States › Tennessee › Lawrence County

Lawrence County, Tennessee

Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.

FIPS 47099 · 44,828 residents (2021) · 617 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 146Tornado · 42Flood · 142Wind · 400Winter · 51

Lawrence County within Tennessee. Dots: HailTornadoFloodWind event locations in the kept record. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

Between 1950 and 2026, NCEI recorded 846 storm events in Lawrence County, Tennessee, led by damaging wind.

That is 137.1 events per 100 square miles, in line with the Tennessee figure of 112.2, and 188.7 per 10,000 residents against 66.4 statewide.

34 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 9 deaths and 154 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $34M and crop damage at $582K.

FEMA has designated the county in 25 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Winter Storm (major disaster, 6 Feb 2026).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 35 claims since 1978, of which 30 were paid, totalling $715K (about $24K per paid claim). FEMA counts 27 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Low" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Low" ($22M a year across 18 hazards).

8 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 0 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

34events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

846events since 19509 deaths, 154 injuries recorded

25disaster declarationslast 6 Feb 2026

35NFIP flood claims$715K paid

Compared with Tennessee and the United States

Measure	Lawrence County	Tennessee	US
Recorded events since 1950	846	46,283	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	137.1	112.2	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	188.7	66.4	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	34	1,524	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	9	804	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$34M	$9.2B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	0.8	2.5	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$24K	$33K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	0.0	20.9	16.1

County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.

Events by decade

Hail: 1Tornado: 4Wind: 1

Hail: 3Tornado: 3Wind: 3

Hail: 2Tornado: 3Wind: 3

Hail: 1Wind: 7

Hail: 35Tornado: 10Flood: 20Wind: 42Winter: 5

Hail: 52Tornado: 6Flood: 43Wind: 82Winter: 6Drought: 7Lightning: 5

Hail: 37Tornado: 6Flood: 28Wind: 118Winter: 27Heat: 1Drought: 4Lightning: 6Other: 9

Hail: 15Tornado: 10Flood: 51Wind: 144Winter: 13Heat: 4Cold: 1Drought: 21Lightning: 4Other: 3

61950s91960s81970s81980s1121990s2012000s2362010s2662020s

Recorded events in Lawrence County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindWinterHeatColdDroughtLightningOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 551 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 238 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.

Events by type

Wind400

Hail146

Flood142

Winter51

Tornado42

Drought32

Lightning15

Other12

Heat5

Cold1

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	400	—	1.9%	detail
■ Hail	146	—	2.0%	detail
■ Flood	142	3	3.2%	detail
■ Winter	51	—	0.9%	detail
■ Tornado	42	3	2.5%	detail
■ Drought	32	—	1.6%
■ Lightning	15	3	3.1%
■ Other	12	—	3.2%
■ Heat	5	—	0.2%
■ Cold	1	—	0.2%

Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.

Largest recorded events

Date	Event type	Group	Magnitude	Property damage	Crop damage	Deaths	Injuries	Geography
18 May 1995	Tornado	Tornado	F4	$4.6M	—	3	32	County
9 May 2024	Lightning	Lightning	—	$500K	—	3	—	County
13 Jul 1998	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$4.0M	—	2	20	County
5 Jun 2014	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$500K	—	1	—	County
16 Apr 1998	Tornado	Tornado	F5	$4.0M	—	—	21	County
26 Jun 1994	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$5.0M	—	—	19	County
1 Jul 2002	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	18	County
20 Apr 1996	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$1.3M	—	—	12	County
21 Apr 1972	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$250K	—	—	6	County
23 Dec 2015	Tornado	Tornado	EF2	$2.0M	$500K	—	3	County
12 Mar 1975	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$250K	—	—	3	County
24 Sep 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$25K	—	—	3	County
20 Mar 1955	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$3K	—	—	2	County
31 May 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	75 mph	—	—	—	2	County
11 Apr 2008	Tornado	Tornado	EF3	$3.0M	—	—	1	County
11 Mar 1963	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$250K	—	—	1	County
28 Apr 2026	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	90 mph	$250K	—	—	1	County
5 Feb 2020	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	$100K	—	—	1	County
27 Apr 2011	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	$11K	$75K	—	1	County
13 Aug 1998	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$20K	—	—	1	County

Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.

