Scott County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Tennessee Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Scott County is about the same as Tennessee average and is lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Scott County is lower than Tennessee average and is about the same as the national average.
Earthquake Index, #26
| Scott County | 0.41 |
| Tennessee | 0.56 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Scott County | 0.0000 |
| Tennessee | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #60
| Scott County | 127.54 |
| Tennessee | 175.35 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 13,874 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Scott County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 1 | Cold: | 41 | Dense Fog: | 27 | Drought: | 35 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 1,495 | Hail: | 3,017 | Heat: | 34 | Heavy Snow: | 119 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 26 | Landslide: | 2 | Strong Wind: | 72 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 8,400 | Tropical Storm: | 1 | Wildfire: | 3 | Winter Storm: | 69 | Winter Weather: | 105 |
| Other: | 427 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Scott County.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 2 historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Scott County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 48.0 | 1976-01-19 | 4 | 5 | 36.88 | -83.83 |
| 47.2 | 1984-02-14 | 3.6 | 10 | 36.13 | -83.74 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 58 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Scott County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 6.6 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 36°29'N / 84°36'W | 36°35'N / 84°24'W | 13.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 21 | 250K | 0 | Scott |
| 7.5 | 2009-05-08 | 2 | 36°21'N / 84°25'W | 5.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 90K | 0K | Scott | |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An EF2 tornado with a maximum wind speed of 135 miles an hour occurred around five miles southeast of Huntsville. The tornado initially touched down just west of the Fairview community with a maximum wind speed of 90 mph (EF-1) and a width of 100 yards. The tornado continued along an east path and increased in size and intensity to an EF-2 with a maximum wind speed at 135 mph and a width of 200 yards. Several large hardwood trees were snapped off near trunk level and a free standing cell phone tower was collapsed and twisted by the tornado winds. Extensive damage occurred in a concentrated path at least 80 yards in length at the 135 mph EF-2 level. The tornado continued east and finally weakened to an EF-1 with a maximum wind speed of 100 mph as it dissipated at the foothill of Gray Mountain. At least seven homes suffered minor to moderate wind damage along the 4.5 mile path of the tornado. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A highly organized mesoscale convective vorticity maximum with strong low to mid tropospheric flow coupled with moderate instability resulted in the development of discrete supercellular thunderstorms. These storms produced a long-lived tornado across Northeast Tennessee late in the afternoon and another long duration tornado across Southwest Virginia later in the evening. | |||||||||||
| 8.4 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 36°17'N / 84°37'W | 36°22'N / 84°30'W | 8.60 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 5 | 0K | 0 | Scott |
| 14.1 | 1980-04-08 | 2 | 36°43'N / 84°28'W | 36°34'N / 84°33'W | 11.20 Miles | 200 Yards | 2 | 9 | 250K | 0 | Mccreary |
| 14.2 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 36°15'N / 84°40'W | 36°17'N / 84°37'W | 3.60 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 6 | 25K | 0 | Morgan |
| 16.6 | 1973-05-10 | 2 | 36°40'N / 84°26'W | 36°40'N / 84°23'W | 2.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 5 | 25K | 0 | Mccreary |
| 17.2 | 1957-11-18 | 2 | 36°16'N / 84°52'W | 36°25'N / 84°42'W | 13.90 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Fentress |
| 17.3 | 1998-04-16 | 2 | 36°38'N / 84°45'W | 36°42'N / 84°30'W | 15.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 30K | 0 | Mccreary |
| Brief Description: The path of the tornado was intermittent. It first touched down in extreme southeast Wayne County, and then moved northeast across McCreary County. The tornado downed numerous trees in both Wayne and McCreary Counties. In Wayne County the tornado damaged a barn and several outbuildings, and overturned a vehicle. Before lifting the tornado hit Smithtown in McCreary County and damaged several mobile homes, houses and outbuildings. | |||||||||||
