Knox County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Knox County: 2.
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.

River crests

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 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.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by NASA (3).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Feb 23, 2019Flood$32.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous roadways and structures were flooded. East Emory Road near Hallbrook Road near Halls Crossroads was closed. Flooding also reported on Northshore Drive near Ebenezer Road. South Peters Road was closed by flooding late in the evening, but a motorist still became submerged and, after being taken to a hospital, died shortly after midnight. All told, there was about 32.5 million dollars in damages across Knox County from this flooding event.

2. Feb 14, 2003Flood, Knox$8.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Four day rainfall totals of two to eight inches fell across east Tennessee, with the highest amounts occurring across the Cumberland Plateau and adjacent valleys areas. This rainfall combined with a melting snowpack (reports of up to a foot in the higher elevations) to produce widespread flooding of rivers and streams with numerous mudslides also reported (one notable mudslide pushed an apartment complex off its foundation in Knox County). The Powell, Clinch and Holston rivers measured the most significant rises with Claiborne, Rhea and Knox counties reporting the most significant damage.

3. Aug 7, 2023Tornado$3.7 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado started on Yarnell Road, then reached peak intensity and width as it passed the Lovell Crossing apartment complex. Significant roof damage was noted to several of the homes and apartments in Lovell Cove and Crossing, with partial roof loss and uplift of roof decking common to several apartments. In addition to roof damage, a complete collapse of a garage at Lovell Crossing was noted, along with wooden boards driven into the ground and a large gash in the side of apartment complex office from the impact of a large, but unknown object. Numerous trees in the apartment complex suffered damage from the tornado. The tornado then crossed Pellissippi Parkway, and continued…

4. May 5, 2003Flash Flood$2.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Kingston Pike and Gleason Road flooded and closed.

5. Feb 28, 2011Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Broadcast media reported that heavy rain from a thunderstorm caused flooding countywide.

6. May 24, 1996Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous trees and powerlines were blown down with only very minor injuries reported. The storm heavily damaged the stage set and lighting equipment of a county music singer. Ping Pong ball size hail was reported by a television meteorolo

7. Jun 17, 2004Flash Flood$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   "Shoulder deep" water covered the parking of an apartment complex in Bearden, covering some vehicles and invading several units. Also, water filled the parking of a popular restaurant in Bearden, completely submerging several vehicles.

8. May 15, 2003Tornado$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado touched down south of Governor John Sevier Highway near Apache Trail and traveled east ending near the intersection of Martinmill Pike and Tipton Station Road. The tornado downed numerous power lines and traffic signals. Also, several buildings at a residence on Ottinger Road were damaged. Six condominiums were damaged at 700 Idlewood Lane as tornadic wind gusts downed a huge tree on the structures.

9. May 15, 2003Tornado$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado rated F1 touched down in the Lyons Bend area near Beagle Chase Lane and Idlewood Road then moved across Houser Road before lifting near Fort Loudon Lake. The tornado downed numerous power lines and approximately 100 trees. Downed trees at the Cherokee Country Club damaged a cart barn and a pump house.

10. Feb 20, 2026Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Multiple trees and powerlines were blown down across Knoxville by severe thunderstorm winds, with at least one tree falling on a home in East Knoxville.

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

105°F2 times, most recently Jul 1, 2012

All-time low

−24°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

80°FJul 25, 2010

Coldest day

7°FJan 30, 1966

Wettest day

6.14 inJul 16, 1917

Snowiest day

17.5 inFeb 13, 1960

Hottest year

2016mean 61.9°F

Coldest year

1917mean 56.4°F

Wettest year

201369.35 in

Driest year

198632.48 in

Snowiest season

56.7 in1959-60

Station Knoxville Airport (USW00013891), 971 ft elevation, 10.6 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1910 to October 26, 2026; 100.0% 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 USW00013891.
• 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.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• 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.