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 1,180 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #81 nationally and #2 in Tennessee.
1,180
Recorded events
17
Direct deaths
162
Direct injuries
$2.4B
Property damage
The record
What the Shelby County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Shelby County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 15.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 312 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 226 events fall before 1990 and 954 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Shelby County, Tennessee record is tornado, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $2.1B in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Shelby County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 571 | 5 | $69.1M | 95 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 311 | 0 | $528K | 3 | 1958–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 195 | 4 | $86.3M | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Tornado | 56 | 6 | $178.4M | F3 | 1950–2019 |
| Lightning | 27 | 1 | $1.7M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 18 | 1 | $2.1B | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2019–2019 |
Decade by decade
Shelby County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
56 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 53 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-12-14 | EF3 | 6 | 121 | 25.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1968-04-03 | EF3 | 4 | 32 | 28.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-11-27 | EF3 | 3 | 25 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-04-21 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-04-24 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 17.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-04-24 | EF3 | 0 | 18 | 12.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-04-24 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 10.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-02-05 | EF2 | 3 | 13 | 10.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-02-05 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 8.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-06-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Shelby County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 27, 1994 | Tornado | 3 | 25 | $50.0M | |
| Feb 5, 2008 | Tornado | WHITEHAVEN | 3 | 13 | $100.0M |
| Apr 1, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | (MEM)MEMPHIS INTL AR | 3 | 0 | $500K |
| Jul 22, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 3 | $40.0M |
| Dec 11, 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | BUNTYN | 1 | 0 | $250K |
| May 1, 2010 | Flash Flood | KERRVILLE | 1 | 0 | $28.9M |
| Jul 5, 2009 | Flash Flood | MILLINGTON | 1 | 0 | $20K |
| Apr 1, 2008 | Flood | COLLIERVILLE ARPK | 1 | 0 | $10K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado started just southwest of Germantown and moved northeast through the eastern part of Shelby County and then continued into the northwest part of Fayette County. Three persons were killed in Germantown when the tornado struck a home where 16 people had gathered for a family reunion. Twenty-five persons were injured in the Germantown area. Overall, 28 homes were destroyed and 300 other homes were damaged. Houston High School was badly damaged and a nearby church sustained significant damage. Thirty utility poles were blown down along with a several trees. Two mobile homes were destroyed in Fayette County. M44H,M11H,M48H
NWS meteorologists determined that straight-line winds impacted portions of southern and southeast Shelby County on the evening of March 31. Strong winds developed in the forward flank downdraft of a supercell thunderstorm and caused considerable tree damage and downed power lines in the area. Peak winds were estimated at 85 mph. A tree fell on a house near the Memphis International Airport resulting in the 3 fatalities.
Shelby County was hit hard by a downburst wind event. Numerous trees, power lines and power poles were blown down. Some of the trees fell on houses producing some major damage. At least 20 buildings collapsed. Numerous homes and buildings were damaged and a few were destroyed. Among the damaged buildings was the Gibson Guitar Factory in downtown Memphis. One person was killed when a tree fell on his house crushing him. Over 300,000 homes in the county were without electricity. Most were without power for anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks. Several people will killed due to post storm related issues such as carbon monoxide poisoning from improperly using generators.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
919,173
Population (ACS)
$249K
Median home value
28
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 |
| Sep 4, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Aug 17, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Memphis 199
- Germantown 125
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Shelby County, Tennessee?
1,180 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 17 direct deaths and $2.4B in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Shelby County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 571 recorded events — 48.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Shelby County?
56 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 53 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Shelby County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Shelby County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Shelby County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Shelby County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 99 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Shelby 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
- Sevier County 411
- Smith County 266
- Sequatchie County 231
- Stewart County 299
- Scott County 271
- Sullivan County 421
Cite this page
“Shelby County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/shelby-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.