| 17.5 | 1972-05-14 | 2 | 36°22'N / 84°48'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25K | 0 | Fentress | |
| 18.8 | 1998-04-16 | 2 | 36°37'N / 84°46'W | 36°39'N / 84°42'W | 3.60 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 15K | 0 | Wayne |
| Brief Description: The path of the tornado was intermittent. It first touched down in extreme southeast Wayne County, and then moved northeast across McCreary County. The tornado downed numerous trees in both Wayne and McCreary Counties. In Wayne County the tornado damaged a barn and several outbuildings, and overturned a vehicle. Before lifting the tornado hit Smithtown in McCreary County and damaged several mobile homes, houses and outbuildings. | |||||||||||
| 19.5 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 36°31'N / 84°52'W | 36°36'N / 84°46'W | 7.90 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Fentress |
| 19.8 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 36°36'N / 84°46'W | 36°48'N / 84°31'W | 19.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 11 | 25K | 0 | Mccreary |
| 20.2 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 36°40'N / 84°44'W | 36°45'N / 84°32'W | 12.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Mccreary |
| 20.6 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 36°38'N / 84°47'W | 36°40'N / 84°44'W | 3.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Wayne |
| 21.7 | 1965-04-15 | 2 | 36°21'N / 84°55'W | 36°25'N / 84°51'W | 5.90 Miles | 327 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Fentress |
| 23.8 | 1967-03-12 | 3 | 36°45'N / 84°20'W | 36°40'N / 84°08'W | 12.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 5 | 250K | 0 | Whitley |
| 24.2 | 1967-03-12 | 3 | 36°49'N / 84°31'W | 36°45'N / 84°20'W | 11.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mccreary |
| 24.7 | 1955-03-25 | 2 | 36°01'N / 84°25'W | 36°12'N / 84°14'W | 16.30 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Jefferson |
| 25.7 | 2002-11-10 | 2 | 36°12'N / 84°12'W | 36°12'N / 84°05'W | 5.50 Miles | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 213K | 0 | Anderson |
| Brief Description: An F2 tornado produced a damage path 75 yards wide for a distance of 5.5 miles from near Briceville to Medford. The Medford community received the brunt of the damage, which was concentrated along Highway 25W, Leinart Road, Bryant Circle and Old and New Clear Branch roads. In all, 32 homes were damaged while 3 were totally destroyed. In addition, 9 mobile homes were damaged. | |||||||||||
| 26.4 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 36°15'N / 85°05'W | 36°26'N / 84°50'W | 18.80 Miles | 200 Yards | 7 | 150 | 2.5M | 0 | Fentress |
| 26.4 | 1967-03-12 | 3 | 36°40'N / 84°07'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Whitley | |
| 26.6 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 36°37'N / 84°57'W | 36°38'N / 84°53'W | 3.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Wayne |
| 27.4 | 2002-11-10 | 3 | 36°02'N / 84°36'W | 36°03'N / 84°27'W | 8.30 Miles | 300 Yards | 7 | 28 | 968K | 0 | Morgan |
| Brief Description: A strong F3 tornado (with wind speeds estimated around 175 mph) touched down 4.4 miles south of Wartburg in the Mossy Grove community killing 5 people and injuring 28. This tornado then struck Joyner at 8:40 P.M. killing two more people for a total of 7 dead. The tornado damaged 63 homes while destroying 24 others. In addition, 18 mobile homes were damaged and 12 others were destroyed. M47PH, F36PH, F73PH, M55VE, F1VE, M45PH, F93PH | |||||||||||
| 27.7 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 36°48'N / 84°26'W | 36°51'N / 84°18'W | 8.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Mccreary |
| 28.6 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 36°47'N / 84°42'W | 36°53'N / 84°36'W | 8.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 2 | 40 | 2.5M | 0 | Wayne |
| 30.7 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 36°31'N / 85°05'W | 36°35'N / 84°59'W | 7.20 Miles | 300 Yards | 5 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Pickett |
| 31.2 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 36°51'N / 84°18'W | 36°52'N / 84°17'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Whitley | ||
| 32.7 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 36°53'N / 84°36'W | 36°56'N / 84°32'W | 5.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 5 | 2.5M | 0 | Pulaski |
