Lawrence County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Lawrence County: 3.
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.

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. Jul 13, 1998Flash Flood$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Synoptic conditions near the surface and aloft, set the stage for serious flooding problems in Lawrenceburg. A strong cut off low, located west of Lawrenceburg, caused a series of thunderstorms to train or move across Lawrence county. These thunderstorms contained very heavy rains. Precipitable water values were in excess of 2 inches that evening. There was a strong 850 mb moisture convergence field, along with 300 mb divergence, and also Lawrence county was in the right rear quadrant of the jet stream. Nashville Doppler Radar estimated about 8 inches of rain at Lawrenceburg Monday night and early Tuesday morning. 4 inches of rain fell in about an hour at one point Monday night.…

2. Apr 16, 1998Tornado$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Many fine homes, some even brick, were completely leveled. Trees were uprooted or blown down, power lines were down, 75 utility poles were blown down around the county. People who were at their homes went to the basement, or in a closet, or in a bathroom. The EMA report of a one ton Dodge flatbed truck, which weighs almost 5000 pounds, being hurled 20 miles, could not be confirmed. Therefore this account should be discounted. However, the EMA director verfied a sedan being carried 1/2 mile. A tree was debarked by the flying debris. A 200 yard wide path of pasture land had grass pulled out. Clumps of dirt was pulled up from the ground. Several livestock was killed.

3. Apr 11, 2008Tornado$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Many homes had roof damage especially on Coffee McGee Rd. An outbuilding was damaged on Crawfish Rd. Trees and utility poles were down along U.S. Highway 64 or Waynesboro Highway. Trees were down in Mt. Ararat Cemetery. The worst damage was a downed TVA electrical transmission tower east of U.S. Highway 43 on Hagan Rd. Metal debris was flung up and got stuck about a hundred feet above the ground in an electrical transmission tower. Numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. ||Newspaper article stated 56 homes had damage, with 12 homes being complete losses, and there were mainly mobile homes having comp;lete;|||There was one minor injury.

4. Dec 23, 2015Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This strong, long-track EF3 tornado touched down just east of the Hardin County/Wayne County line about 2.5 miles southwest of the town of Lutts. At touchdown, hundreds of trees were snapped and uprooted before the tornado reached its peak strength about one half mile west-southwest of Lutts along Lutts Road where the tornado reached a width of 800 yards and EF3 strength. A post office and church, both brick buildings, were destroyed along with multiple homes swept from their foundations. Four people were injured here in Lutts. As the tornado continued northeast, hundreds of trees were snapped and uprooted along its path to where a concentrated area of trees were destroyed about 5…

5. May 6, 2003Flash Flood$1.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flooding was occurring countywide. Several people had to be evacuated. U.S. Highway 64 had to be closed due to high water near David Crockett State Park around 0844 AM CDT. 3 bridges have to be replaced (Waterloo Road, Shoally Branch Drive and Chief Creek Rd.) , 5 low water crossings will have to be reworked and miscellaneous metal culverts installed. Estimated cost of flood damage by EMA is $1.3 million.

6. Apr 20, 1996Tornado$1.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A strong line of thunderstorms entered middle Tennesee Saturday morning, April 20. The storms moved from northwest to southeast. Some of these storms produced tornadoes, but a significant part of the damage occurred from straight line winds. Many homes...mobile homes and businesses were damaged. Damage estimates from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) was placed at 1.25 million dollars across middle Tennessee during this storm event. The tornado started at Barnesville and then went back up as a funnel cloud. It touched down again at Summertown, Waco and Cornersville. Areas east of Cornersville toward Bell Buckle received straight line wind damage. The distance from…

7. Mar 15, 2026Tornado$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF-1 tornado began in Lauderdale County, Alabama and tracked into southern Middle TN. After the tornado crossed the Tennessee and Alabama state line, it traveled for ten more miles through Lawrence and Giles counties. In Bonnertown, many residences were impacted with several homes damaged. A few manufactured homes were moved off their piers, and a couple mobile homes were lofted or slid, but remained in tact. Other structural damage included missing awnings, removed shingles, carports thrown, and trees falling onto the structures. Several farm outbuildings were damaged. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted. Beyond Bonnertown, the tornado continued east along Appleton Road,…

8. Mar 3, 2023High Wind, Lawrence$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A mesonet station near Lawrenceburg measured a peak non-thunderstorm wind gust of 62 mph. Several hours of severe winds led to numerous damage reports of downed and uprooted trees, downed powerlines, and roof and other property damage. The worst of the damage was reported near Lawrenceburg where a roof was torn off of an unoccupied building north of Locust Avenue and Weakly Creek Road. A strip mall in Lawrenceburg also sustained structure damage. Damages are estimated.

9. Jun 5, 2014Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major and widespread flash flooding occurred across northern Lawrence County, with several homes flooded and road closures due to roads being washed out in up to 20 different places. A 72 year old man drowned when his car was swept off the washed-out roadway at the intersection of Denson Road and Highway 240 in Summertown. Three people were rescued out of a flooded house at 35 Waterfork Road in Henryville. Buffalo Road at Highway 242 was down to one lane due to flooding. Highway 240 had 1 foot of water over the roadway. Branch Drive and Lance Drive in Lawrenceburg were also flooded.

10. May 9, 2024Lightning$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A lightning strike was likely to blame for a house fire along Morgan Road in Lawrenceburg. Unfortunately, the house became engulfed in flames which led to the death of three individuals, including one pregnant woman.

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

106°FJun 29, 2012

All-time low

−14°F2 times, most recently Jan 21, 1985

Warmest night

84°FAug 1, 1983

Coldest day

6°FDec 25, 1983

Wettest day

8.76 inJul 14, 1998

Snowiest day

16.0 inJan 1, 1964

Hottest year

1998mean 61.9°F

Coldest year

2014mean 56.4°F

Wettest year

199879.75 in

Driest year

202017.83 in

Snowiest season

20.5 in1963-64

Station Lawrenceburg Filt Plt (USC00405089), 870 ft elevation, 0.4 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1954 to September 30, 2026; 94.4% 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 USC00405089.
• 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.