Putnam County tornado history

20 tornadoes touched Putnam County, Tennessee between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.3 a year. The strongest was rated EF4 (Mar 3, 2020). Tornadoes here killed 30 and injured 147 people.

20tornadoes since 1950

EF4strongest rating

30killed · 147 injured

28.4 milongest path · 1974

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

By rating

(E)F05

(E)F112

(E)F20

(E)F31

(E)F42

(E)F50

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: March.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Mar 3, 2020	EF4	8.4 mi	900 yd	87	19
Apr 3, 1974	F4	28.4 mi	700 yd	51	10
Feb 21, 1993	F3	10 mi	100 yd	6	0
Mar 19, 2003	F1	12.2 mi	440 yd	1	1
Jan 24, 1997	F1	13 mi	200 yd	0	0
May 12, 1955	F1	9.4 mi	300 yd	1	0
Mar 1, 2017	EF1	7.6 mi	150 yd	0	0
Feb 6, 2025	EF1	7.6 mi	400 yd	1	0
Apr 10, 2009	EF1	6 mi	100 yd	0	0
Jul 14, 2015	EF1	2.8 mi	150 yd	0	0
Mar 2, 2012	EF1	1.6 mi	500 yd	0	0
May 7, 1984	F1	1 mi	50 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Feb 6, 2025	EF1	7.6 mi	400 yd	1	0
May 28, 2021	EF0	12.8 mi	150 yd	0	0
Aug 28, 2020	EF0	2.4 mi	50 yd	0	0
Mar 3, 2020	EF0	3.3 mi	50 yd	0	0
Mar 3, 2020	EF4	8.4 mi	900 yd	87	19
Mar 3, 2020	EF0	0.2 mi	25 yd	0	0
Mar 1, 2017	EF1	7.6 mi	150 yd	0	0
Mar 1, 2017	EF1	0.1 mi	90 yd	0	0
Jul 14, 2015	EF1	2.8 mi	150 yd	0	0
Mar 2, 2012	EF1	1.6 mi	500 yd	0	0
Apr 10, 2009	EF1	6 mi	100 yd	0	0
Mar 19, 2003	F1	12.2 mi	440 yd	1	1

Deadliest: Mar 3, 2020, EF4, 19 killed.

Nearby counties

White County, TN20 Jackson County, TN11 Overton County, TN16 DeKalb County, TN16 Smith County, TN16 Clay County, TN3 Van Buren County, TN2 Cumberland County, TN24

Questions

How many tornadoes has Putnam County, Tennessee had?

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

What was the strongest tornado in Putnam County?

The strongest rating recorded was EF4 on Mar 3, 2020, with a 8.4-mile path and 19 deaths.

When is tornado season in Putnam County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in March (7 of 20). 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).