| 33.1 | 2010-05-02 | 2 | 36°53'N / 84°43'W | 0 | 0 | 50K | 0K | Wayne | |||
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An EF2 tornado touched down 1 mile south of Betsey in the Meadow Creek area. The tornado had a path length of 1/4 of a mile and a path width of 100 yards. The estimated wind speeds associated with the tornado were 110 to 120 mph. The tornado downed numerous trees. The twister also blew part of the roof off of a brick home, causing the corner of an outside wall to collapse. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A multiple lines and clusters of intense showers and strong to severe thunderstorms brought a variety of severe weather to eastern Kentucky on May 2nd and 3rd. During the late morning and late afternoon hours of May 2nd, multiple thunderstorms formed ahead of an approaching frontal boundary. These storms eventually merged into a line that stretched across the entire forecast area late in the day on the 2nd. During the overnight hours a large area of intense showers and thunderstorms dumped anywhere from 2 to over 7 inches of rainfall. Flooding was the primary issue during the overnight and early morning hours of May 3rd. Some areas felt the affects of the flooding as late in the week as May 7th. | |||||||||||
| 34.0 | 1993-02-21 | 3 | 36°01'N / 84°15'W | 36°06'N / 83°58'W | 10.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 3 | 5.0M | 0 | Knox |
| Brief Description: The tornado started near Oak Ridge, moved through the Bull Run Steam Plant and went through the town of Claxton. Fifty homes were damaged and six mobile homes were destroyed. Two business were destroyed and another 10 were damaged including a weapons plant. Twelve electric transmission towers were knocked down. | |||||||||||
| 34.3 | 2008-04-11 | 2 | 36°46'N / 85°00'W | 36°48'N / 84°53'W | 7.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 1 | 1.0M | 500K | Wayne |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An EF2 tornado with maximum winds near 130 mph entered Wayne County from Clinton County along Pleasant Ridge Road. The tornado maintained a continuous 7 mile track east northeast before lifting 1.5 miles southwest of Monticello near Furnace Mountain. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A slow moving cold front approached the area during the afternoon hours of April 11th. Severe thunderstorms developed along and ahead of the front. The storms first moved into Eastern Kentucky shortly before 2 PM EDT. These storms affected the areas near Monticello and Somerset. A tornado was confirmed to have touched down in Wayne County. These and other storms moved northeast across the area, causing wind damage. Numerous reports of structural damage and downed trees were reported across portions of the area. Large hail was also reported with some of the storms. Very heavy rainfall with some of the storms caused flash flooding in portions of Laurel County. | |||||||||||
| 36.5 | 1998-04-16 | 3 | 36°32'N / 85°11'W | 36°37'N / 85°05'W | 8.60 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 4 | 10.0M | 1.0M | Pickett |
| Brief Description: 40 homes and 22 mobile homes were destroyed from this tornado. 95% of the trees were destroyed in the path of the tornado. 45 utility poles were blown down. 100 barns were destroyed, 2 green houses were heavily damaged, and there was damage to fences and pasture land. There were 4 people injured, but they were treated and released. | |||||||||||
| 36.6 | 2008-04-11 | 2 | 36°46'N / 85°02'W | 36°46'N / 85°00'W | 1.00 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 200K | 0K | Clinton |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The fourth touchdown in this family of tornadoes produced by a cyclic supercell did the most damage in Clinton County as it hit several residences in a rural subdivision along Pleasure Ridge Road. After moving through uninhabited hillside for a mile, uprooting and snapping trees in a nearly quarter-mile wide path, the tornado tore the roof of a ranch-style brick home and destroyed its nearby outbuildings. Continuing along parallel to Pleasure Ridge Road, the tornado destroyed a mobile home and barn in its path, and heavily damaged at least three other homes before exiting the county. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms moved into south central Kentucky from Tennessee, including a super cell thunderstorm that produced four separate tornadoes that damaged numerous homes in Clinton County. | |||||||||||
