DeKalb County tornado history

16 tornadoes touched DeKalb County, Tennessee between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.2 a year. The strongest was rated F3 (Apr 3, 1974). Tornadoes here killed 2 and injured 28 people.

16tornadoes since 1950

F3strongest rating

2killed · 28 injured

15 milongest path · 1971

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

By rating

(E)F04

(E)F16

(E)F24

(E)F32

(E)F40

(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
Apr 3, 1974	F3	14.6 mi	100 yd	23	1
Apr 27, 1971	F3	15 mi	200 yd	3	0
Dec 23, 2015	EF2	8.4 mi	250 yd	0	0
Jan 24, 1997	F2	7.3 mi	440 yd	0	0
Jan 24, 1997	F2	2 mi	220 yd	1	0
Mar 5, 1955	F2	0.1 mi	10 yd	0	0
Feb 29, 2012	EF1	14.8 mi	300 yd	0	1
Nov 6, 2018	EF1	8.7 mi	350 yd	0	0
May 6, 2024	EF1	3.2 mi	150 yd	0	0
May 7, 1984	F1	2 mi	70 yd	0	0
Aug 29, 1980	F1	0.8 mi	40 yd	0	0
Apr 23, 1968	F1	0.1 mi	10 yd	1	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
May 6, 2024	EF1	3.2 mi	150 yd	0	0
May 4, 2021	EF0	1 mi	25 yd	0	0
May 4, 2021	EF0	4.8 mi	200 yd	0	0
Nov 6, 2018	EF1	8.7 mi	350 yd	0	0
Dec 23, 2015	EF2	8.4 mi	250 yd	0	0
Feb 29, 2012	EF1	14.8 mi	300 yd	0	1
May 26, 2011	EF0	1.9 mi	50 yd	0	0
Jan 24, 1997	F2	2 mi	220 yd	1	0
Jan 24, 1997	F2	7.3 mi	440 yd	0	0
May 18, 1995	F0	2 mi	23 yd	0	0
May 7, 1984	F1	2 mi	70 yd	0	0
Aug 29, 1980	F1	0.8 mi	40 yd	0	0

Deadliest: Apr 3, 1974, F3, 1 killed.

Nearby counties

Cannon County, TN11 Smith County, TN16 Warren County, TN21 White County, TN20 Putnam County, TN20 Jackson County, TN11 Wilson County, TN45 Van Buren County, TN2

Questions

How many tornadoes has DeKalb County, Tennessee had?

16 tornadoes touched DeKalb County, Tennessee between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.2 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in DeKalb County?

The strongest rating recorded was F3 on Apr 3, 1974, with a 14.6-mile path and 1 deaths.

When is tornado season in DeKalb County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in May (6 of 16). 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).