Madison County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Madison County: 20.
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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Feb 5, 2008Tornado$100 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down at the Union University Campus near the U.S. Highway 45 Bypass in Jackson producing tremendous damage. Fifty one people were injured at Union University as two dormitories collapsed during the passage of the violent tornado. Eighty percent of the dorms were severely damaged or destroyed. Three academic buildings received major damage and 14 other campus buildings were damaged. Several hundred vehicles in the campus parking lots were also damaged or destroyed. The damage in the University area was rated EF-4 with maximum winds of 170 mph. The track was 125 yards wide. The damage at the university alone was estimated at $40,000,000. The tornado then tracked…

2. May 4, 2003Tornado$30.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down in the southwest part of Madison county near Denmark and tracked east through the downtown section of Jackson. The tornado continued to move east and eventually crossed into Henderson county. Nine people were killed in mobile homes between Denmark and Jackson and two other persons were killed in an apartment complex in Jackson. Numerous buildings were destroyed, particularly in downtown Jackson. St. Luke Episcopal Church, one of the oldest churches in Tennessee built in 1844, was destroyed. The Carl Perkins Civic Center, Tennessee Supreme Court Building, the downtown Jackson Post Office and National Guard Armory were damaged. Also damaged was the Proctor…

3. Jan 17, 1999Tornado$25.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado started southeast of Eurekaton in Haywood County and travelled northeast crossing into Madison County eventually reaching the north part of the city of Jackson. In Haywood county, seven houses, five mobile homes, five barns and seven sheds were destroyed. In Madison county, the tornado damaged or destroyed several homes in Mercer and Denmark. While moving toward Jackson, the tornado struck the south side of McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport damaging the ASOS equipment located at the airport. The new Tennessee National Guard armory and a hangar were flattened. Two UH-60 helicopters and two other helicopters were destroyed with four additional helicopters damaged. In…

4. May 1, 2010Flash Flood$11.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Very heavy rain fell during the day across Madison County. As much as 11 to 16 inches fell across the county. Forty roads and bridges were closed due to the flooding. Vehicles had water up to the steering wheels in some locations. Power outages occurred as a result of the flooding. Houses were inundated with water(as much as 5 feet) especially in South Jackson, the Herron Grove area of Jackson, McGee Loop area of Northeast Jackson, and Bemis. In total, 120 to 140 homes across Madison County sustained damage from the flooding. As many as 85 businesses in Jackson received damage. The flash flooding event transitioned into a flood event as rivers rose quickly from the rainfall and…

5. Feb 5, 2008Tornado$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado crossed into Madison County from Haywood County, Tennessee. The tornado struck the town of Huntersville and produced EF-3 damage. One home was totally destroyed on Huntersville-Denmark Road. One person was killed inside the home. Another home was destroyed in Huntersville. One person was killed in this home as well. Numerous homes were destroyed or damaged along the path in Huntersville area. The St. John No. 2 Baptist Church was severely damaged and the church bus was flipped upside down and tossed several hundred feet. The tornado lifted northeast of Huntersville near Interstate 40. A rest area along Interstate 40 was severely damaged. Thirteen tractor-trailers and…

6. Jan 17, 1999Tornado$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado developed just east of Bemis and tracked northeast across the southern part of the city of Jackson. A shopping center suffered severe damage while a nearby funeral home was demolished except for the interior rooms. More than 200 homes were obliterated or heavily damaged while 300 other homes sustained lesser damage. The building housing the school buses for the county was destroyed and 55 school buses were damaged. A high-school baseball stadium was destroyed and the football stadium was damaged.

7. Mar 1, 1997Flood, Madison$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Excessive rainfall during the first few days of March along with rivers that were already high caused prolonged flooding along the Mississippi and Tennessee rivers as well as their tributaries. Along the Mississippi, the river reached levels that had not been seen since 1937. Numerous roads were closed for days. In several counties people had to be evacuated from homes including 400 persons in the town of Rives in Obion county. In Madison county, two persons were killed when their car was swept off a flooded road. One person was killed in Shelby county when his car went over a flooded bridge. One man was also killed in Obion county when he fell out of a boat helping people out of…

8. Nov 10, 2002Tornado$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down northwest of Jackson and moved northeast. The tornado hit a subdivision and also hit parts of Union University where several buildings on campus was badly damaged. Around 500 cars at the school were damaged. Overall, one home was destroyed and over 150 homes and businesses were damaged.

9. Apr 3, 1999Thunderstorm Wind$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A Walmart lost part of its roof. One trailer was overturned. At least 50 other homes and buildings were damaged.

10. Apr 19, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$644,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Straight line winds destroyed three homes in Madison County and caused minor or major damage to six others.

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, 6.7 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.