Benton County tornado history

26 tornadoes touched Benton County, Tennessee between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.3 a year. The strongest was rated F4 (May 7, 1971). Tornadoes here killed 5 and injured 144 people.

26tornadoes since 1950

F4strongest rating

5killed · 144 injured

50.9 milongest path · 1971

(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F05

(E)F113

(E)F26

(E)F31

(E)F41

(E)F50

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: May.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
May 7, 1971	F4	50.9 mi	100 yd	137	3
Jan 22, 1999	F3	15 mi	220 yd	5	1
Mar 2, 2020	EF2	18.7 mi	250 yd	2	1
Mar 22, 1991	F2	7 mi	150 yd	0	0
Feb 5, 2008	EF2	6.6 mi	440 yd	0	0
Apr 7, 2006	F2	6 mi	50 yd	0	0
Nov 15, 2005	F2	1.2 mi	150 yd	0	0
Feb 13, 1952	F2	0.3 mi	300 yd	0	0
May 7, 1971	F1	24.8 mi	100 yd	0	0
Dec 11, 2021	EF1	9.1 mi	100 yd	0	0
May 26, 2000	F1	5.8 mi	500 yd	0	0
May 25, 2000	F1	5.4 mi	50 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Apr 5, 2025	EF1	2.6 mi	350 yd	0	0
May 9, 2024	EF0	1.3 mi	100 yd	0	0
Mar 31, 2023	EF0	0.6 mi	50 yd	0	0
Dec 11, 2021	EF1	9.1 mi	100 yd	0	0
May 4, 2021	EF0	3.1 mi	80 yd	0	0
Mar 2, 2020	EF2	18.7 mi	250 yd	2	1
Mar 27, 2016	EF1	2 mi	100 yd	0	0
Apr 10, 2009	EF1	4 mi	75 yd	0	0
Feb 5, 2008	EF1	2 mi	50 yd	0	0
Feb 5, 2008	EF2	6.6 mi	440 yd	0	0
Apr 7, 2006	F0	1.1 mi	10 yd	0	0
Apr 7, 2006	F2	6 mi	50 yd	0	0

Deadliest: May 7, 1971, F4, 3 killed.

Nearby counties

Humphreys County, TN26 Henry County, TN16 Carroll County, TN26 Houston County, TN7 Perry County, TN12 Stewart County, TN14 Decatur County, TN8 Henderson County, TN24

Questions

How many tornadoes has Benton County, Tennessee had?

26 tornadoes touched Benton County, Tennessee between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.3 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Benton County?

The strongest rating recorded was F4 on May 7, 1971, with a 50.9-mile path and 3 deaths.

When is tornado season in Benton County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in May (7 of 26). Tornadoes can occur in any month, so keep alerts on year-round.

Right now: live tornado warnings map · alerts for your location. Dates link to that day’s full storm reports where available (2004 onward).