Shelby County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Shelby County: 6.
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. May 1, 2011Flood$2.0 billion
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Mississippi River rose to near record levels in Memphis during the beginning to middle part of May. Portions of Beale Street, Riverside Drive, Tom Lee Park and the Pyramid parking lot were flooded. Portions of Mud Island flooded as well including the Mud Island Ampitheater. The flooding wiped out nearly half mile section of the eastern bank of Presidents Island. As a result, the port at McKellar Lake was closed. Several businesses on Presidents Island sustained damage. Backwater from the Mississippi River caused the Wolf River to rise above flood stage. Numerous homes along the Wolf River in North Memphis and Raleigh were flooded as a result. Two mobile home parks in…

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

   A tornado continued northeast from DeSoto County, Mississippi. After the tornado crossed into Tennessee, several warehouses sustained damage. The DSC warehouse near Clarke Road was struck causing EF-2 damage. Three people were killed inside the warehouse. Hardy Bottling Company sustained substantial damage as well. Tractor-trailers were tossed about in the area. Windows were shattered in the Willow Lake Business Park and utility poles and trees were snapped in the area. A utility substation sustained severe damage along Clarke Road causing major power outages in the area. The tornado then continued northeast and struck homes along Maple Tree Drive and Pinbranch Court. Five homes…

3. Jun 29, 2014Flash Flood$50.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Very heavy rain fell across the southern half of Shelby County. Rainfall amounts of 5 to 9 inches were reported causing widespread flash flooding. Dozens of streets were flooded across Southern Shelby County and many vehicles were trapped in water. Several people had to be rescued. Several homes and businesses were also flooded. The hardest hit area was along Nonconnah Creek where many homes and businesses from Lamar Avenue downstream to Interstate 55 experienced some degree of flooding. About 100 mobile homes were flooded in a mobile home park west of Memphis International Airport. Nonconnah Creek had a record crest at the Winchester gage of 26.64 feet and at the Farriesview gage…

4. May 1, 2010Flood$50.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flash flooding transitioned into a flood event across Northern Shelby County as a result of up to 16 inches of rain. The Loosahatchie River rose rapidly spilling over its banks flooding numerous homes and businesses from Millington to Arlington. Many roads were underwater as well. The river crested at a record level in Arlington on May 2nd.

5. Jul 22, 2003Thunderstorm Wind$40.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Shelby County was hit hard by a downburst wind event. Numerous trees, power lines and power poles were blown down. Some of the trees fell on houses producing some major damage. At least 20 buildings collapsed. Numerous homes and buildings were damaged and a few were destroyed. Among the damaged buildings was the Gibson Guitar Factory in downtown Memphis. One person was killed when a tree fell on his house crushing him. Over 300,000 homes in the county were without electricity. Most were without power for anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks. Several people will killed due to post storm related issues such as carbon monoxide poisoning from improperly using generators.

6. May 1, 2010Flash Flood$28.9 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Very heavy rain produced devastating flash flooding across Northwestern Shelby County. Up to 16 inches of rain fell causing widespread flooding. Millington was the hardest hit area where a levee holding back water from Big Creek was topped. As many as 200-300 homes in base housing at the Naval Support Activity Base were flooded. Numerous people had to be rescued. Four to five feet of water covered the navy base. Some locations around Millington were covered by as much as 8 feet of water. All roads in Millington were closed. Power outages occurred due to the flood waters. Raleigh, Frayser and Bartlett also received widespread flooding where water was as deep as vehicles…

7. May 27, 2017Thunderstorm Wind$9.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Trees and power-lines down countywide. Several of them on cars. Many buildings damaged by falling trees. Over 180,000 people without power.

8. Apr 19, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Straight line winds created a swath of damage across Northern Shelby County. Damage in the Frayser and Raleigh areas consisted of broken shingles along with downed fences and trees. In the Millington area, a tree was knocked down destroying a couple of fences and power lines were knocked down across Cuba Millington Road. In the Bolton area, near the high school, roofs and buildings were damaged and many trees were knocked down. There was also minor fence damage southwest of Arlington. Across Shelby County there were 22 homes with minor damage, 13 homes with major damage and 5 homes were destroyed.

9. Jun 25, 2023Thunderstorm Wind$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Powerful straight-line winds knocked down and split trees across Bartlett. Numerous trees were knocked down across the north Bartlett. Six utility poles were snapped along US Highway 64 between Kate Bond Road and North Germantown Parkway. Over 100,000 customers lost power, mainly across northern Shelby County.

10. Jun 3, 2016Flash Flood$1.5 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Exit 25 ramp on Interstate 40 had 6 to 10 inches of water flowing across impeding traffic. Flooding of deep water also occurred on Hays Road in Arlington forcing a road closure and on Arlington Road at the Arlington Self Storage Business.||In addition, the Broadcast media also reported several residential roads across Arlington were flooded as well as Arlington Trace Subdivision, Airline Road, Douglas Road and Fire Station 71.

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

108°FJul 13, 1980

All-time low

−13°FDec 24, 1963

Warmest night

84°F4 times, most recently Aug 3, 2010

Coldest day

6°FJan 10, 1962

Wettest day

5.88 inNov 28, 2001

Snowiest day

14.3 inDec 22, 1963

Hottest year

2012mean 65.9°F

Coldest year

1958mean 59.8°F

Wettest year

195776.85 in

Driest year

200734.81 in

Snowiest season

23.8 in1967-68

Station Memphis International Airport (USW00013893), 251 ft elevation, 7.7 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 100.0% 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 USW00013893.
• 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.