Tornadoes · United States · Tennessee

Tornadoes in Obion County, Tennessee

26 tornadoes have crossed Obion County since 1950, 21st of the 95 counties in Tennessee with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.9 years. They have killed 65 people and injured 572. 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
26
Deaths
65
Injuries
572
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
EF4, December 10, 2021

The deadliest in Obion County

  1. EF4 Mayfield tornado, KentuckyDecember 10, 202157 killed, 515 injured
  2. EF4 Monette–Braggadocio tornado, Arkansas, Missouri and TennesseeDecember 10, 20218 killed, 14 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4 Mayfield tornado, KentuckyDecember 10, 2021EF4, 168.5 mi (271 km)
  2. EF4 Monette–Braggadocio tornado, Arkansas, Missouri and TennesseeDecember 10, 2021EF4, 81.2 mi (131 km)
  3. EF3 Dresden–Pembroke tornado, Tennessee and KentuckyDecember 10, 2021EF3, 122.6 mi (197 km)
  4. F2, Lake, Fulton and Obion counties, Tennessee and KentuckyMay 18, 1995F2, 24.0 mi (39 km)
  5. EF2, Obion and Fulton counties, Tennessee and KentuckyApril 28, 2014EF2, 12.1 mi (19 km)
  6. F2, Obion and Weakley counties, TennesseeApril 2, 1982F2, 11.5 mi (19 km)
  7. F2, Obion and Clay counties, Tennessee and KentuckyDecember 11, 1967F2, 10.3 mi (17 km)
  8. EF2, Fulton and Obion counties, Kentucky and TennesseeMarch 9, 2017EF2, 10.2 mi (16 km)
  9. F2, Obion County, TennesseeMay 23, 1973F2, 9.5 mi (15 km)
  10. F2, Obion County, TennesseeMay 3, 1954F2, 3.6 mi (6 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 15 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Obion County. Each year links to every tornado in Tennessee that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF1
2021765567EF4
20201EF1
20192EF0
201823EF1
20171EF2
201421EF2
20131EF0
19951F2
19941F0
19901F0
19822F2
19731F2
196721F2
19541F2

Every tornado that crossed Obion County

26 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 2, 20258:35 PM CDTEF1Obion9.3350$325,000
December 10, 202110:32 PM CSTEF3Dresden–Pembroke tornado122.62,00038$17 million
December 10, 20218:54 PM CSTEF4Mayfield tornado168.52,60057515$25,000
December 10, 20218:43 PM CSTEF0Obion0.450$5,000
December 10, 20218:41 PM CSTEF0Obion3.180$100,000
December 10, 20218:39 PM CSTEF1Obion0.7100$5,000
December 10, 20217:07 PM CSTEF4Monette–Braggadocio tornado81.21,800814$14 million
May 4, 20213:23 AM CDTEF1Obion2.650$225,000
January 11, 20204:38 AM CSTEF1Obion1.9150$75,000
May 2, 20196:43 PM CDTEF0Obion0.1100$5,000
May 2, 20196:20 PM CDTEF0Obion0.2100$5,000
February 24, 20187:07 PM CSTEF1Obion3.24503$2.0 million
February 24, 20186:51 PM CSTEF0Obion5.675$50,000
March 9, 20178:41 PM CSTEF2Fulton to TN10.2250$1.3 million
June 7, 20142:48 PM CDTEF1New Madrid to MO, TN18.2200$270,000
April 28, 20145:10 PM CDTEF2Obion to KY12.11501$280,000
October 5, 20136:52 PM CDTEF0Obion0.225
May 18, 19951:55 PM CDTF2Lake to KY24.0150$50,000 to $500,000
June 26, 19944:15 PM CDTF0Obion0.523$500 to $5,000
July 10, 19905:00 PM CDTF0Obion0.520$500 to $5,000
April 2, 198210:23 PM CSTF0Obion0.350$50,000 to $500,000
April 2, 19827:58 PM CSTF2Obion11.577$50,000 to $500,000
May 23, 197311:30 PM CDTF2Obion9.5100$50,000 to $500,000
December 11, 196711:00 AM GMT-6F2Obion to KY10.3101$50,000 to $500,000
December 11, 196711:00 AM GMT-6F1Obion0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 3, 195410:45 AM GMT-5F2Obion3.6300$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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