Tornadoes · United States · Tennessee

Tornadoes in Hardin County, Tennessee

22 tornadoes have crossed Hardin County since 1950, 35th of the 95 counties in Tennessee with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.5 years. They have killed 21 people and injured 148. 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
22
Deaths
21
Injuries
148
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, April 19, 1970

The deadliest in Hardin County

  1. EF3 Adamsville–Corinth tornado, TennesseeMarch 31, 20239 killed, 23 injured
  2. EF3, McNairy and Hardin counties, TennesseeApril 2, 20255 killed, 14 injured
  3. F4, Tippah, Alcorn and Hardin counties, Mississippi and TennesseeApril 19, 19704 killed, 78 injured
  4. EF4 Hardin County tornado, TennesseeFebruary 5, 20083 killed, 5 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Tippah, Alcorn and Hardin counties, Mississippi and TennesseeApril 19, 1970F4, 47.6 mi (77 km)
  2. EF4 Hardin County tornado, TennesseeFebruary 5, 2008EF4, 16.2 mi (26 km)
  3. EF3 Adamsville–Corinth tornado, TennesseeMarch 31, 2023EF3, 86.0 mi (138 km)
  4. EF3, McNairy and Hardin counties, TennesseeApril 2, 2025EF3, 29.1 mi (47 km)
  5. F3, Hardin and Wayne counties, TennesseeMarch 4, 1964F3, 27.6 mi (44 km)
  6. F3, Tishomingo and Hardin counties, Mississippi and TennesseeMay 13, 1976F3, 10.1 mi (16 km)
  7. F3, Hardin County, TennesseeFebruary 26, 1958F3, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  8. EF2, McNairy and Hardin counties, TennesseeMay 2, 2010EF2, 25.7 mi (41 km)
  9. EF2, McNairy and Hardin counties, TennesseeMarch 31, 2023EF2, 18.9 mi (30 km)
  10. F2, McNairy and Hardin counties, TennesseeJanuary 21, 1959F2, 4.1 mi (7 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 19 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Hardin County. Each year links to every tornado in Tennessee that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20252514EF3
20232923EF3
20191EF0
20172EF0
20161EF1
201112EF2
2010112EF2
2008135EF4
20031F0
19971F0
19911F1
19781F1
19761F3
19721F0
19701478F4
196417F3
195913F2
19581F3
195414F2

Every tornado that crossed Hardin County

22 tornadoes, newest first. 3 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Tennessee.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 3, 20254:38 PM CDTEF1Alcorn to AL, TN28.0425$930,000
April 2, 202512:34 AM CDTEF3McNairy29.1650514$11 million
March 31, 202311:04 PM CDTEF3Adamsville–Corinth tornado86.01,400923$25 million
March 31, 20239:30 PM CDTEF2McNairy18.9800$500,000
March 9, 20193:26 PM CSTEF0Hardin0.350
August 31, 20174:37 PM CDTEF0Hardin0.870$10,000
August 31, 20173:07 PM CDTEF0Hardin1.350$10,000
March 31, 20164:28 PM CDTEF1Hardin1.575$25,000
April 27, 20115:11 PM CDTEF2Hardin3.82002$1.8 million
May 2, 20103:24 AM CDTEF2McNairy25.788012$7.4 million
February 5, 20087:40 PM CSTEF4Hardin County tornado16.288035$18 million
May 5, 20039:50 AM CDTF0Hardin0.850$1,000
March 28, 19978:17 PM CSTF0Hardin0.110
March 22, 19915:25 PM CSTF1Hardin1.050$5,000 to $50,000
January 7, 19786:40 PM CSTF1Hardin1.0100$50,000 to $500,000
May 13, 19766:30 PM CDTF3Tishomingo to TN10.1300$50,000 to $500,000
July 2, 19728:20 PM CDTF0Hardin0.110
April 19, 197012:06 PM CSTF4Tippah to TN47.6100478$500,000 to $5 million
March 4, 196411:00 AM GMT-6F3Hardin27.63007$500,000 to $5 million
January 21, 19599:40 AM GMT-6F2McNairy4.15003$50,000 to $500,000
February 26, 195811:10 PM GMT-6F3Hardin0.110$50,000 to $500,000
April 28, 19548:15 PM GMT-5F2Hardin2.03004$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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