Overton County

Every recorded tornado

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

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

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.

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. Aug 18, 2010Flood$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several roads across the county were closed due to flooding. A house experienced flooding on Tommy Dodson Highway. In excess of a foot of water was over roads and in houses in and near Sulpher. Six houses in this area had water up to the doors and windows with one of these houses having water to middle of its doors. A boat was also used to rescue an elderly woman from her house in this area.||Newspapers reported that 75 roads received damage, along with 20 of those roads being destroyed. In addition to this, 70 homes were damaged. Extent of damage to individual homes was unknown. Some vehicles were also damaged, including a car that was nearly submerged when water covered the…

2. Mar 16, 1996Tornado$5.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Extensive damage in the Oak Grove and Alpine areas in the county. The Overton Co-op Gardening Center was destroyed and several businesses sustained minor damage. 10 homes were destroyed, 12 homes heavily damaged, 46 homes received minor damage, and 6 mobile homes destroyed. Many trees, power lines and telephone transmission lines were down from Livingston to Oak Grove and Alpine. Some of the worst damage in Livingston was on Howard and Clark Street area.There was roof damage to a Pizza Hut, video store and shoe store. State Highway 52 was closed east of Livingston to the Pickett county border due to numerous downed trees and power lines. This made rescue efforts difficult. This…

3. Jul 15, 2009Flash Flood$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flash flooding reported at several locations across the county. State Highway 42 was impassible along southern portions of the county. Oak Street in Livingston was closed due to flooding.||Newspaper reported the following information. A section of Windle Community Road was left rippled and broken away after the flash flood in that area caused a small creek to swell and flow over the road. A large travel trailer was marked by emergency management officials after flood waters carried it approximately 300 feet from a residence on the other side of East Howard Road. Masters Road had extensive damage near two culverts where flood waters washed the road away. A 25 foot section of…

4. Feb 14, 2021Winter Storm, Overton$3.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Freezing rain brought ice accumulations up to 1/2 inch across Overton County, resulting in dozens of downed trees, power lines, and power poles. Some trees, power lines, and power poles fell onto homes and blocked numerous roads. Parts of Overton County were without electricity for up to 2 weeks. Damage estimates from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency reached 3.24 million dollars.

5. Feb 20, 2015Winter Storm, Overton$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Snow and sleet accumulations up to 0.5 fell during the late afternoon on February 20, followed by freezing rain with ice accumulations ranging from 0.25 in western parts of Overton County up to 1 in southeastern areas from the evening on February 20 into the early morning hours on February 21. The sheriff office reported numerous trees and power lines knocked down in the Hanging Limb community with one tree falling through a home. Overton County was declared a Presidential disaster area on April 2, 2015.

6. Feb 6, 2025Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This EF-1 tornado touched down near Coy Phillips Road, west of Hanging Limb in Overton County. It then tracked east-southeast into Hanging Limb where it snapped dozens of trees and caused roof damage to outbuildings along E Fork Lane. The tornado continued along E Fork Lane where it caused significant roofing damage to a residence and uprooted trees. Along Steel Tram Ridge Lane, the tornado completely ripped a porch off the front of a house and caused a camper to roll on its side. The tornado presumably lifted near the end of Indian Creek Trail east of Hanging Limb. This tornado was also responsible for one injury in Overton County. Damages are a rough estimate.

7. Mar 2, 2012Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado that began in southeast Jackson County and crossed into northern Putnam County continued northeastward, producing EF2 damage across southern Overton County. Several homes were damaged as the tornado crossed Highway 136 just south of Hardys Chapel Road. Curving more eastward, the tornado continued down Hardys Chapel Road where several mobile homes were destroyed and other frame homes were heavily damaging. Hundreds of trees were blown down in this area. More homes were damaged on Windle Community Road and Highway 111 before the tornado lifted north of the intersection of River Trace Road and East Howard Road, about 4 miles south-southwest of Livingston. The total path…

8. Jul 15, 2009Lightning$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Overton County 911 Center was damaged by a direct lightning strike which caused a power surge and did major damage to the operations center.

9. Feb 6, 2025Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This is a continuation of the tornado that began in Putnam County. This EF-1 tornado then uprooted and snapped trees along Duncans Chapel Road as well as caused minor roof damage and downed trees on Ben Mason Road. Further east along Tommy Dodson Highway, several trees were uprooted and two barns had roof damage, and a barn was destroyed. On Highway 111, there was damage to a gas station and retail|building and more trees damaged near Rickman. Minor roof damage to a barn and some branches found along Okalona Road east of Rickman before the tornado dissipated. This tornado was responsible for one injury in Overton County. Damages are a rough estimate.

10. Mar 3, 2023High Wind, Overton$300,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The Overton County emergency manager estimated a peak non-thunderstorm wind gust of 80 mph in Livingston. Several hours of severe non-thunderstorm winds resulted in numerous damage reports, included downed and uprooted trees, downed powerlines, and roof and other property damage across all of Overton County. Damages are estimated.

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°F3 times, most recently Jun 30, 2012

All-time low

−22°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

80°F2 times, most recently Aug 15, 1944

Coldest day

−8°FJan 21, 1985

Wettest day

6.25 inSep 18, 2012

Snowiest day

15.2 inNov 3, 1966

Hottest year

1921mean 60.9°F

Coldest year

1958mean 54.6°F

Wettest year

201882.55 in

Driest year

200736.08 in

Snowiest season

27.0 in1995-96

Station Cookeville (USC00402009), 1,090 ft elevation, 19.2 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1896 to September 14, 2026; 97.9% 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 USC00402009.
• 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.