Tennessee winter storms
Every recorded winter storm record since 1996 · 95 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 5,914 winter storm records in Tennessee from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 199 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the January 14, 2024 heavy snow: 12 deaths across 6 records. Tennessee ranks 24th of 51 states and territories by count and 24th of 50 per square mile.
Winter storms in Tennessee, 1996 to 2026
Winter storm records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 5,9141996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 199average
- Deaths
- 60161 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $106Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2010461 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are winter storm records common in Tennessee?
Tennessee averages about 199 winter storm records a year since 2000, 24th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2010 (461). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Tennessee records 1435 winter storm records since 1996, 24th of 50 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Tennessee have the most winter storm records?
Per square mile, Unicoi County leads Tennessee: 86 days with a winter storm record since 1996, 462.2 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Sevier County has the most winter storm records (199 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is winter storm season in Tennessee?
70% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (2,408 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 2,408 · Feb 1,715 · Mar 624 · Apr 30 · May 0 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 15 · Nov 163 · Dec 959 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest winter storm records in Tennessee?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-01-14 | Heavy SnowKnox County · forecast zone Knox One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places, 2024-01-14 to 2024-01-15; the totals are the episode's. A major snowstorm powered by strong upper level dynamics and widespread preexisting low level cold produced heavy snowfall across East Tennessee. | 12 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Winter WeatherKnox County · forecast zone Knox One storm episode: 17 records in 17 places; the totals are the episode's. Broad scale upper lift led to a complex winter storm across East Tennessee, with onset precipitation of snow transitioning to freezing rain before ending as rain as the temperatures rose through the evening, night, and following morning. This storm led to 7 fatalities in East Tennessee. On the morning of the 25th the ... | 7 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Winter StormDavidson County · forecast zone Davidson One storm episode: 38 records in 38 places; the totals are the episode's. A major winter storm system impacted the State of Tennessee starting late Friday, January 23 and continuing into Sunday, January 25, 2026. Cold air moved into Tennessee Friday evening, setting the stage for winter weather through the weekend. This cold air along with a potent storm system resulted in primarily snow ... | 7 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-30 | Heavy SnowGreene County · forecast zone Northwest Greene One storm episode: 36 records in 32 places, 2026-01-30 to 2026-01-31; the totals are the episode's. A significant snowstorm struck portions of East Tennessee at the end of the month, thanks to strong lift from a deep upper trough diving from north to south. A couple of long term cooperative weather stations saw top 10 snowfalls during this storm. This storm led to 3 confirmed fatalities in East Tennessee. | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-01-14 | Heavy SnowHickman County · forecast zone Hickman One storm episode: 3 records in 2 places, 2024-01-14 to 2024-01-17; the totals are the episode's. A major winter storm impacted all of Middle Tennessee beginning late Sunday, January 14, 2024. With a very cold airmass already in place, snow fell either into the late hours of January 15th or into the early morning hours of January 16th. Many locations across Middle Tennessee reported storm total snow amounts in ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2008-01-26 | Winter WeatherHenderson County · forecast zone Henderson One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. An upper level disturbance moved over West Tennessee during the evening hours of January 25th through the morning hours of January 26th. Freezing rain or drizzle fell over the area as a result with some ice accumulation occurring. | 2 | 5 | – | |
| 2009-01-26 | Ice StormObion County · forecast zone Obion One inch of ice fell across Obion County. Widespread power outages occurred. Roads were impassable. Three injuries occurred from auto accidents. | 2 | 3 | – | |
| 2015-02-20 | Winter StormHaywood County · forecast zone Haywood One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A warm front was located across Southern Arkansas and Central Mississippi during the day on February 20th, 2015. Overrunning precipitation spread north of the front beginning in the morning. Since arctic air was already in place, the precipitation first fell in the form of sleet and snow. However, the sleet and snow ... | 2 | 2 | – | |
