Tornadoes · United States · Tennessee

Tornadoes in Hickman County, Tennessee

22 tornadoes have crossed Hickman County since 1950, 32nd of the 95 counties in Tennessee with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.5 years. They have killed 5 people and injured 17. 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
22
Deaths
5
Injuries
17
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F2, March 22, 1952

The deadliest in Hickman County

  1. F2, Hickman County, TennesseeMarch 22, 19523 killed, 10 injured
  2. EF2, Perry and Hickman counties, TennesseeDecember 23, 20152 killed

The strongest

  1. EF2, Hickman and Williamson counties, TennesseeFebruary 5, 2008EF2, 25.3 mi (41 km)
  2. EF2, Perry, Humphreys and Hickman counties, TennesseeDecember 11, 2021EF2, 15.2 mi (24 km)
  3. EF2, Perry and Hickman counties, TennesseeDecember 23, 2015EF2, 14.9 mi (24 km)
  4. EF2, Hickman and Dickson counties, TennesseeDecember 11, 2021EF2, 10.9 mi (17 km)
  5. EF2, Hickman County, TennesseeMay 2, 2010EF2, 9.2 mi (15 km)
  6. F2, Hickman County, TennesseeMay 25, 2000F2, 7.8 mi (13 km)
  7. EF2, Hickman County, TennesseeJanuary 30, 2013EF2, 4.3 mi (7 km)
  8. EF2, Hickman County, TennesseeMay 2, 2010EF2, 3.9 mi (6 km)
  9. F2, Hickman County, TennesseeMarch 22, 1952F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 12 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Hickman County. Each year links to every tornado in Tennessee that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20252EF0
202132EF2
20183EF1
201512EF2
20141EF1
20131EF2
201041EF2
200831EF2
20031F0
20011F1
200013F2
19521310F2

Every tornado that crossed Hickman County

22 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 18, 20258:37 PM CDTEF0Hickman6.9175$250,000
March 30, 202511:07 PM CDTEF0Hickman2.2150$50,000
December 11, 20212:40 AM CSTEF2Hickman10.95002$2.0 million
December 11, 20212:32 AM CSTEF1Hickman8.5400$50,000
December 11, 20212:15 AM CSTEF2Perry15.2600$140,000
November 5, 201811:09 PM CSTEF0Maury2.175$25,000
November 5, 201811:02 PM CSTEF0Hickman2.850$10,000
June 28, 201812:36 PM CDTEF1Hickman2.575$500,000
December 23, 20156:17 PM CSTEF2Perry14.95002$1.0 million
October 10, 20148:35 PM CDTEF1Hickman2.0100$200,000
January 30, 20132:26 AM CSTEF2Hickman4.3300$500,000
May 2, 20106:45 AM CDTEF1Hickman2.750$15,000
May 2, 20105:17 AM CDTEF2Hickman3.9250$200,000
May 2, 20105:00 AM CDTEF2Hickman9.26001$600,000
April 24, 20106:15 PM CDTEF1Hickman1.8100$30,000
February 5, 200811:51 PM CSTEF0Hickman0.120
February 5, 20088:40 PM CSTEF2Hickman25.33001$750,000
February 5, 20088:10 PM CSTEF1Lewis22.9200$900,000
May 5, 20031:30 AM CDTF0Hickman0.110
May 31, 20015:45 PM CDTF1Hickman0.750$20,000
May 25, 20003:00 AM CDTF2Hickman7.84403$50,000
March 22, 195212:20 AM GMT-6F2Hickman0.540310$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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