Gibson County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Gibson County: 11.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. May 1, 2010Flood$500 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rainfall in excess of 10-15 inches produced flash flooding which later transitioned to a flood event across Gibson County. The North Fork Forked Deer quickly rose to record levels. Water spilled out of its banks and flooded areas near Trenton and Milan. Numerous homes and businesses were flooded as a result.

2. Apr 2, 2006Tornado$25.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado was also spawned by the same supercell that produced the killer Dyer County tornado. The F3 tornado tracked east across Gibson County. The tornado then continued east into Weakley County. The hardest hit area was the city of Bradford. There were six fatalities in Bradford along with forty-four injuries. Approximately two hundred fifty homes were damaged and seventy-five homes were destroyed. The Bradford Police Department was completely destroyed. Other businesses were also severely damaged.

3. Apr 2, 2006Tornado$15.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado was the second of two F3 tornadoes that affected Gibson County on April 2nd. The tornado touched down just south of the Obion and Gibson County line and tracked southeast. The tornado lifted just east of Rutherford near the intersection of China Grove Rd and Highway 105. Two fatalities occurred as a result of this tornado along with six injuries. Approximately two hundred fifty homes were damaged and six were destroyed. Cars were tossed into open fields.

4. May 1, 2010Flash Flood$9.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Very heavy rain produced widespread flash flooding in Gibson County. Rainfall amounts were estimated between 10 to 15 inches. As many as 16 roads were flooded or washed out. Highway 79 between Milan and the Carroll County line was covered by as much as 8 feet of water. In total, 137 homes sustained some kind of flood damage in Gibson County. Of those homes, six were completely destroyed. Eighty-seven businesses received damage with two businesses being completely destroyed. A few apartment complexes, mobile homes and other public buildings sustained damage as well. One fatality occurred as the waters quickly rose and swept one person off their feet. The flash flood event…

5. Dec 10, 2021Tornado$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado crossed from Dyer County into Gibson County and continued northeast, uprooting and snapping trees. Several homes had significant roof damage as the tornado moved across rural parts of the county. The tornado strengthened as it approached the city of Kenton causing significant damage to numerous homes. The tornado then crossed into Obion County. Peak winds were estimated at 140 mph in Gibson County.

6. Apr 19, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$3.6 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Straight line winds caused widespread damage across Gibson County. Sixteen homes, fourteen mobile homes and one public building were destroyed. Sixteen homes, one public building and three businesses suffered major damage. Forty-five homes and seven businesses suffered minor damage. Many trees, power lines and signs were also knocked down.

7. Nov 9, 2002Thunderstorm Wind$1.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Strong straight-line winds produced significant damage in the town of Medina. The south wall of the Medina Elementary School gymnasium was blown down. The scoreboard at the Medina football field was blown down. Two homes and one public building were destroyed. Several semi-tractor trailer trucks and other vehicles were blown over. Sixty-two other homes were damaged.

8. Dec 9, 2023Tornado$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The first evidence of tornado damage was near Bells Chapel Road near Jim Dedmon Road in Gibson County where numerous hardwood trees were snapped. The tornado generally moved east to northeast at times. A home on Bells Chapel Road sustained roof damage and a carport was destroyed. A small barn lost most of its roofing and snapped hardwood trees were also noted nearby. The tornado crossed Highway 105 and produced roof and wall damage to homes on Joe Lumpkin Road. The tornado continued to move to the northeast and crossed Highway 45 hitting the Gibson County Rescue 9 station. A semi-truck and van were overturned as the tornado crossed Highway 45. Significant roof damage and collapsed…

9. May 2, 2010Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado touched down on the south side of Humboldt and several houses received roof, siding and garage door damage. One home in Humboldt received partial roof loss and garage damage while the storage shed and wooden swing set were completely destroyed. Several power poles were knocked down before a winery received tree and vine damage. Some tiles were stripped off the business home at the winery. One rural home suffered more extensive damage near the end of the track with partial roof loss, porch removal and brick veneer ripped off the northeast corner of the home. Windows were also blown out on the home with a large well built brick supported carport completely destroyed. A…

10. Feb 15, 2025Tornado$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    An EF-2 tornado began just east of Laneview Concord Road southeast of Tuckers Corner in Gibson County around 7:01 PM CST on February 15. A tree fell on a home near the corner of Twin Creek Road and Thetford Road. The tornado continued just north of Thetford Road, causing tree damage including multiple uprooted trees and large branches snapped through a slightly wooded area. The tornado crossed Thetford Road, with additional tree damage noted. The tornado appeared to intensify as it crossed Milan Hwy (Hwy 45E), with the most severe damage occurring between Milan Hwy and Mt. Pisgah Road. Several homes were damaged in this area. Multiple homes on Mt. Pisgah Rd had large sections of…

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

110°FAug 9, 1930

All-time low

−23°FFeb 2, 1951

Warmest night

82°FJul 30, 1940

Coldest day

−2°FJan 21, 1985

Wettest day

13.60 inSep 13, 1982

Snowiest day

12.0 in2 times, most recently Mar 22, 1968

Hottest year

1933mean 63.6°F

Coldest year

1979mean 56.0°F

Wettest year

201874.29 in

Driest year

194131.35 in

Snowiest season

32.4 in1967-68

Station Milan Experiment Station (USC00406012), 434 ft elevation, 8.0 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1883 to October 21, 2026; 97.0% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

Neighbouring counties

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00406012.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.