Tornadoes · United States · Tennessee

Tornadoes in Sumner County, Tennessee

46 tornadoes have crossed Sumner County since 1950, 4th of the 95 counties in Tennessee with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 35 people and injured 364. 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
46
Deaths
35
Injuries
364
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 27, 1970

The deadliest in Sumner County

  1. EF3, Sumner, Trousdale, Macon, Monroe and Cumberland counties, Tennessee and KentuckyFebruary 5, 200822 killed, 63 injured
  2. F3, Davidson and Sumner counties, TennesseeApril 7, 20067 killed, 128 injured
  3. F4, Cheatham, Montgomery, Robertson and Sumner counties, TennesseeApril 27, 19703 killed, 85 injured
  4. EF2, Davidson, Sumner and Trousdale counties, TennesseeDecember 9, 20233 killed, 22 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Cheatham, Montgomery, Robertson and Sumner counties, TennesseeApril 27, 1970F4, 42.6 mi (69 km)
  2. EF3, Sumner, Trousdale, Macon, Monroe and Cumberland counties, Tennessee and KentuckyFebruary 5, 2008EF3, 50.3 mi (81 km)
  3. F3, Davidson and Sumner counties, TennesseeApril 7, 2006F3, 22.7 mi (37 km)
  4. F3, Sumner County, TennesseeFebruary 27, 1956F3, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  5. EF2, Davidson, Sumner and Trousdale counties, TennesseeDecember 9, 2023EF2, 34.8 mi (56 km)
  6. F2, Sumner County, TennesseeApril 3, 1998F2, 15.8 mi (25 km)
  7. F2, Davidson and Sumner counties, TennesseeMay 18, 1995F2, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  8. F2, Sumner and Robertson counties, TennesseeMarch 19, 1963F2, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  9. F2, Sumner County, TennesseeApril 24, 1955F2, 11.5 mi (19 km)
  10. F2, Sumner County, TennesseeJuly 5, 1980F2, 6.9 mi (11 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 23 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Sumner County. Each year links to every tornado in Tennessee that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20231322EF2
20218EF1
201361EF1
20101EF1
20092EF1
200832263EF3
200617128F3
20051F0
20031F1
200216F2
1999117F2
19981F2
19971F0
1995328F2
198443F2
19821F1
198023F2
19731F1
19711F0
19701385F4
19631F2
195624F3
195524F2

Every tornado that crossed Sumner County

46 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
December 9, 20234:39 PM CSTEF2Davidson34.8400322$20 million
December 11, 20213:48 AM CSTEF0Wilson3.150$20,000
December 11, 20213:42 AM CSTEF0Sumner6.250$25,000
December 11, 20213:30 AM CSTEF1Davidson6.8150$1.8 million
May 4, 20216:38 AM CDTEF0Sumner5.0200$25,000
May 4, 20216:31 AM CDTEF0Sumner6.950$15,000
May 4, 20216:21 AM CDTEF0Sumner3.950$25,000
May 4, 20216:10 AM CDTEF0Sumner0.725$10,000
May 4, 20216:02 AM CDTEF0Robertson9.450$15,000
November 17, 20136:42 PM CSTEF0Sumner0.350$200,000
January 30, 20133:37 AM CSTEF0Sumner5.850$45,000
January 30, 20133:34 AM CSTEF0Sumner3.6100$65,000
January 30, 20133:23 AM CSTEF0Sumner10.6125$225,000
January 30, 20133:12 AM CSTEF1Robertson6.01001$769,000
January 30, 20133:10 AM CSTEF0Davidson11.775$190,000
May 2, 20106:17 AM CDTEF1Sumner5.0400$450,000
July 30, 200911:00 PM CDTEF1Sumner3.0100$100,000
April 10, 200912:49 PM CDTEF1Sumner0.650$200,000
February 6, 20081:22 AM CSTEF1Sumner11.8100
February 6, 20081:12 AM CSTEF0Sumner3.350
February 5, 200810:02 PM CSTEF3Sumner to KY50.38802263$28 million
April 7, 20062:08 PM CDTF3Davidson22.78807128$79 million
November 15, 20056:42 PM CSTF0Sumner0.110
May 11, 20033:40 AM CDTF1Sumner5.5200
November 10, 20022:00 AM CSTF2Sumner2.69006$500,000
May 5, 199910:36 PM CDTF2Sumner0.722017$1.0 million
April 3, 19982:58 PM CSTF2Sumner15.8200$200,000
January 24, 19975:36 PM CSTF0Sumner0.310
May 18, 19955:52 PM CDTF1Sumner3.023$500 to $5,000
May 18, 199512:30 PM CDTF2Davidson15.07328$500,000 to $5 million
March 7, 19951:26 PM CSTF0Sumner0.210$5,000 to $50,000
November 10, 19842:30 PM CSTF1Sumner0.5403$5,000 to $50,000
May 7, 19843:30 PM CDTF1Sumner1.050$50,000 to $500,000
May 6, 19846:20 AM CDTF2Sumner1.050$5,000 to $50,000
May 6, 19846:15 AM CDTF2Sumner2.050$50,000 to $500,000
March 20, 19828:00 AM CSTF1Sumner0.240$5,000 to $50,000
July 5, 19807:00 PM CDTF2Sumner6.9100$5,000 to $50,000
May 17, 19803:30 PM CDTF1Sumner0.2203$5,000 to $50,000
May 19, 19732:40 PM CDTF1Sumner0.110
June 19, 19718:10 PM CDTF0Sumner0.210
April 27, 19703:00 PM CDTF4Cheatham42.6250385$500,000 to $5 million
March 19, 196312:40 PM GMT-6F2Sumner14.01,000$50,000 to $500,000
April 3, 19567:45 PM GMT-6F1Sumner0.210$5,000 to $50,000
February 27, 19563:30 PM GMT-6F3Sumner15.01004$5,000 to $50,000
April 24, 195512:01 AM GMT-6F2Sumner11.510$50,000 to $500,000
March 4, 195510:54 PM GMT-6F2Sumner3.81,0004$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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