Henderson County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Henderson County: 14.
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 4, 2003Tornado$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The same tornado that produced substantial damage to the city of Jackson continued into Henderson county and moved through the city of Lexington. Thirty-six homes were destroyed and nearly 1,000 homes were damaged. Seven commercial buildings were destroyed and another 73 were damaged including the Everett Horn Library.

2. May 1, 2010Flash Flood$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Very heavy rain up to 20 inches produced widespread flooding in Henderson County. Numerous roads and bridges were flooded or washed out. At least 35 culverts were washed out from the heavy rain. As many as 43 homes sustained damage from the flood waters. Numerous rescues from homes and vehicles stranded in flood waters had to be made. The flash flood event transitioned to a flood event by late in the afternoon as heavy rain allowed rivers to overflow their banks.

3. Dec 11, 2021Tornado$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado began just southwest of US-412 off Pine Crest Drive where several trees were damaged. The tornado crossed US-412 and destroyed an outbuilding then moved northeast towards Highway 104 and damaged the roof of a home. It continued to move northeast across northern Beech Lake and produced more damage in the Timberlake community. A couple of metal power poles were bent and a couple of metal buildings were significantly damaged or destroyed in an industrial park. The most significant damage occurred just east of this area where two TVA transmission towers were completely destroyed. The tornado then continued traveling northeast into Natchez Trace State Park snapping and…

4. Jan 17, 1999Thunderstorm Wind$2.6 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The same thunderstorm complex that produced a tornado in Madison county continued to move northeast and produced downburst winds over parts of Henderson county. One person was killed and several buildings were destroyed south of Blue Goose. Nine houses, 26 mobile homes and 22 other structures were destroyed. Another 134 houses, 61 mobile homes and 52 farm structures were damaged.

5. May 5, 1999Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Over 300 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed in and around the city of Lexington. Some trees were blown down.

6. Apr 19, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$676,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Straight line winds caused considerable damage to six houses and six mobile homes across Henderson County. One business and seven farm buildings were also damaged.

7. Oct 26, 2019Thunderstorm Wind$670,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down throughout the county. Several homes and structures around the county were damaged.

8. Jun 10, 2013Flash Flood$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain produced flash flooding across Northern Henderson County. Numerous roads were flooded as a result including Palmer Road, Holmes Road, Rock Milam Road, Spencer Creek Road and Hamlett Road. One water rescue occurred as a result of the flooding.

9. Dec 11, 2021Tornado$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado moved from Madison County into Henderson County. Damage was observed on Crucifer Road where a shed was destroyed and a home damaged. The tornado came to an end between Crucifer and Wilson Roads. Peak winds were estimated to be 95 mph in Henderson County.

10. Mar 27, 2021Tornado$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The tornado developed near the Chester/Henderson County line. The first observed damage was uprooted trees along Mifflin Road. The tornado moved east, and crossed Boss Wadley Road. Trees were uprooted, and some trunks were snapped in this area. The most significant damage occurred near Highway 22A and Middlefork Road. A home lost part of its roof, several storage buildings were damaged or destroyed, and a tree fell on another home damaging its roof. Last observed damage occurred east of Highway 22A. This tornado was broad and relatively disorganized for much of its lifetime. Peak winds were estimated at 100 mph.

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

107°FJul 27, 1952

All-time low

−13°FJan 24, 1963

Warmest night

82°FJul 14, 1954

Coldest day

5°FDec 22, 1989

Wettest day

7.93 inMay 1, 2010

Snowiest day

11.0 inMar 22, 1968

Hottest year

2024mean 63.3°F

Coldest year

1979mean 58.1°F

Wettest year

201877.10 in

Driest year

196334.68 in

Snowiest season

24.7 in1984-85

Station Jackson Mckellar- Sipes Airport (USW00003811), 424 ft elevation, 29.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 99.8% 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 USW00003811.
• 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.