Tornadoes · United States · Tennessee

Tornadoes in Giles County, Tennessee

23 tornadoes have crossed Giles County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 29th of the 95 counties in Tennessee with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.3 years. They have killed 7 people and injured 83. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and above, 1 at the top of the scale.

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
23
Deaths
7
Injuries
83
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F5, April 16, 1998

The deadliest in Giles County

  1. F5 Lawrence County tornado, TennesseeApril 16, 19983 killed, 36 injured
  2. F4, Lawrence and Giles counties, TennesseeMay 18, 19953 killed, 32 injured
  3. F2, Giles County, TennesseeMay 22, 19891 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. F5 Lawrence County tornado, TennesseeApril 16, 1998F5, 69.4 mi (112 km)
  2. F4, Lawrence and Giles counties, TennesseeMay 18, 1995F4, 29.0 mi (47 km)
  3. F3, Lawrence and Giles counties, TennesseeApril 21, 1972F3, 32.3 mi (52 km)
  4. F3, Giles County, TennesseeAugust 16, 1985F3, 12.0 mi (19 km)
  5. F3, Lawrence and Giles counties, TennesseeFebruary 17, 1956F3, 10.4 mi (17 km)
  6. EF3, Giles County, TennesseeApril 11, 2008EF3, 4.7 mi (8 km)
  7. F2, Giles County, TennesseeMay 22, 1989F2, 9.0 mi (14 km)
  8. EF2, Giles County, TennesseeMay 8, 2024EF2, 5.9 mi (9 km)
  9. F2, Giles County, TennesseeApril 29, 1963F2, 5.1 mi (8 km)
  10. F2, Giles County, TennesseeAugust 16, 1985F2, 5.0 mi (8 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 20 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Giles County. Each year links to every tornado in Tennessee that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF1
202411EF2
20221EF1
20211EF0
20091EF1
20082EF3
20041F1
19981336F5
19961F2
19952333F4
1989112F2
198521F3
19741F1
1972110F3
19711F1
19651F1
19631F2
19571F2
19561F3
19511F2

Every tornado that crossed Giles County

23 tornadoes, newest first. 2 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Tennessee. 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
March 15, 202610:48 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale to TN14.6400
May 8, 20247:50 PM CDTEF2Giles5.96001$4.0 million
January 1, 20224:04 PM CSTEF1Limestone to TN16.7150$50,000
December 11, 20216:17 AM CSTEF0Giles5.050$20,000
May 1, 20093:05 PM CDTEF1Giles1.1100$100,000
May 8, 20081:45 PM CDTEF0Giles0.850
April 11, 200812:20 PM CDTEF3Giles4.7100$1.0 million
May 30, 200412:45 AM CDTF1Giles0.350$10,000
April 16, 19984:50 PM CDTF5Lawrence County tornado69.41,760336$13 million
April 20, 19966:56 AM CDTF2Giles1.0440
May 18, 19955:47 PM CDTF0Giles3.0501$50,000 to $500,000
May 18, 19954:52 PM CDTF4Lawrence29.01,000332$500,000 to $5 million
May 22, 19898:37 PM CDTF2Giles9.010012$50,000 to $500,000
August 16, 19854:30 PM CDTF2Giles5.060$500 to $5,000
August 16, 19853:00 PM CDTF3Giles12.05001$50,000 to $500,000
April 3, 197410:00 PM CDTF1Giles27.5100$500 to $5,000
April 21, 19728:05 PM CSTF3Lawrence32.320010$50,000 to $500,000
March 6, 19712:39 PM CSTF1Lawrence39.8200$50,000 to $500,000
March 17, 19657:30 AM GMT-6F1Giles0.110$50,000 to $500,000
April 29, 196311:00 PM GMT-5F2Giles5.150$5,000 to $50,000
November 8, 19572:00 AM GMT-6F2Giles4.7133$500 to $5,000
February 17, 19568:00 PM GMT-6F3Lawrence10.41,760$5,000 to $50,000
November 14, 195110:00 PM GMT-6F2Giles0.210$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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