Tornadoes · United States · Tennessee

Tornadoes in Montgomery County, Tennessee

36 tornadoes have crossed Montgomery County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 9th of the 95 counties in Tennessee with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.1 years. They have killed 9 people and injured 163. 1 was 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
36
Deaths
9
Injuries
163
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 27, 1970

The deadliest in Montgomery County

  1. EF3 Clarksville tornado, Tennessee and KentuckyDecember 9, 20234 killed, 62 injured
  2. F4, Cheatham, Montgomery, Robertson and Sumner counties, TennesseeApril 27, 19703 killed, 85 injured
  3. F1, Montgomery County, TennesseeNovember 10, 20022 killed

The strongest

  1. F4, Cheatham, Montgomery, Robertson and Sumner counties, TennesseeApril 27, 1970F4, 42.6 mi (69 km)
  2. EF3 Clarksville tornado, Tennessee and KentuckyDecember 9, 2023EF3, 47.2 mi (76 km)
  3. F3, Montgomery County, TennesseeMay 4, 2003F3, 11.5 mi (19 km)
  4. F3, Montgomery County, TennesseeJanuary 22, 1999F3, 4.3 mi (7 km)
  5. F2, Montgomery County, TennesseeApril 25, 1961F2, 9.4 mi (15 km)
  6. F2, Montgomery County, TennesseeApril 3, 1998F2, 6.4 mi (10 km)
  7. EF2, Montgomery County, TennesseeFebruary 24, 2018EF2, 4.1 mi (7 km)
  8. F2, Montgomery County, TennesseeApril 16, 1998F2, 1.1 mi (2 km)
  9. F2, Montgomery County, TennesseeNovember 15, 2005F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 22 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Montgomery County. Each year links to every tornado in Tennessee that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF0
20252EF0
20232462EF3
20191EF0
201822EF2
20141EF1
200843EF1
20061F0
20054F2
200311F3
200222F1
20001F0
199935F3
19982F2
199712F1
19851F1
19841F1
19731F1
19711F0
19702386F4
196112F2
19571F1

Every tornado that crossed Montgomery County

36 tornadoes, newest first. 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, 20269:35 PM CDTEF0Montgomery5.1200
May 20, 20255:25 PM CDTEF0Montgomery3.2200$250,000
May 20, 20255:08 PM CDTEF0Montgomery9.3100$250,000
December 9, 20231:41 PM CSTEF3Clarksville tornado47.2600462$21 million
December 9, 20231:19 PM CSTEF1Stewart8.875$550,000
June 19, 20196:10 PM CDTEF0Montgomery1.3100$15,000
February 24, 20189:03 PM CSTEF2Montgomery4.12002$7.0 million
February 24, 20188:50 PM CSTEF1Montgomery5.3150$1.0 million
October 13, 20146:09 PM CDTEF1Montgomery4.275$50,000
May 2, 200812:10 AM CDTEF1Montgomery0.350$100,000
May 2, 200812:05 AM CDTEF1Montgomery0.5503$20,000
May 2, 200812:00 AM CDTEF1Montgomery0.230$20,000
May 2, 200811:57 PM CDTEF1Montgomery0.750$5,000
September 23, 20064:00 AM CDTF0Montgomery0.2100$40,000
November 15, 20054:44 PM CSTF2Montgomery1.0400$500,000
November 15, 20054:37 PM CSTF0Montgomery0.150
November 15, 20054:36 PM CSTF1Montgomery0.275$600,000
November 15, 20054:35 PM CSTF1Montgomery0.275$500,000
May 4, 200312:53 AM CDTF3Montgomery11.51,0001$750,000
November 10, 20021:00 AM CSTF1Montgomery0.34002$100,000
November 10, 200212:50 AM CSTF0Montgomery0.120
May 27, 20003:10 PM CDTF0Montgomery0.350
May 5, 19996:58 PM CDTF0Montgomery0.5100
January 22, 19994:15 AM CSTF3Montgomery4.38805$73 million
January 17, 19997:28 PM CSTF1Montgomery0.6250$20,000
April 16, 199810:18 AM CDTF2Montgomery1.1200$10,000
April 3, 19982:10 PM CSTF2Montgomery6.4200$100,000
June 17, 19977:13 PM CDTF1Montgomery to KY1.7302$330,000
August 30, 19858:00 PM CDTF1Montgomery2.030$50 to $500
May 7, 19842:00 PM CDTF1Montgomery0.110
May 22, 19738:15 PM CDTF1Montgomery0.110
May 7, 197110:15 PM CDTF0Montgomery0.110
July 3, 19707:50 PM CDTF1Montgomery0.1101$5,000 to $50,000
April 27, 19703:00 PM CDTF4Cheatham42.6250385$500,000 to $5 million
April 25, 19616:15 PM GMT-6F2Montgomery9.41872$5,000 to $50,000
November 18, 19574:00 AM GMT-6F1Montgomery0.110$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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