Federal disaster declarations

Declared	Number	Type	Incident	Title	Programs
6 Feb 2026	DR-4898	Major disaster	Winter Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
24 Jan 2026	EM-3635	Emergency	Winter Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
2 Apr 2025	EM-3625	Emergency	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding	Public assistance
17 May 2023	DR-4712	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornado	Public assistance
9 Jul 2020	DR-4550	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding	Public assistance
2 Apr 2020	DR-4514	Major disaster	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020	EM-3473	Emergency	Biological	Covid-19	Public assistance
17 Apr 2019	DR-4427	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides	Public assistance
2 Apr 2015	DR-4211	Major disaster	Severe Ice Storm	Severe Winter Storm And Flooding	Public assistance
13 Aug 2014	DR-4189	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding	Public assistance
1 May 2011	DR-1974	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Associated Flooding	Public assistance
4 May 2010	DR-1909	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes	Individual assistance, Public assistance
5 Sep 2005	EM-3217	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	Public assistance
8 May 2003	DR-1464	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
5 Apr 2002	DR-1408	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Public assistance
12 May 1999	DR-1275	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
19 Jan 1999	DR-1262	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes And High Winds	Public assistance
15 Jan 1999	DR-1260	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
23 Jul 1998	DR-1235	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
20 Apr 1998	DR-1215	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
14 Jun 1995	DR-1057	Major disaster	Tornado	Tornadoes	Public assistance
28 Feb 1994	DR-1010	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Ice Storm,Flash Flooding	Public assistance
14 Mar 1993	EM-3095	Emergency	Snowstorm	Severe Snowfall, Winter Storm	Public assistance
21 Jun 1991	DR-910	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Public assistance
21 Mar 1973	DR-366	Major disaster	Flood	Heavy Rains & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance

Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.

Flood insurance claims

197820022026

NFIP claims by year of loss in Lawrence County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 197835

Paid claims30

Total paid$715K

Average paid claim$24K

Repetitive-loss properties62 severe

Residential policies in force270.1% of 19,388 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2010	4	2	$7,637	$3,818
2009	2	2	$12,118	$6,059
2004	3	2	$69,599	$34,800
2003	5	5	$67,035	$13,407
2002	8	7	$75,332	$10,762
2001	2	2	$11,674	$5,837
2000	1	0	$0	—
1998	10	10	$471,686	$47,169

OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).

National Risk Index

Overall riskRelatively Lowscore 69.7 of 100

Expected annual loss$22MRelatively Low

Social vulnerabilityRelatively High

Community resilienceVery Low

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively Low	$6,416,559
Tornado	Relatively High	$6,265,365
Cold wave	Relatively Moderate	$3,703,546
Earthquake	Relatively Low	$3,597,472
Lightning	Relatively High	$997,347
Strong wind	Relatively Moderate	$570,159
Heat wave	Relatively Low	$381,562
Ice storm	Relatively Low	$96,355
Hurricane	Very Low	$92,419
Winter weather	Relatively Low	$63,361
Hail	Very Low	$59,330
Drought	Relatively Low	$22,236
Wildfire	Very Low	$3,722
Landslide	Very Low	$529

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.

Hurricane and tropical storm passes

Tracks within 100 miles8

Tracks within 50 miles3

Hurricane strength within 50 miles0

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Frederic	1979	22 mi	52 mph
Audrey	1957	98 mi	40 mph
Baker	1950	79 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	41 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1916	92 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1915	37 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1892	62 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1888	91 mi	58 mph

HURDAT2 best-track positions at tropical-storm strength (34 kt) or more, measured from the county's Census centre point; through the 2025 season. Distance from a track is not the same as the extent of the storm's wind, rain or surge.

ZIP codes with flood claims

38464 29

ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.

Questions and answers

How often does it hail in Lawrence County, TN?

NCEI records 146 hail events in Lawrence County since 1950, in 38 different years; that is about 1.9 recorded events a year. 27 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Lawrence County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 42 tornadoes in Lawrence County since 1950, 13 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 3.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Lawrence County?

6 Feb 2026: Severe Winter Storm, a major disaster declaration for winter storm. The county appears in 25 declarations since 1953.

How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Lawrence County, and how much was paid?

35 NFIP claims since 1978, 30 of them paid, for $715K in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Lawrence County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Low" for overall risk, "Relatively Low" for expected annual loss, "Relatively High" for social vulnerability and "Very Low" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Lawrence County compare with the rest of Tennessee?

137.1 recorded events per 100 square miles against 112.2 statewide, and 0.8 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 2.5. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.

Provenance

Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.