| 2024-01-18 | Winter WeatherKnox County · forecast zone Knox Rain, freezing rain, and snow fell with a half inch of snow measured in the Hardin Valley area of Knoxville. Extreme cold followed, with refreezing of roads each night of snowmelt causing additional road hazards. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2010-12-12 | Heavy SnowHickman County · forecast zone Hickman One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. As an upper level low pressure system moved across Middle Tennessee during the early morning hours on Sunday, December 12th through, Monday, December 13th, enough moisture was available across the mid state to produce a widespread snowfall accumulation event across the entire area. Total snowfall accumulations ranging ... | 1 | 15 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest winter storm records in Tennessee
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-02-20 | Winter StormCumberland County · forecast zone Cumberland One storm episode: 11 records in 11 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $67M | |
| 2021-02-14 | Winter StormOverton County · forecast zone Overton One storm episode: 8 records in 8 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $14M | |
| 1998-02-03 | Heavy SnowMacon County · forecast zone Macon | 0 | 0 | $9.1M | |
| 1998-12-24 | Winter StormWarren County · forecast zone Warren One storm episode: 5 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 11 | $2.7M | |
| 1998-01-27 | Winter StormCocke County · forecast zone Cocke/Smoky Mountains One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 0 | $1.8M | |
| 1998-01-15 | Winter StormHaywood County · forecast zone Haywood One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | |
| 2010-01-29 | Heavy SnowMontgomery County · forecast zone Montgomery One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $1.0M | |
| 2021-02-15 | Ice StormMoore County · forecast zone Moore | 0 | 0 | $685K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are winter storm records becoming more frequent in Tennessee?
Tennessee's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Tennessee | United States | Tennessee's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 622 | 32,893 | 1.9% |
| 2000s | 1,261 | 88,805 | 1.4% |
| 2010s | 2,696 | 103,626 | 2.6% |
| 2020-26 | 1,335 | 62,015 | 2.2% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent winter storm records in Tennessee
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherHamblen County · forecast zone Hamblen | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherSequatchie County · forecast zone Sequatchie | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherClaiborne County · forecast zone Claiborne | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherScott County · forecast zone Scott | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherHawkins County · forecast zone Hawkins | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherCarter County · forecast zone Southeast Carter | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherJohnson County · forecast zone Johnson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherWashington County · forecast zone Washington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherGreene County · forecast zone Southeast Greene | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherHancock County · forecast zone Hancock | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherJefferson County · forecast zone Jefferson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Heavy SnowSevier County · forecast zone Sevier/Smoky Mountains | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for winter storm records in Tennessee
FEMA has declared 11 disasters in Tennessee for winter storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name snow or winter storm or ice storm or blizzard in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 9 were major disasters, the latest on February 6, 2026.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-06 | DR-4898 | Severe Winter Storm | 95 |
| 2026-01-24 | EM-3635 | Severe Winter Storm | 95 |
| 2023-03-08 | DR-4691 | Severe Winter Storm | 11 |
| 2022-03-11 | DR-4645 | Severe Winter Storm | 7 |
| 2021-04-21 | DR-4594 | Severe Winter Storms | 13 |
| 2015-04-02 | DR-4211 | Severe Winter Storm and Flooding | 45 |
| 2014-04-11 | DR-4171 | Severe Winter Storm | 10 |
| 2009-02-17 | DR-1821 | Severe Winter Storm and Flooding | 7 |
| 1999-01-15 | DR-1260 | Severe Winter Storm | 33 |
| 1994-02-28 | DR-1010 | Severe Winter Ice Storm,Flash Flooding | 71 |
| 1993-03-14 | EM-3095 | Severe Snowfall, Winter Storm | 57 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Unicoi County: the county's whole recordThe Tennessee county with the most winter storm records per square mile
- Winter storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in TennesseeTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Severe thunderstorm wind in Tennessee20,119 records
- Hail in Tennessee7,175 records
- Floods in Tennessee4,414 records