Tornado History

Putnam Tornado History

This county-level tornado history page focuses on Putnam, Tennessee. The records below identify 20 tornadoes from 1955 through 2025, including a highest listed rating of F4 (Devastating damage). NOAA damage estimates in this group total at least $101.7M, with 30 deaths and 146 injuries recorded across the listed events.

Key Tornado Statistics

Total Tornadoes20
Total Deaths30
Total Injuries146
Property Damage$101.7M
Avg Length5.6 mi
Avg Width221 yd

Key Tornado Facts for Putnam, Tennessee

Top local patterns from the historical tornado records in this group.

Average 0.3 tornadoes per year (0.8/yr in last decade)
March is the peak tornado month with 7 recorded events
Deadliest tornado: EF4 in Putnam, Tennessee with 19 deaths
2020 was the most active year with 4 tornadoes
The 2020s had the most tornado activity (6 events)
Longest tornado: 13.1 miles in Putnam, Tennessee
Widest tornado: 900.0 yards in Putnam, Tennessee
Most tornadoes in one day: 3 on Mar 3, 2020

Monthly Distribution

Shows tornado frequency across months of the year, highlighting seasonal patterns and peak tornado periods.

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Summary: In Putnam, Tennessee, March is the most active month with 7 tornadoes.

Annual Tornado Trend

Shows year-by-year tornado counts, making active years and quiet stretches easier to spot.

4320

Summary: 2020 was the most active year with 4 recorded tornadoes.

Tornado Intensity Distribution

Shows the breakdown of tornadoes by EF/F rating.

F0
EF0
F1
EF1
F3
F4
EF4

Summary: F1 tornadoes are the most common in this group, with 6 recorded events.

Property Damage Trends

Visualizes reported property damage over time. Bars use a log-like scale so very large damage years do not flatten the rest of the chart.

$100.0M$10.0M$1.0M$0

Summary: The highest reported property damage year in this group is 2020 with at least $100.0M in NOAA-listed property damage.

Historical Track Sketch

EF4 March 3, 20202020F4 April 3, 19741974F3 February 21, 19931993EF1 February 6, 20252025EF1 March 2, 20122012F1 March 19, 20032003EF1 April 10, 20092009EF1 July 14, 20152015F1 May 12, 19551955F1 May 10, 19731973F1 May 7, 19841984EF1 March 1, 20172017EF1 March 1, 20172017F1 July 13, 19561956F1 January 24, 1997EF0 May 28, 2021EF0 March 3, 2020EF0 August 28, 2020EF0 March 3, 2020F0 May 14, 1995© OpenStreetMap contributors
This map covers the wider location—not your exact property.Measure the closest recorded track to a street address in or near Putnam, Tennessee.
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Notable Tornado Records

The table highlights the strongest and most damaging records in this page's local dataset. Damage totals are NOAA-reported minimum estimates where available.

DateRatingAreaLengthWidthDeathsInjuriesMin. property damage
March 3, 2020EF4Putnam, Tennessee8.39 mi900 yd1987$100.0M
April 3, 1974F4Putnam, Tennessee13.1 mi700 yd1051N/A
February 21, 1993F3Putnam, Tennessee10 mi100 yd06$500K
February 6, 2025EF1Putnam, Tennessee1.19 mi400 yd00$500K
March 2, 2012EF1Putnam, Tennessee1.65 mi500 yd00$250K
March 19, 2003F1Putnam, Tennessee12.2 mi440 yd11$100K
April 10, 2009EF1Putnam, Tennessee6 mi100 yd00$100K
July 14, 2015EF1Putnam, Tennessee2.76 mi150 yd00$100K
May 12, 1955F1Putnam, Tennessee9.4 mi300 yd01$25K
May 10, 1973F1Putnam, Tennessee0 mi33 yd00$25K
May 7, 1984F1Putnam, Tennessee1 mi50 yd00$25K
March 1, 2017EF1Putnam, Tennessee7.62 mi150 yd00$25K
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Source And Limits

Data sourced from NOAA Storm Prediction Center and the NCEI Storm Events Database. TornadoTrace summarizes reported weather events for screening and research; it is not a damage assessment, inspection, or insurance determination. Coordinates and records can be approximate, incomplete, revised, or missing. No warranty of completeness or accuracy.

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