Union County, Tennessee severe weather history spans 214 recorded events between 1977 and 2024. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 81.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,356 nationally and #75 in Tennessee.
214
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$2.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Union County, Tennessee severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Union County, Tennessee severe weather history averages 4.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 94 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 3 events fall before 1990 and 211 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $1.5M 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 Union County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 175 | 0 | $1.0M | 70 | 1985–2024 |
| Hail | 21 | 0 | $5K | 2.75 | 1985–2020 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2019 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $250K | F1 | 1977–2009 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2011 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
Union County, Tennessee severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977-10-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-05-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 8.7 mi | Crossed in |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Knoxville News Sentinel newspaper reported a 14 year old girl was struck by lightning as she was entering her home in Luttrell as lightning struck the door she was entering. She treated and released at a hospital with minor burns on her hand and is expected to fully recover.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
20,431
Population (ACS)
$204K
Median home value
16
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 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 17, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Union County, Tennessee?
214 events are on record between 1977 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths and $2.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Union County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 175 recorded events — 81.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Union County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Union County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Union County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Union County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Union County as very low risk, placing it in the 13 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Union 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
- Unicoi County 110
- Van Buren County 103
- Trousdale County 124
- Warren County 265
- Tipton County 357
- Washington County 299
Cite this page
“Union County, Tennessee.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/tennessee/union-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.