Sullivan County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 421 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 64.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,169 nationally and #21 in Tennessee.
421
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
18
Direct injuries
$7.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Sullivan County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Sullivan County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 6.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 145 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 40 events fall before 1990 and 381 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Sullivan County, Tennessee record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $4.4M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Sullivan County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 270 | 1 | $4.4M | 78 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 93 | 0 | $5K | 2.75 | 1960–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 29 | 0 | $80K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 16 | 0 | $6K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $62K | 0 | 2000–2007 |
| Tornado | 3 | 0 | $2.8M | F1 | 1974–2014 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2011 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2017 |
Decade by decade
Sullivan County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
4 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 4 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-07-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-10-01 | EF1 | 0 | 10 | 16.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-07-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 7.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-04 | EF0 | 0 | 2 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Sullivan County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25, 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | SPRINGDALE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 1, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 10 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 23, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | JACOB | 0 | 3 | $20K |
| Jul 10, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | HOLSTON VLY | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jul 18, 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | PINEY FLATS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A roof and back wall of a business located at the intersection of Eastman Road and East Stone Drive were heavily damaged due to severe thunderstorm winds. The roof was lifted up and a large portion of the back wall collapsed in.
Flooding reported on Weaver Pike near intersections at Bristol Heights Road and also Bellebrook Road. Reports of 8 to 10 inches of water over the road there, with flood waters going into Bristol Heights Estates mobile home park. Also flooding on nearby Ratheon Road noted.
An EF1 tornado occurred approximately three miles west southwest of Colonial Heights. The tornado had estimated winds of 110 mph with a path length of 0.5 miles and a width of 50 yards. One house was heavily damaged and a few other houses and barns had some damage. Also, numerous trees were uprooted or snapped off.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
160,624
Population (ACS)
$213K
Median home value
12
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 |
| Oct 2, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | DR |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Sullivan County, Tennessee?
421 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $7.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Sullivan County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 270 recorded events — 64.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Sullivan County?
4 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 4 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Sullivan County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Sullivan County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Sullivan County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sullivan County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 71 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Sullivan 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
- Stewart County 299
- Sumner County 738
- Smith County 266
- Tipton County 357
- Shelby County 1,180
- Trousdale County 124
Cite this page
“Sullivan County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/sullivan-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.