Tornadoes · United States · Tennessee

Tornadoes in Lauderdale County, Tennessee

28 tornadoes have crossed Lauderdale County since 1950, 16th of the 95 counties in Tennessee with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.7 years. They have killed 10 people and injured 42. 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
28
Deaths
10
Injuries
42
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, November 27, 1994

The deadliest in Lauderdale County

  1. F2, Lauderdale County, TennesseeFebruary 13, 19509 killed, 1 injured
  2. F3, Lauderdale and Crockett counties, TennesseeNovember 27, 19941 killed, 3 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Mississippi, Poinsett and Lauderdale counties, Arkansas and TennesseeSeptember 26, 1959F3, 35.2 mi (57 km)
  2. F3, Lauderdale and Crockett counties, TennesseeNovember 27, 1994F3, 16.0 mi (26 km)
  3. F2, Lauderdale County, TennesseeJanuary 17, 1999F2, 3.5 mi (6 km)
  4. F2, Lauderdale County, TennesseeMay 6, 1967F2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  5. F2, Lauderdale County, TennesseeFebruary 13, 1950F2, 0.2 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20255EF1
20211EF1
20192EF0
20091EF0
20081EF1
1999111F2
19961F0
1994213F3
19901F1
19891F1
19791F1
197811F1
19761F0
19731F1
197133F1
19681F1
196712F2
1959121F3
19531F1
1950191F2

Every tornado that crossed Lauderdale County

28 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.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 5, 20253:35 AM CDTEF0Lauderdale2.350$10,000
April 5, 20253:35 AM CDTEF1Lauderdale5.3150$150,000
April 5, 20253:22 AM CDTEF1Lauderdale3.0100$10,000
April 5, 20253:11 AM CDTEF0Lauderdale6.4100$15,000
April 5, 20253:06 AM CDTEF0Lauderdale0.950$5,000
March 27, 20216:37 PM CDTEF1Mississippi to TN4.9150$40,000
October 21, 20196:44 AM CDTEF0Lauderdale7.3200$25,000
October 21, 20196:20 AM CDTEF0Tipton to AR7.6200$55,000
July 30, 20095:01 PM CDTEF0Lauderdale0.150$2,000
January 8, 20082:58 PM CSTEF1Dyer7.825$270,000
January 17, 19995:55 PM CSTF2Lauderdale3.5011$2.0 million
September 16, 19968:25 AM CDTF0Tipton16.050$4,000
November 27, 19942:30 PM CSTF3Lauderdale16.010013$50,000 to $500,000
June 26, 19946:00 PM CDTF0Lauderdale0.510$50 to $500
February 9, 19903:34 PM CSTF1Lauderdale2.040$5,000 to $50,000
November 15, 198912:30 PM CSTF1Lauderdale4.073$5,000 to $50,000
May 3, 19795:10 PM CDTF1Lauderdale0.550$500 to $5,000
December 31, 19781:45 PM CSTF1Lauderdale6.51671$50,000 to $500,000
April 11, 19764:50 PM CSTF0Lauderdale3.3200under $50
April 19, 197311:30 AM CSTF1Lauderdale0.1100$5,000 to $50,000
December 15, 19712:20 AM CSTF1Lauderdale15.23003$50,000 to $500,000
June 14, 19712:36 PM CDTF0Lauderdale0.220
June 14, 19712:10 PM CDTF0Lauderdale0.220
April 4, 19686:00 PM GMT-6F1Franklin0.110$500 to $5,000
May 6, 196711:15 PM GMT-5F2Lauderdale3.0332$50,000 to $500,000
September 26, 19597:20 PM GMT-5F3Mississippi to TN35.266721$50,000 to $500,000
March 14, 19537:00 PM GMT-6F1Lauderdale0.210$5,000 to $50,000
February 13, 19502:00 AM GMT-6F2Lauderdale0.21091$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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