571
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
15
Direct injuries
$69.1M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Shelby County, Tennessee: 571 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 95. That places the county #77 nationally and #2 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Shelby County, Tennessee: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Shelby County is the 2010s, when 139 of the county's 571 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 Shelby County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 48.4% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #77 for this hazard and #2 within Tennessee, putting it in the 97.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Shelby County with 113 recorded events, while Oct 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 2023 | (MEM)MEMPHIS INTL AR | 74 | 3 | 0 | $500K |
| Jul 22, 2003 | COUNTYWIDE | 95 | 1 | 3 | $40.0M |
| Dec 11, 2021 | BUNTYN | 65 | 1 | 0 | $250K |
| May 11, 2001 | MILLINGTON | 0 | 0 | 2 | $1K |
| Jun 9, 1994 | Collierville | 0 | 0 | 2 | $5.0M |
| Jun 19, 2025 | WHITE STATION | 50 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
| Jul 21, 2023 | WHITE STATION | 50 | 0 | 1 | $15K |
| Mar 1, 2021 | LEEWOOD | 50 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2026 | WHITE STATION | 50 | $3K |
| Apr 28, 2026 | MILLINGTON | 50 | $5K |
| Mar 15, 2026 | BINGHAMTON | 50 | $5K |
| Mar 7, 2026 | NATIONAL CEMETERY | 50 | $1K |
| Mar 7, 2026 | EAST ACRES | 50 | $10K |
| Aug 19, 2025 | AULON | 39 | $25K |
| Aug 14, 2025 | MEMPHIS INTL ARPT | 43 | $1K |
| Jul 18, 2025 | CAPLEVILLE | 50 | $10K |
| Jul 17, 2025 | CAPLEVILLE | 50 | $5K |
| Jun 19, 2025 | WHITE STATION | 50 | $25K |
Other hazards here
More from Shelby County
- Hail 311
- Flash Flood 195
- Tornado 56
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
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.
Straight line winds created a swath of damage across Northern Shelby County. Damage in the Frayser and Raleigh areas consisted of broken shingles along with downed fences and trees. In the Millington area, a tree was knocked down destroying a couple of fences and power lines were knocked down across Cuba Millington Road. In the Bolton area, near the high school, roofs and buildings were damaged and many trees were knocked down. There was also minor fence damage southwest of Arlington. Across Shelby County there were 22 homes with minor damage, 13 homes with major damage and 5 homes were destroyed.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Shelby County, Tennessee?
571 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Shelby County between 1956 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Shelby County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Shelby County measured 95.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Shelby 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 Shelby County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/shelby-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.