Lincoln County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Lincoln County: 10.
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. Sep 16, 2004High Wind, Lincoln$350,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The remnants of Hurricane Ivan produced widespread tree damage across much of Lincoln, Franklin and into Moore counties. At least 100 trees and many power lines were blown down due to the sustained high winds associated with the remnants of Ivan.

2. Jul 14, 2012Lightning$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning struck a three story home and ignited a fire that resulted in the home being totally destroyed.

3. Jan 24, 1997Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hot Rock area was hardest hit. 3 homes were totally destroyed and 9 more were damaged by the tornado. 14 outbuildings and one house trailer were damaged. Tornado path width and length are approximations.

4. Jan 24, 2002Flash Flood$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Highway department reported 3 or 4 roads still closed. Streams were running bank full. Damage to roads and bridges placed at $150K. 8 people had to be evacuated.

5. Jun 28, 2018Lightning$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning struck a home on Fox Wood Drive sparking a fire. The house was a total loss.

6. Jun 30, 2023Thunderstorm Wind$80,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A gust front from decaying severe thunderstorms produced widespread strong to severe level thunderstorm winds across the entire county from north to south. No less than 50 reports of wind damage were received due to the 50 to 60 mph wind gusts associated with this gust front. The wind damage consisted of numerous trees being knocked down, some very large, which also resulted in power transformers and power lines being knocked down. Many roadways were also blocked due to the fallen trees and limbs.

7. Aug 3, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$75,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous trees and power lines were downed by a line of severe thunderstorms in the county. The locations around Fayetteville Tennessee where the most concentrated thunderstorm wind damage occurred included: Lewisburg highway, North Main Street, Kidd Highway, and Clay and Oak Streets.

8. Dec 24, 2009High Wind, Lincoln$60,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous trees were blown down across the county. Particularly hard hit was the Elora community, where numerous trees were snapped or uprooted. At least one tree fell on a car.

9. Jul 14, 2012Lightning$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning struck a home and ignited a fire, resulting in extensive damage.

10. Feb 21, 1997Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Several homes damaged. A barn was blown onto the roadway near HWY 50 near Louse Creek Rd.

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°FJun 29, 2012

All-time low

−26°FJan 30, 1966

Warmest night

80°FAug 17, 2007

Coldest day

−1°FJan 21, 1985

Wettest day

6.62 inMar 16, 1973

Snowiest day

11.0 inJan 1, 1964

Hottest year

2012mean 62.8°F

Coldest year

1963mean 55.5°F

Wettest year

198977.80 in

Driest year

200730.08 in

Snowiest season

20.5 in1963-64

Station Fayetteville Water Plant (USC00403074), 742 ft elevation, 2.6 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1957 to October 22, 2026; 98.7% 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 USC00403074.
• 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.