Tornadoes · United States · Tennessee

Tornadoes in Rutherford County, Tennessee

46 tornadoes have crossed Rutherford County since 1950, 3rd of the 95 counties in Tennessee with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 120. 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
46
Deaths
3
Injuries
120
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
EF4, April 10, 2009

The deadliest in Rutherford County

  1. EF4 Murfreesboro tornado, TennesseeApril 10, 20092 killed, 58 injured
  2. EF2, Bedford and Rutherford counties, TennesseeNovember 6, 20181 killed, 3 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4 Murfreesboro tornado, TennesseeApril 10, 2009EF4, 23.3 mi (37 km)
  2. F4, Rutherford County, TennesseeJanuary 24, 1997F4, 6.5 mi (10 km)
  3. F3, Rutherford and Wilson counties, TennesseeApril 3, 1974F3, 15.9 mi (26 km)
  4. F3, Rutherford County, TennesseeApril 28, 2002F3, 3.2 mi (5 km)
  5. F3, Rutherford County, TennesseeMay 11, 2003F3, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  6. EF2, Rutherford and Cannon counties, TennesseeApril 1, 2023EF2, 18.4 mi (30 km)
  7. EF2, Bedford and Rutherford counties, TennesseeNovember 6, 2018EF2, 10.5 mi (17 km)
  8. F2, Rutherford County, TennesseeJanuary 24, 1997F2, 4.8 mi (8 km)
  9. F2, Rutherford County, TennesseeMarch 11, 1963F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  10. F2, Rutherford County, TennesseeMarch 24, 1980F2, 1.9 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 27 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Rutherford County. Each year links to every tornado in Tennessee that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF1
20242EF0
202322EF2
20211EF1
20191EF0
2018113EF2
20172EF1
20133EF1
20121EF0
20114EF1
20094258EF4
20032F3
2002131F3
20012F0
20002F0
19991F0
19981F1
1997218F4
199524F1
19842F1
198022F2
197622F1
19741F3
19661F1
19631F2
19571F1
19551F1

Every tornado that crossed Rutherford County

46 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 15, 20253:20 PM CDTEF1Bedford4.5300$1.0 million
July 29, 20242:24 PM CDTEF0Rutherford3.3100$750,000
May 8, 20246:32 PM CDTEF0Rutherford3.0100$100,000
April 1, 20231:41 AM CDTEF2Rutherford18.45002$3.3 million
April 1, 20231:16 AM CDTEF1Marshall12.9150$2.3 million
March 25, 20218:11 PM CDTEF1Rutherford2.2100$50,000
February 6, 20192:35 PM CSTEF0Rutherford1.275$25,000
November 6, 201812:16 AM CSTEF2Bedford10.515013$3.8 million
November 18, 20174:53 PM CSTEF1Davidson10.9100$70,000
March 1, 20177:17 AM CSTEF0Davidson3.1100$55,000
March 18, 201312:12 PM CDTEF0Rutherford3.8100$50,000
January 30, 20133:41 AM CSTEF1Williamson4.6150$530,000
January 13, 20133:36 PM CSTEF0Rutherford1.6100$25,000
January 17, 20121:27 PM CSTEF0Rutherford1.7125$250,000
April 27, 20115:52 AM CDTEF0Rutherford1.675$50,000
April 27, 20115:47 AM CDTEF0Rutherford2.150$8,000
April 4, 20112:20 PM CDTEF1Davidson4.9100$500,000
March 23, 20117:03 PM CDTEF0Rutherford1.050$25,000
April 10, 20091:01 PM CDTEF1Rutherford3.7100$60,000
April 10, 200912:58 PM CDTEF0Rutherford0.225$5,000
April 10, 200912:19 PM CDTEF4Murfreesboro tornado23.3750258$100 million
March 28, 20097:00 PM CDTEF1Rutherford1.050$4.4 million
May 11, 20033:50 AM CDTF3Rutherford1.0400$1.8 million
May 5, 20032:30 AM CDTF0Rutherford0.120
April 28, 20027:34 AM CDTF3Rutherford3.235031$2.3 million
October 24, 20018:20 PM CDTF0Rutherford0.16
February 25, 20011:20 AM CSTF0Rutherford0.110
May 24, 200012:50 AM CDTF0Rutherford0.410
March 25, 20005:20 PM CSTF0Rutherford0.10
August 12, 19995:00 PM CDTF0Rutherford0.10
June 2, 19983:15 AM CDTF1Rutherford1.0200$1.6 million
January 24, 19975:00 PM CSTF4Rutherford6.530018$4.7 million
January 24, 19974:37 PM CSTF2Rutherford4.8440$500,000
May 18, 19954:55 PM CDTF0Rutherford8.0734$5,000 to $50,000
January 28, 19953:55 PM CSTF1Rutherford3.050$5,000 to $50,000
May 7, 19848:00 AM CDTF1Rutherford0.110
May 7, 19842:30 AM CDTF1Rutherford0.350$5,000 to $50,000
April 8, 198010:46 AM CSTF1Rutherford0.550$5,000 to $50,000
March 24, 198012:30 PM CSTF2Rutherford1.91502$50,000 to $500,000
February 17, 197611:15 PM CSTF1Rutherford20.9440$50,000 to $500,000
February 17, 197611:00 PM CSTF1Williamson19.24402$50,000 to $500,000
April 3, 19746:10 PM CDTF3Rutherford15.9100$500 to $5,000
April 12, 196612:00 PM GMT-6F1Rutherford1.073$500 to $5,000
March 11, 19634:20 PM GMT-6F2Rutherford2.0100$5,000 to $50,000
January 22, 19576:30 PM GMT-6F1Rutherford0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 12, 19556:58 PM GMT-5F1Rutherford0.320$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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