Counties with the most tornadoes in Tennessee

It's been a busy year for tornadoes in the U.S. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as many as 1,155 twisters have touched down across the country since the start of the year, above the average for this time of year.

A single day can drive up tornado counts. March 31, 2023, accounted for 163 tornadoes across the Midwest and South. Tornado activity usually peaks in the spring and early summer, and the pace of tornadoes usually slows around late summer. A smaller-scale second tornado season emerges in the fall, mostly in the Gulf Coast states.

Stacker used data from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information to find the counties in Tennessee that have experienced the most tornadoes since 2000. While data is available going back to 1950, tornado tracking by the National Weather Service became more robust and accurate in the 1990s. Since counties can vary in size, they are ranked by the number of tornadoes per 100 square miles. Counties that experienced less than five tornadoes are not included.

The counties that encounter the most tornadoes aren't all in the infamous Tornado Alley. When adjusted for county area, the top 10 counties that experienced the most tornadoes since 2000 are from nine different states, all in the Southeast with the exception of Cleveland County, Oklahoma.

Research has shown that Tornado Alley is shifting due to warming temperatures fueled by climate change. In the future, the Southeast could become the region that receives the bulk of the country's tornadoes. It's a concerning trend as the South is more populated than the Great Plains and has a higher concentration of mobile homes than other parts of the country, making the storms potentially deadlier and costlier.

As of August 2023, 75 people have died from tornadoes this year, and over 60% of those deaths occurred in mobile homes.

The best way to stay protected during tornadoes is to have multiple ways of receiving storm updates including social media, radio, television, and sirens, and to immediately seek shelter in a basement or interior room without windows when a tornado watch escalates to a warning.

Read on to see which counties experience the most tornadoes in Tennessee.

You may also like: Coldest Januarys in Tennessee since 1895

Canva

1 / 50

#50. McNairy County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 10 (1.78 per 100 square miles)
- #1,222 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 3

Canva

2 / 50

#49. Henry County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 11 (1.96 per 100 square miles)
- #1,097 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Canva

3 / 50

#48. Blount County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 11 (1.97 per 100 square miles)
- #1,085 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Canva

4 / 50

#47. DeKalb County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 6 (1.97 per 100 square miles)
- #1,081 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

SevenMaps // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Decatur County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 7 (2.10 per 100 square miles)
- #987 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

You may also like: Hottest Decembers in Tennessee since 1895

Canva

6 / 50

#45. Washington County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 7 (2.14 per 100 square miles)
- #959 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Canva

7 / 50

#44. Carroll County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 13 (2.17 per 100 square miles)
- #947 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 1

Canva

8 / 50

#43. Monroe County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 14 (2.20 per 100 square miles)
- #930 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

KennStilger47 // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Macon County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 7 (2.28 per 100 square miles)
- #865 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 1

Canva

10 / 50

#41. Claiborne County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 10 (2.30 per 100 square miles)
- #856 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

You may also like: Highest-rated wineries in Tennessee by visitors

Canva

11 / 50

#40. Warren County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 10 (2.31 per 100 square miles)
- #852 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Canva

12 / 50

#39. Perry County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 10 (2.41 per 100 square miles)
- #780 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Canva

13 / 50

#38. Madison County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 14 (2.51 per 100 square miles)
- #724 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Canva

14 / 50

#37. Jefferson County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 7 (2.55 per 100 square miles)
- #701 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 2

Canva

15 / 50

#36. Marion County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 13 (2.61 per 100 square miles)
- #677 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 1

You may also like: Top 5 uniquely popular potato chip brands in Tennessee

Canva

16 / 50

#35. Sequatchie County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 7 (2.63 per 100 square miles)
- #659 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Canva

17 / 50

#34. Henderson County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 14 (2.69 per 100 square miles)
- #634 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Canva

18 / 50

#33. Dyer County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 14 (2.73 per 100 square miles)
- #622 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Canva

