Tornadoes · United States · Tennessee

Tornadoes in Gibson County, Tennessee

34 tornadoes have crossed Gibson County since 1950, 11th of the 95 counties in Tennessee with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.2 years. They have killed 14 people and injured 238. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and 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
34
Deaths
14
Injuries
238
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, May 7, 1971

The deadliest in Gibson County

  1. F3, Gibson, Weakley and Carroll counties, TennesseeApril 2, 20066 killed, 44 injured
  2. F4, Gibson, Carroll, Benton and Humphreys counties, TennesseeMay 7, 19713 killed, 137 injured
  3. F3, Gibson County, TennesseeApril 2, 20062 killed, 6 injured
  4. F2, Gibson County, TennesseeMarch 21, 19522 killed, 2 injured
  5. F2, Gibson County, TennesseeJanuary 19, 19881 killed

The strongest

  1. F4, Gibson, Carroll, Benton and Humphreys counties, TennesseeMay 7, 1971F4, 50.9 mi (82 km)
  2. F4, Gibson County, TennesseeMarch 1, 1997F4, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  3. EF3, Dyer, Obion, Gibson, Calloway, Christian and Todd counties, Tennessee and KentuckyDecember 10, 2021EF3, 122.6 mi (197 km)
  4. F3, Gibson, Weakley and Carroll counties, TennesseeApril 2, 2006F3, 31.0 mi (50 km)
  5. F3, Gibson County, TennesseeApril 2, 2006F3, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  6. F2, Gibson County, TennesseeMarch 1, 1997F2, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  7. F2, Crockett and Gibson counties, TennesseeMay 3, 1979F2, 9.4 mi (15 km)
  8. F2, Gibson County, TennesseeNovember 15, 1989F2, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  9. EF2, Gibson County, TennesseeFebruary 15, 2025EF2, 4.1 mi (7 km)
  10. F2, Gibson County, TennesseeJanuary 19, 1988F2, 4.0 mi (6 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 22 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Gibson County. Each year links to every tornado in Tennessee that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20252EF2
202313EF1
20221EF1
2021138EF3
20202EF1
20181EF0
20102EF2
20062850F3
20051F1
20036F1
19972F4
19951F0
19941F1
19901F0
19891F2
198811F2
197915F2
19771F1
197113137F4
196711F1
195732F2
1952122F2

Every tornado that crossed Gibson County

34 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 2, 20258:35 PM CDTEF1Obion9.3350$325,000
February 15, 20257:01 PM CSTEF2Gibson4.1300$500,000
December 9, 202311:32 AM CSTEF1Gibson24.96003$1.3 million
March 30, 20226:31 PM CDTEF1Madison7.1250$300,000
December 10, 202110:32 PM CSTEF3Dyer to KY122.62,00038$17 million
June 4, 20205:44 PM CDTEF0Gibson1.960$15,000
March 2, 202010:12 PM CSTEF1Gibson7.3100$250,000
February 24, 20187:17 PM CSTEF0Gibson4.375$25,000
November 25, 20102:30 PM CSTEF0Gibson0.6200$100,000
May 2, 20102:20 AM CDTEF2Gibson3.0200$500,000
April 2, 20068:43 PM CDTF3Gibson8.088026$15 million
April 2, 20068:09 PM CDTF3Gibson31.0880644$27 million
November 15, 20051:20 PM CSTF1Crockett15.0300$700,000
May 8, 20031:20 PM CDTF1Gibson4.0100$30,000
May 5, 20037:15 PM CDTF0Gibson0.550$1,000
May 5, 20031:26 PM CDTF0Gibson0.525$1,000
May 4, 200310:50 PM CDTF1Gibson5.0100$100,000
May 4, 200310:40 PM CDTF0Gibson12.075$50,000
May 4, 20039:25 PM CDTF1Gibson8.0100$100,000
March 1, 19977:30 PM CSTF4Gibson10.0200$100,000
March 1, 19974:07 PM CSTF2Gibson15.0100$30,000
June 6, 19952:45 PM CDTF0Gibson0.510$5,000 to $50,000
June 26, 19945:17 PM CDTF1Gibson4.050$50,000 to $500,000
May 27, 19903:30 PM CDTF0Gibson0.817$50 to $500
November 15, 198912:55 PM CSTF2Gibson5.080$5,000 to $50,000
January 19, 198811:58 AM CSTF2Gibson4.0601$50,000 to $500,000
May 3, 19795:50 PM CDTF2Crockett9.4735$5,000 to $50,000
November 21, 19771:35 AM CSTF1Gibson0.2440$5,000 to $50,000
May 7, 19716:45 PM CDTF4Gibson50.91003137$500,000 to $5 million
May 6, 196711:45 PM GMT-5F1Gibson0.1101$50,000 to $500,000
December 19, 19579:20 PM GMT-6F1Gibson0.1102$5,000 to $50,000
December 19, 19579:15 PM GMT-6F2Gibson0.510$5,000 to $50,000
December 19, 19573:00 PM GMT-6F1Gibson0.110$5,000 to $50,000
March 21, 195210:45 PM GMT-6F2Gibson0.115022$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Gibson CountyThe forecast for Gibson CountyThe live radar over Gibson 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.