Tornado and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, April 20, 1986

Name: Tornado and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, April 20, 1986
Start: 1986-04-20T18:25
End: 1986-04-20T20:02
Location: Tennessee

April 20, 1986 · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

7 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 6
Property damage: $250,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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

7 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Marion

When: April 20, 6:25 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 27 yd
Injuries: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 35.080, -85.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Cumberland

When: April 20, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Cumberland County
Coordinates: 36.020, -85.030

Thunderstorm Wind, Hamilton

When: April 20, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Hamilton County
Coordinates: 35.050, -85.280

Thunderstorm Wind, McMinn

When: April 20, 7:20 PM CST
Where: McMinn County
Coordinates: 35.600, -84.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Fentress

When: April 20, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Fentress County
Coordinates: 36.150, -85.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Bradley

When: April 20, 7:45 PM CST
Where: Bradley County
Coordinates: 35.130, -84.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Knox

When: April 20, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Knox County
Coordinates: 35.930, -83.970

Thunderstorm Wind, Loudon

When: April 20, 8:02 PM CST
Where: Loudon County
Coordinates: 35.730, -84.350

What these are

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Tennessee in 1986 Every state in 1986 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Tennessee, 1986 Warnings in Tennessee, April 1986

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: 10119334, 10119335, 10119336, 10119337, 10119338, 10119339, 10119340, 10119341.