Putnam County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Putnam County: 30.
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.

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. Mar 3, 2020Tornado$100 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An historic, violent EF-4 tornado began in western Putnam County northwest of Baxter and tracked eastward for over 8 miles before lifting near downtown Cookeville, damaging or destroying dozens of homes and businesses, killing 19 people, and injuring 88 others. The tornado began 2.5 miles northwest of Baxter along Highway 70 where it caused EF-0 damage to several homes and outbuildings. Scattered trees were blown down as the tornado continued eastward across Gainesboro Highway. The tornado quickly intensified to EF-2 in the Prosperity Pointe subdivision just north of Highway 70 and further strengthened to EF-3 as it crossed Bloomington Road and Clemmons Road in the Double Springs…

2. Aug 18, 2010Flood$25.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Pippen Road was under 3 to 4 inches of water. Rickman Road near Spring Creek Road area was reported to be flooded. Swiftly moving water was crossing McBroom Chapel Road. Near this same area, a house was flooded and three vehicles were submerged. Portion of Dodson Branch Highway and Willow Avenue were under 7 to 8 inches of water. Multiple structures across the county received flood damage, including several|home furnished basements, garages, and barns. ||Newspapers reported that at least 42 roads, along with a few bridges, were closed across the county, and both Cookeville and Upperman High Schools were damaged. Extent of any damage to county roads, bridges, and both high schools…

3. Feb 20, 2015Winter Storm, Putnam$10.0 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 Putnam County up to 1 in eastern areas from the evening on February 20 into the early morning hours on February 21. Emergency management reported hundreds of trees, power lines and power poles knocked down across the county, mainly in eastern areas, with many roadways blocked around Monterey. A TVA transmission line across I-40 in Monterey was knocked down, blocking and closing the interstate. Power was out to the Monterey area for up to 2 weeks, including the city water plant. Cleanup efforts from the ice…

4. Apr 28, 2023Lightning$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning struck an apartment building at Eagle Summit Apartments at Tennessee Tech University along Willow Avenue near Cookeville, causing a fire. All occupants were evacuated, and firefighters put out the fire just after 7 AM local time. Four apartments were destroyed, impacting eleven occupants. No injuries were reported, and damages are a rough estimate.

5. Feb 14, 2021Winter Storm, Putnam$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Freezing rain brought ice accumulations up to 1/2 inch across Putnam 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 Putnam County were without electricity for up to 2 weeks. Damage estimates from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency reached 2.996 million dollars.

6. May 27, 2017Thunderstorm Wind$1.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A NWS storm survey found a severe 15 mile long by 1 to 2 mile wide downburst caused major damage across Cookeville and surrounding areas of central Putnam County. Damage was first reported east of Bloomington Springs where trees and power lines were blown down. Scattered tree and power line damage contined to the southeast to near the Nashville Highway, including a tree falling and blocking Peach Orchard Road at Flatt Road, and a tree blown down onto a vehicle with the occupant trapped inside at County Farm Road and Gainesboro Grade. More significant and widespread damage occurred across the center of Cookeville, where the roof was blown off a business on Oak Avenue and the canopy…

7. Jun 21, 2000Lightning$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning struck the Saxony's Apartments, one of the oldest apartment complexes in Cookeville. Flames raced through the common attic of a 10 apartment two story wood structure unit at a high rate of speed. 10 families were left homeless. The Saxony Apartment complex is about 30 years old. At that time, codes regulations did not require draft stop walls in the attic.

8. May 18, 2023Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Five to seven inches of heavy rain fell across central Putnam County, causing significant flash flooding in and around Cookeville and Algood. Near Algood, a home along Middlebrook Road had to be evacuated due to flooding, and several cars were stalled in flood waters around White Plains Golf Course. Along Fisk Road, a warehouse was also flooded and evacuated. Numerous other roads were flooded in Algood as well, including Mirandy Road, West Washington Street, East Main Street at White Plains Academy, Highway 42, RC Buck Drive, Shag Rad Road, Fish Road, and Whiteaker Springs Road. Numerous roads were also flooded in Cookeville including East 6th Street at Denton Avenue, Fisk Road at…

9. Jul 2, 2015Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flash flooding affected much of Putnam County from the evening hours on July 2 into the morning hours on July 3. Numerous roads throughout the county were flooded and closed, including Highway 111 three miles south of I-40, Neal Street, Jefferson Avenue, and Veterans Drive. Other roads were washed away and destroyed, including Thomas Allen Road, Bennett Road, and Bunker Hill Road at West Cemetery Road. Several water rescues were also performed by emergency personnel. Many homes, businesses, and vehicles were also flooded, including one home on Meadow Wood Drive at Burgess Falls Road, and others along Highway 111 and Highway 70 near Clouse Road. Another house was heavily…

10. Mar 3, 2023High Wind, Putnam$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Several hours of severe non-thunderstorm winds resulted in numerous damage reports, including downed and uprooted trees, downed powerlines, and roof and other property damage across all of Putnam 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, 3.8 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.