Coffee County, Tennessee
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 47031 · population 57,861 · 429 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 529 records for Coffee County, Tennessee from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 382 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (238 records). The deadliest single record is the November 10, 2002 tornado: 2 deaths, 24 injuries and $410,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 21 declarations naming the county since 1973, 19 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storm” on February 6, 2026.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 529on 382 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 332 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $40Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 28strongest F3
- FEMA declarations
- 21latest 2026
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Coffee County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 238 since 1955. The rank column places the county among Tennessee's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 238 | 177 | 1955-2026 | 0 | 6 | $4.6M | 25 of 95 |
| Hail | 87 | 61 | 1968-2024 | 0 | 0 | $1.3M | 26 of 95 |
| Winter storms | 59 | 55 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 0 | $2.5M | 48 of 95 |
| Drought | 44 | 44 | 2007-2026 | 0 | 0 | $14M | 12 of 95 |
| Floods | 40 | 36 | 1996-2023 | 0 | 0 | $774K | 45 of 95 |
| Tornadoes | 28 | 25 | 1957-2025 | 2 | 26 | $15M | 9 of 95 |
| High wind and dust storms | 16 | 14 | 2004-2025 | 0 | 0 | $213K | 15 of 95 |
| Lightning | 8 | 8 | 1996-2009 | 0 | 0 | $1.1M | 14 of 95 |
| Heat | 3 | 3 | 2010-2023 | 0 | 0 | – | 42 of 95 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 3 | 3 | 2010-2012 | 0 | 0 | – | 23 of 95 |
| Heavy rain | 2 | 2 | 2009-2022 | 0 | 0 | $138K | 26 of 95 |
| Extreme cold | 1 | 1 | 2022-2022 | 0 | 0 | – | 58 of 95 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Coffee County had?
NOAA records 28 tornadoes in Coffee County from 1957 to 2025, the strongest rated F3, with 2 deaths and 26 injuries recorded in the county. That is 9th of 95 Tennessee counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 29 tornadoes whose track touched Coffee County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 28: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 2 people.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-11-10 18:52, as SPC files it | New Union | F2 | 12.3 mi | 2 |
| 1974-04-03 20:00, as SPC files it | Pelham | F3 | 7.1 mi | 0 |
| 1959-03-26 18:10, as SPC files it | Carthage | F3 | 19.5 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Tennessee.
Every tornado record filed for Coffee County (28)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-20 | Noah, Coffee County | EF0 0.36 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $50K |
| 2021-12-06 | Flowertown, Coffee County | EF1 4.68 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $22K |
| 2021-05-03 | Fredonia, Coffee County | EF0 0.83 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $16K |
| 2018-11-06 | Rutledge Hill, Coffee County | EF0 3.63 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $88K |
| 2016-11-29 | Red Hill, Coffee County | EF1 3.51 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $307K |
| 2016-11-29 | Tullahoma, Coffee County | EF1 7.99 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 1 | $922K |
| 2014-02-20 | Betsy Willis, Coffee County | EF1 1.21 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | $249K |
| 2013-01-30 | Manchester, Coffee County | EF0 5.22 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $76K |
| 2011-04-27 | Ragsdale, Coffee County | EF0 1.67 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $13K |
| 2009-04-13 | Forest Mill, Coffee County | EF0 0.5 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $17K |
| 2009-04-10 | Hillsboro, Coffee County | EF0 0.25 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2008-04-11 | Beech Grove, Coffee County | EF0 0.18 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $69K |
| 2002-11-10 | Fredonia, Coffee County | F2 2 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 0 | $82K |
| 2002-11-10 | Fredonia, Coffee County | F2 12.3 mi x 450 yd | 2 | 24 | $410K |
| 2002-11-10 | Fredonia, Coffee County | F1 4.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2001-10-24 | Manchester, Coffee County | F2 0.2 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $5.0M |
| 1998-04-08 | Manchester, Coffee County | F1 1 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $91K |
| 1998-01-07 | Manchester, Coffee County | F1 0.5 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $453K |
| 1997-03-28 | Hillsboro, Coffee County | F0 0.5 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1995-05-18 | Manchester, Coffee County | F0 1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $2 |
| 1994-06-26 | Hillsboro, Coffee County | F0 3 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $199K |
| 1985-04-05 | Coffee County | F1 1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1984-05-06 | Coffee County | F1 5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1975-03-12 | Coffee County | F1 20.7 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1974-04-03 | Coffee County | F3 3 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 1 | – |
| 1968-04-14 | Coffee County | F1 0.3 mi x 7 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1959-03-26 | Coffee County | F3 19.5 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1957-01-22 | Coffee County | F2 4.7 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Coffee County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 16, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($15,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-01 | DroughtCoffee County · forecast zone Coffee | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-16 | Thunderstorm WindManchester, Coffee County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $15K |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtCoffee County · forecast zone Coffee | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-11 | Thunderstorm WindManchester, Coffee County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2026-01-24 | Winter StormCoffee County · forecast zone Coffee | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-06-07 | Thunderstorm WindTullahoma, Coffee County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-06-07 | Thunderstorm WindTullahoma, Coffee County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2025-05-25 | Thunderstorm WindManchester, Coffee County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-05-20 | TornadoNoah, Coffee County | EF0 0.36 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $50K |
| 2025-03-04 | High WindCoffee County · forecast zone Coffee | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $50K |
| 2025-03-01 | DroughtCoffee County · forecast zone Coffee | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-02-16 | Thunderstorm WindManchester, Coffee County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $15K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-11-10 | TornadoFredonia, Coffee County An F2 tornado killed 2 people and injured 24 others. The 2 people were inside their mobile home when the tornado struck. The mobile home was in the New Union Heights subdivision, off state Highway 53 north of Manchester. The boy was moved from his mobile home to the Hillcrest Baptist Church. He died in the church at ... | F2 12.3 mi x 450 yd | 2 | 24 | $410K |
