Tornadoes and Hail in Tennessee, December 13, 1973

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Tennessee, December 13, 1973
Start: 1973-12-13T06:35
End: 1973-12-13T10:00
Location: Tennessee

December 13, 1973 · 5 events in 4 counties and zones

2 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 1 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 4
Property damage: $275,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Rhea

When: December 13, 6:35 AM CST
Where: Rhea County
Coordinates: 35.500, -85.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Knox

When: December 13, 7:40 AM CST
Where: Knox County
Coordinates: 36.070, -83.750

Tornado, Polk

When: December 13, 7:50 AM CST
Where: Polk County
Rating: F2
Path length: 0.8 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 35.180, -84.650

Hail, Polk

When: December 13, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Polk County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.200, -84.600

Tornado, Greene

When: December 13, 10:00 AM EDT
Where: Greene County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 36.170, -82.830

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Tennessee in 1973 Every state in 1973 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Tennessee, 1973

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10123163, 10123164, 10123165, 10123166, 10123167.