Tornadoes · United States · Tennessee

Tornadoes in Davidson County, Tennessee

54 tornadoes have crossed Davidson County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 2nd of the 95 counties in Tennessee with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.4 years. They have killed 17 people and injured 499. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
54
Deaths
17
Injuries
499
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, April 7, 2006

The deadliest in Davidson County

  1. F3, Davidson and Sumner counties, TennesseeApril 7, 20067 killed, 128 injured
  2. EF3 Nashville tornado, TennesseeMarch 3, 20205 killed, 220 injured
  3. EF2, Davidson, Sumner and Trousdale counties, TennesseeDecember 9, 20233 killed, 22 injured
  4. F3, Davidson, Wilson and Trousdale counties, TennesseeApril 16, 19981 killed, 60 injured
  5. F2, Davidson County, TennesseeApril 1, 19741 killed, 12 injured

The strongest

  1. EF3 Nashville tornado, TennesseeMarch 3, 2020EF3, 60.1 mi (97 km)
  2. F3, Davidson, Wilson and Trousdale counties, TennesseeApril 16, 1998F3, 42.1 mi (68 km)
  3. F3, Davidson and Sumner counties, TennesseeApril 7, 2006F3, 22.7 mi (37 km)
  4. EF2, Davidson, Sumner and Trousdale counties, TennesseeDecember 9, 2023EF2, 34.8 mi (56 km)
  5. F2, Davidson and Wilson counties, TennesseeApril 16, 1998F2, 27.7 mi (45 km)
  6. F2, Cheatham and Davidson counties, TennesseeApril 7, 1972F2, 23.2 mi (37 km)
  7. EF2, Dickson, Cheatham and Davidson counties, TennesseeDecember 9, 2023EF2, 18.4 mi (30 km)
  8. F2, Davidson and Sumner counties, TennesseeMay 18, 1995F2, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  9. F2, Davidson County, TennesseeJanuary 22, 1957F2, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  10. EF2, Dickson, Cheatham and Davidson counties, TennesseeDecember 11, 2021EF2, 12.6 mi (20 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 27 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Davidson County. Each year links to every tornado in Tennessee that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF1
20232324EF2
202172EF2
202015220EF3
20192EF0
20175EF1
20151EF0
201331EF0
20112EF2
20102EF1
200911EF1
20081EF0
200617128F3
20051F0
20032F1
200041F1
19992F1
19984160F3
1995128F2
19742112F2
19731F1
1972115F2
197113F0
19682F1
19641F1
195714F2
19522F1

Every tornado that crossed Davidson County

54 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 28, 20262:28 AM CDTEF1Davidson1.6150
December 9, 20234:39 PM CSTEF2Davidson34.8400322$20 million
December 9, 20234:03 PM CSTEF2Dickson18.45002$2.5 million
December 11, 20213:33 AM CSTEF0Davidson1.450$250,000
December 11, 20213:31 AM CSTEF1Davidson7.71001$1.3 million
December 11, 20213:30 AM CSTEF1Davidson6.8150$1.8 million
December 11, 20213:12 AM CSTEF0Davidson9.0300$250,000
December 11, 20212:57 AM CSTEF2Dickson12.64001$1.5 million
May 4, 20216:03 AM CDTEF0Davidson6.4200$15,000
May 4, 20215:54 AM CDTEF0Cheatham4.9100$15,000
March 3, 202012:32 AM CSTEF3Nashville tornado60.11,6005220$1.5 billion
June 21, 20198:04 PM CDTEF0Davidson to KY1.350$30,000
June 21, 20198:00 PM CDTEF0Davidson2.0200$100,000
November 18, 20174:53 PM CSTEF1Davidson10.9100$70,000
November 18, 20174:30 PM CSTEF1Davidson2.3200$50,000
August 31, 201711:47 PM CDTEF0Davidson0.950$15,000
August 31, 201711:21 PM CDTEF1Davidson0.675$25,000
March 1, 20177:17 AM CSTEF0Davidson3.1100$55,000
July 2, 20155:15 PM CDTEF0Davidson0.950$20,000
January 30, 20133:12 AM CSTEF0Davidson3.2751$150,000
January 30, 20133:10 AM CSTEF0Davidson11.775$190,000
January 30, 20133:00 AM CSTEF0Davidson5.550$10,000
April 4, 20112:20 PM CDTEF1Davidson4.9100$500,000
February 24, 201110:02 PM CSTEF2Davidson7.5100$550,000
July 26, 20107:05 PM CDTEF1Davidson0.550$200,000
May 2, 20106:07 AM CDTEF1Davidson3.6300$500,000
April 2, 20094:00 PM CDTEF1Davidson2.01001$500,000
February 6, 200812:44 AM CSTEF0Davidson0.120
April 7, 20062:08 PM CDTF3Davidson22.78807128$79 million
November 15, 20056:15 PM CSTF0Davidson0.120$1,000
May 11, 20033:12 AM CDTF1Davidson4.5200$500,000
May 5, 20031:45 AM CDTF1Davidson0.270$250,000
May 26, 200012:45 PM CDTF1Davidson1.3500$20,000
May 24, 200012:00 AM CDTF1Davidson0.3100$20,000
May 24, 200011:58 PM CDTF1Davidson0.8100$20,000
February 13, 20006:04 PM CSTF1Davidson4.32001$500,000
May 5, 19999:58 PM CDTF1Davidson0.1100$1,000
May 5, 19999:45 PM CDTF1Davidson0.1100$10,000
June 30, 19983:09 AM CDTF1Davidson1.2100$20,000
April 16, 19985:15 PM CDTF2Davidson1.0800$500,000
April 16, 19984:20 PM CDTF2Davidson27.7880$3.0 million
April 16, 19983:30 PM CDTF3Davidson42.1880160$101 million
May 18, 199512:30 PM CDTF2Davidson15.07328$500,000 to $5 million
April 3, 19745:18 PM CDTF2Davidson4.7400$500,000 to $5 million
April 1, 19748:10 PM CDTF2Davidson10.9440112$500 to $5,000
May 10, 19731:45 PM CDTF1Davidson0.110$500 to $5,000
April 7, 19724:30 PM CSTF2Cheatham23.220015$50,000 to $500,000
May 24, 19719:55 PM CDTF0Davidson0.2103$50,000 to $500,000
May 25, 19687:40 PM GMT-5F1Davidson0.110
May 14, 19685:15 PM GMT-5F1Davidson0.110
December 25, 196410:00 PM GMT-6F1Davidson5.767$500,000 to $5 million
January 22, 19574:30 PM GMT-6F2Davidson15.01004$500,000 to $5 million
June 30, 19527:05 PM GMT-5F1Davidson0.310$500 to $5,000
February 13, 19527:45 PM GMT-6F1Davidson0.3200$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Davidson CountyThe forecast for Davidson CountyThe live radar over Davidson CountyEvery county in Tennessee

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.