19 / 50

#32. Putnam County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 11 (2.74 per 100 square miles)
- #615 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Canva

20 / 50

#31. McMinn County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 12 (2.79 per 100 square miles)
- #592 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

You may also like: Countries from which Tennessee imports the most goods

ultramansk // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Gibson County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 17 (2.82 per 100 square miles)
- #579 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Canva

22 / 50

#29. Humphreys County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 15 (2.82 per 100 square miles)
- #577 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Canva

23 / 50

#28. Dickson County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 14 (2.86 per 100 square miles)
- #564 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Canva

24 / 50

#27. Smith County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 9 (2.86 per 100 square miles)
- #563 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Canva

25 / 50

#26. Williamson County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 17 (2.92 per 100 square miles)
- #539 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

You may also like: The most popular grocery items for Christmas in Tennessee, according to Instacart

Canva

26 / 50

#25. Obion County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 16 (2.94 per 100 square miles)
- #530 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

laurie schaerer // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Bedford County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 14 (2.96 per 100 square miles)
- #519 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 1

Canva

28 / 50

#23. Cheatham County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 9 (2.98 per 100 square miles)
- #505 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

SevenMaps // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. Tipton County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 14 (3.05 per 100 square miles)
- #479 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 4

Canva

30 / 50

#21. Lawrence County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 19 (3.08 per 100 square miles)
- #469 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 2

You may also like: Highest-earning counties in Tennessee

Canva

31 / 50

#20. Robertson County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 15 (3.15 per 100 square miles)
- #440 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Canva

32 / 50

#19. Montgomery County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 17 (3.15 per 100 square miles)
- #437 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Canva

33 / 50

#18. White County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 12 (3.19 per 100 square miles)
- #424 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Canva

34 / 50

#17. Franklin County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 18 (3.25 per 100 square miles)
- #400 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 1

Canva

35 / 50

#16. Hickman County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 20 (3.27 per 100 square miles)
- #393 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

You may also like: Best counties to raise a family in Tennessee

Canva

36 / 50

#15. Cannon County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 9 (3.39 per 100 square miles)
- #352 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 1

Sabrina Janelle Gordon // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Houston County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 7 (3.49 per 100 square miles)
- #327 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Canva

38 / 50

#13. Coffee County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 15 (3.50 per 100 square miles)
- #326 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Canva

39 / 50

#12. Lake County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 6 (3.62 per 100 square miles)
- #299 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Canva

40 / 50

#11. Hamilton County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 20 (3.69 per 100 square miles)
- #285 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 1

You may also like: Counties in Tennessee with the most car repair shops

NancyRutledge // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. Lincoln County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 22 (3.86 per 100 square miles)
- #256 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 2

2Kahns Photo Arts // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Lewis County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 12 (4.25 per 100 square miles)
- #192 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 1

Canva

43 / 50

#8. Rutherford County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 27 (4.36 per 100 square miles)
- #176 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 3

Tracy Burroughs Brown // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Wilson County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 25 (4.38 per 100 square miles)
- #174 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Tracy Burroughs Brown // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. Sumner County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 24 (4.53 per 100 square miles)
- #152 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

You may also like: Highest-rated stouts in Tennessee

Canva

46 / 50

#5. Benton County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 18 (4.57 per 100 square miles)
- #147 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 1

Tracy Burroughs Brown // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. Bradley County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 16 (4.87 per 100 square miles)
- #117 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Canva

48 / 50

#3. Davidson County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 33 (6.55 per 100 square miles)
- #35 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

Ida Jones // Shutterstock

49 / 50

#2. Trousdale County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 10 (8.76 per 100 square miles)
- #11 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 1

Canva

50 / 50

#1. Moore County

- Tornadoes since 2000: 12 (9.29 per 100 square miles)
- #7 nationally
- Tornadoes this year, as of May 31: 0

You may also like: Best counties to retire to in Tennessee