| 2024-01-19 | Winter WeatherCoffee County · forecast zone Coffee Light freezing rain fell on top of already existing heavy snow which exacerbated slick and icy conditions. There was one indirect fatality in Coffee County when a 73-year-old man traveling failed to stay in his lane on Hoover Road. The vehicle traveled off the left-hand side of the roadway and collided with two wooden ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1996-04-20 | Thunderstorm WindManchester, Coffee County Several homes and mobile homes were damaged from straight line winds. Many trees and power lines were down. The hardest hit area in the county was 4.7 miles northwest of Manchester or in the Boyton Valley region. The Boyton Valley Baptist Church had major damage. There was also some damage in the Summitville and ... | 0 | 2 | $941K | |
| 1990-12-18 | Thunderstorm WindCoffee County | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2023-08-07 | Thunderstorm WindPocahontas, Coffee County Severe thunderstorm winds downed a tree onto a vehicle at Woodbury Highway and Gnat Hill Road north of Manchester which injured a person who was in the vehicle at the time. Damages are a rough estimate. | 65 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| 2016-11-29 | TornadoTullahoma, Coffee County An EF-1 tornado touched down just inside the Coffee County line west of Tullahoma. This tornado tracked through the northside of Tullahoma crossing over State Route 16/Jackson Street damaging several businesses with mostly roof damage observed. The tornado then moved across the Lakewood Golf and Country Club and Lake ... | EF1 7.99 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 1 | $922K |
| 1999-01-22 | Thunderstorm WindManchester, Coffee County A metal roof from an H&R Block building was lifted and hurled into vehicles in downtown Manchester. There was one injury. The roof was estimated to be 20 feet by 20 feet, was made of aluminum and 2 by 4s. | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 1974-04-03 | TornadoCoffee County | F3 3 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 1 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-06-01 | DroughtCoffee County · forecast zone Coffee | 0 | 0 | $14M | |
| 2001-10-24 | TornadoManchester, Coffee County | F2 0.2 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $5.0M |
| 2011-10-18 | HailTullahoma, Coffee County | 2.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $1.3M |
| 2015-02-20 | Winter StormCoffee County · forecast zone Coffee | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | |
| 2021-02-14 | Winter StormCoffee County · forecast zone Coffee | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | |
| 1996-04-20 | Thunderstorm WindManchester, Coffee County | 0 | 2 | $941K | |
| 1996-04-20 | LightningTullahoma, Coffee County | 0 | 0 | $941K | |
| 2016-11-29 | TornadoTullahoma, Coffee County | EF1 7.99 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 1 | $922K |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: January 22, 1957 (tornado, Coffee County); March 26, 1959 (tornado, Coffee County); March 12, 1975 (tornado, Coffee County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Coffee County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 3 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 29 | 47 | 96 | 45 |
| Hail | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 27 | 34 | 7 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 3 | 12 | 27 | 17 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 0 | 20 | 7 | 17 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 5 | 18 | 14 | 3 |
| Tornadoes | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 3 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
Records by month in Coffee County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 39 · Feb 41 · Mar 60 · Apr 68 · May 75 · Jun 56 · Jul 58 · Aug 36 · Sep 15 · Oct 26 · Nov 25 · Dec 30 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Coffee County
FEMA's register lists 21 declarations that include Coffee County: 16 major disasters, 5 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (6) and flood (5).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-06 | DR-4898 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2026-01-24 | EM-3635 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2025-04-02 | EM-3625 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2023-09-27 | DR-4742 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornado |
| 2023-03-08 | DR-4691 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2021-04-21 | DR-4594 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storms |
| 2020-04-02 | DR-4514 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3473 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-04-17 | DR-4427 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2015-04-02 | DR-4211 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm and Flooding |
| 2005-09-05 | EM-3217 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2003-05-08 | DR-1464 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2002-11-13 | DR-1441 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Tornados |
| 1999-01-15 | DR-1260 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 1994-02-28 | DR-1010 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Ice Storm,Flash Flooding |
| 1993-03-14 | EM-3095 | Snowstorm | Severe Snowfall, Winter Storm |
| 1991-01-04 | DR-889 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1975-03-22 | DR-459 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1974-04-04 | DR-424 | Tornado | Tornadoes |
| 1973-06-28 | DR-395 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1973-03-21 | DR-366 | Flood | Heavy Rains & Flooding |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Coffee County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 40 flood or flash flood records for Coffee County from 1996 to 2023, on 36 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Coffee County ranks 1976th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $171,000 on 26 claims filed in Coffee County; the most in one year was 3 in 1990. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1983: 1 · 1990: 3 · 1993: 1 · 1994: 1 · 1999: 1 · 2003: 3 · 2004: 2 · 2009: 1 · 2010: 1 · 2011: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2020: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2024: 3; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Coffee County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Coffee County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $22.9 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $5.5M | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $3.5M | 1.1 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $180K | 5.2 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $501K | 22 modeled event-days a year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $933K | 5.9 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $3.5M | once in about 288 years (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | $128K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $340K | 3.8 a year (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Coffee County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in TennesseeEvery Tennessee tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind in TennesseeThe state's severe thunderstorm wind events, by county, year and month
- The Tennessee recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Coffee CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Coffee County's FEMA declarations (CSV)21 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis