Tornadoes · United States · Tennessee

Tornadoes in McMinn County, Tennessee

24 tornadoes have crossed McMinn County since 1950, 28th of the 95 counties in Tennessee with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.2 years. They have killed 33 people and injured 524. 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
24
Deaths
33
Injuries
524
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
EF4, April 27, 2011

The deadliest in McMinn County

  1. EF4 Ringgold–Apison tornado, Georgia and TennesseeApril 27, 201120 killed, 335 injured
  2. F4, Meigs and McMinn counties, TennesseeMay 2, 19534 killed, 8 injured
  3. EF2, Bradley, Polk and McMinn counties, TennesseeApril 27, 20114 killed
  4. F3, Bradley, Polk and McMinn counties, TennesseeApril 3, 19743 killed, 50 injured
  5. F1, McMinn County, TennesseeApril 3, 19741 killed, 32 injured
  6. F3, Hamilton, Bradley, Meigs and McMinn counties, TennesseeApril 15, 19941 killed, 9 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4 Ringgold–Apison tornado, Georgia and TennesseeApril 27, 2011EF4, 48.0 mi (77 km)
  2. F4, Meigs and McMinn counties, TennesseeMay 2, 1953F4, 4.2 mi (7 km)
  3. EF3, Hamilton, Bradley, Polk and McMinn counties, TennesseeMarch 2, 2012EF3, 41.0 mi (66 km)
  4. F3, Bradley, Polk and McMinn counties, TennesseeApril 3, 1974F3, 21.2 mi (34 km)
  5. F3, McMinn and Monroe counties, TennesseeFebruary 21, 1993F3, 19.0 mi (31 km)
  6. F3, Hamilton, Bradley, Meigs and McMinn counties, TennesseeApril 15, 1994F3, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  7. F3, Bradley, McMinn and Polk counties, TennesseeFebruary 6, 1986F3, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  8. F3, McMinn County, TennesseeApril 8, 1974F3, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  9. EF2, Bradley, Polk and McMinn counties, TennesseeApril 27, 2011EF2, 27.9 mi (45 km)
  10. F2, McMinn County, TennesseeFebruary 29, 1952F2, 15.3 mi (25 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 14 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in McMinn County. Each year links to every tornado in Tennessee that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20181EF0
2016120EF2
2012144EF3
2011624336EF4
20093EF0
19951F1
1994219F3
1993117F3
198615F3
197711F1
19743483F3
196311F2
1953148F4
19521F2

Every tornado that crossed McMinn County

24 tornadoes, newest first. 1 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files it under that state rather than Tennessee.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 17, 20187:23 PM EDTEF0McMinn0.4100
November 30, 20161:20 AM ESTEF2McMinn11.320020
March 2, 201212:41 PM ESTEF3Hamilton41.040044$35 million
April 27, 20119:25 PM EDTEF1McMinn12.52001$300,000
April 27, 20117:15 PM CDTEF4Ringgold–Apison tornado48.080020335$68 million
April 27, 20117:35 PM EDTEF0McMinn0.720$5,000
April 27, 20117:00 PM EDTEF0McMinn2.350$10,000
April 27, 20116:28 PM EDTEF2Bradley27.92504$650,000
April 4, 20116:36 PM EDTEF0McMinn0.125$10,000
October 9, 20098:25 PM EDTEF0McMinn0.230$10,000
October 9, 20097:15 PM EDTEF0McMinn0.520$5,000
May 8, 20095:02 PM EDTEF0McMinn0.120
May 10, 199511:25 PM EDTF1McMinn3.0200
April 27, 19942:15 PM EDTF0McMinn0.110$50 to $500
April 15, 199412:30 PM EDTF3Hamilton15.088019$500,000 to $5 million
February 21, 19935:45 PM ESTF3McMinn19.07317$50,000 to $500,000
February 6, 19864:18 PM ESTF3Bradley10.02705$500,000 to $5 million
December 5, 19779:40 AM ESTF1McMinn5.11001$50,000 to $500,000
April 8, 19741:15 PM EDTF3McMinn2.04401$50,000 to $500,000
April 3, 19746:15 PM EDTF3Bradley21.2500350$50,000 to $500,000
April 3, 19744:30 PM EDTF1McMinn3.627132$500 to $5,000
March 19, 19637:30 PM GMT-5F2McMinn3.62001$5,000 to $50,000
May 2, 19535:00 AM GMT-4F4Meigs4.23348$50,000 to $500,000
February 29, 19526:30 PM GMT-5F2McMinn15.3587$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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