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Tennessee tornado risk

95 counties scored 1 rated Very High

Shelby County has the highest tornado risk in Tennessee, scoring 99.8 out of 100 — rated "Very High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded tornado events across Tennessee have increased 65% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period.

# County NRI score Rating NOAA events
2016–2026
1 Shelby County 99.8 Very High 1
2 Hamilton County 98.6 Relatively High 2
3 Davidson County 97.9 Relatively High 17
4 Madison County 97.2 Relatively High 6
5 Knox County 96.7 Relatively High 1
6 Sumner County 95.5 Relatively High 9
7 Rutherford County 95 Relatively High 11
8 Maury County 94 Relatively High 7
9 Tipton County 92.8 Relatively High 8
10 Montgomery County 91.9 Relatively High 8
11 Gibson County 91.7 Relatively High 9
12 Lawrence County 91.3 Relatively High 13
13 Fayette County 89.4 Relatively Moderate 4
14 Williamson County 88.9 Relatively Moderate 6
15 Bradley County 88.4 Relatively Moderate 4
16 Dyer County 88.4 Relatively Moderate 4
17 Carroll County 87.1 Relatively Moderate 6
18 Putnam County 86.9 Relatively Moderate 8
19 Coffee County 86.3 Relatively Moderate 6
20 Cumberland County 86.1 Relatively Moderate 5
21 Wilson County 85.8 Relatively Moderate 13
22 Lincoln County 85.6 Relatively Moderate 10
23 Giles County 85.2 Relatively Moderate 4
24 Warren County 85 Relatively Moderate 3
25 Lauderdale County 84.4 Relatively Moderate 8
26 Henry County 83.9 Relatively Moderate 4
27 Hardeman County 83.7 Relatively Moderate 6
28 Bedford County 83.1 Relatively Moderate 7
29 Hickman County 82.2 Relatively Moderate 9
30 Marion County 81.8 Relatively Moderate 2
31 Anderson County 80 Relatively Moderate 0
32 Henderson County 80 Relatively Moderate 5
33 Weakley County 77.9 Relatively Moderate 7
34 Franklin County 77.4 Relatively Moderate 11
35 Marshall County 76.2 Relatively Moderate 6
36 Hardin County 76 Relatively Moderate 8
37 Dickson County 75.4 Relatively Moderate 9
38 Humphreys County 74.6 Relatively Moderate 7
39 Grundy County 74.5 Relatively Moderate 4
40 Wayne County 73.9 Relatively Moderate 3
41 Robertson County 73.2 Relatively Moderate 8
42 Roane County 71.9 Relatively Moderate 2
43 Chester County 71.8 Relatively Moderate 1
44 McMinn County 71.2 Relatively Moderate 2
45 Campbell County 71.1 Relatively Moderate 0
46 Sevier County 70.9 Relatively Moderate 0
47 Obion County 70.6 Relatively Moderate 14
48 Macon County 68.9 Relatively Moderate 4
49 Blount County 67.4 Relatively Moderate 2
50 Cheatham County 67 Relatively Moderate 3
51 Loudon County 67 Relatively Moderate 1
52 Haywood County 66.9 Relatively Moderate 4
53 Decatur County 66.7 Relatively Moderate 3
54 White County 66 Relatively Moderate 5
55 Stewart County 65 Relatively Moderate 2
56 Monroe County 63.8 Relatively Low 2
57 Greene County 61.8 Relatively Low 0
58 Hamblen County 61.4 Relatively Low 0
59 McNairy County 60.3 Relatively Low 4
60 Perry County 60.1 Relatively Low 5
61 Jefferson County 59.6 Relatively Low 2
62 Lewis County 59.2 Relatively Low 7
63 Cannon County 57.6 Relatively Low 3
64 Rhea County 56.5 Relatively Low 0
65 Benton County 55.9 Relatively Low 7
66 Crockett County 55.2 Relatively Low 2
67 Bledsoe County 55 Relatively Low 0
68 Lake County 53.7 Relatively Low 3
69 Jackson County 53.1 Relatively Low 2
70 Polk County 50.7 Relatively Low 2
71 Moore County 50.5 Relatively Low 2
72 Cocke County 50.2 Relatively Low 0
73 Washington County 50.1 Relatively Low 0
74 Hawkins County 49.9 Relatively Low 0
75 Smith County 49.8 Relatively Low 6
76 DeKalb County 48.9 Relatively Low 4
77 Claiborne County 47.8 Relatively Low 2
78 Fentress County 47.6 Relatively Low 5
79 Sequatchie County 47.4 Relatively Low 1
80 Sullivan County 47.2 Relatively Low 0
81 Scott County 46.8 Relatively Low 4
82 Houston County 45.9 Relatively Low 1
83 Carter County 45.4 Relatively Low 0
84 Overton County 45.2 Relatively Low 5
85 Morgan County 39.3 Relatively Low 4
86 Grainger County 39.2 Relatively Low 1
87 Clay County 38.5 Relatively Low 2
88 Meigs County 35.6 Relatively Low 2
89 Union County 35.3 Relatively Low 0
90 Trousdale County 32.2 Relatively Low 6
91 Van Buren County 27.4 Relatively Low 0
92 Pickett County 25.7 Very Low 1
93 Johnson County 25.4 Very Low 1
94 Hancock County 20.2 Very Low 1
95 Unicoi County 17.5 Very Low 0

Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.

Tornado risk nationally:

Top 50 US counties

Other hazard risks in Tennessee:

WildfireInland FloodingCoastal FloodingEarthquakeHeat WaveHurricaneHailStrong WindWinter WeatherIce StormCold WaveLightningDroughtLandslideAvalancheTsunamiVolcanic Activity

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest tornado risk county in Tennessee?

Shelby County, TN has the highest tornado risk in Tennessee, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 99.8 out of 100 (rated "Very High").

How many counties in Tennessee are rated Very High for tornado risk?

1 of 95 scored Tennessee counties are rated "Very High" for tornado risk by FEMA's National Risk Index.

What causes tornado risk in Tennessee?

Tornado risk concentrates in the central and southern plains ("Tornado Alley") and the Southeast ("Dixie Alley"), where atmospheric conditions favor supercell thunderstorm development. The highest scores often belong to counties with significant mobile home and manufactured housing stock, which carries disproportionate tornado mortality risk.