| 36.8 | 1953-05-02 | 2 | 36°02'N / 84°04'W | 0.80 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Anderson | |
| 37.4 | 2008-04-11 | 2 | 36°45'N / 85°04'W | 36°46'N / 85°01'W | 3.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 75K | 0K | Clinton |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: As the storm continued eastward, several homes and outbuildings were heavily damaged by the third tornado touchdown produced by the supercell. In addition to the structural damage covering nearly 1 1/2 miles, scores of trees were downed as were utility lines. A witness at the end of this tornado's path reported seeing two tornadoes on the ground simultaneously, as the fourth tornado produced by this supercell touched down about 1/4 mile north of the ending point of the third twister. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms moved into south central Kentucky from Tennessee, including a super cell thunderstorm that produced four separate tornadoes that damaged numerous homes in Clinton County. | |||||||||||
| 37.5 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 36°49'N / 85°02'W | 36°56'N / 84°46'W | 16.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 2 | 17 | 0K | 0 | Wayne |
| 38.1 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 36°51'N / 84°58'W | 36°58'N / 84°45'W | 14.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Wayne |
| 39.7 | 1957-04-08 | 2 | 36°06'N / 85°06'W | 36°06'N / 85°03'W | 2.70 Miles | 10 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Cumberland |
| 39.7 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 36°58'N / 84°45'W | 37°00'N / 84°42'W | 3.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 5 | 0K | 0 | Pulaski |
| 41.9 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 36°11'N / 85°16'W | 36°15'N / 85°08'W | 8.70 Miles | 700 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Overton |
| 42.4 | 1972-06-28 | 2 | 36°00'N / 85°02'W | 0.10 Mile | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Cumberland | |
| 42.7 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 36°43'N / 85°16'W | 36°49'N / 85°02'W | 14.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 8 | 63 | 0K | 0 | Clinton |
| 43.3 | 1997-03-28 | 2 | 36°22'N / 85°20'W | 36°24'N / 85°13'W | 5.90 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Overton |
| Brief Description: A trailer was overturned and destroyed. 3 people were trapped inside and 2 of them sustained minor injuries. Several homes were damaged in the Goose Creek area near Alpine. A few barns were damaged near Livingston and another barn was damaged near Alpine. Many trees and power lines were down. Path length and width are approximations. | |||||||||||
| 44.5 | 1965-04-15 | 2 | 35°52'N / 84°05'W | 35°57'N / 84°00'W | 7.40 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Knox |
| 45.6 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 36°21'N / 85°23'W | 36°26'N / 85°15'W | 9.40 Miles | 400 Yards | 3 | 120 | 2.5M | 0 | Overton |
| 45.7 | 1988-05-09 | 3 | 36°36'N / 83°45'W | 36°36'N / 83°39'W | 5.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 1 | 15 | 25.0M | 0 | Bell |
| 45.9 | 1967-05-30 | 2 | 37°01'N / 84°54'W | 37°03'N / 84°50'W | 4.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Pulaski |
| 46.0 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 37°02'N / 84°24'W | 37°09'N / 84°17'W | 10.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 6 | 30 | 2.5M | 0 | Pulaski |
| 46.4 | 1993-02-21 | 2 | 35°47'N / 84°34'W | 35°45'N / 84°31'W | 10.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0 | Blount And Loudon |
| Brief Description: The tornado that went through Loudon County continued across Blount County through the town of Friendsville and ending just west of Maryville. One large home was destroyed and several other were damaged. Numerous trees were snapped. | |||||||||||
| 46.5 | 2002-11-10 | 3 | 35°54'N / 85°06'W | 35°54'N / 84°54'W | 12.20 Miles | 900 Yards | 4 | 18 | 500K | 0 | Cumberland |
| Brief Description: An F3 tornado struck the Lake Tansi area and the southern sections of Crossville Sunday night, killing 4 people and injuring 18. 33 homes and mobile were destroyed and 128 homes and mobile homes were damaged. There was damage to one public building. The heaviest damage was along Lantana Drive, Dunbar Road, and Pigeon Ridge Road. 5 homes were damaged on U.S. Highway 127 and just south of Three Creek Road. One well built home lost an entire roof and several walls. The couple, their 3 children, and a guest, huddled under a mattress in the hallway. 50 acres of hardwoods were twisted and tangled. 100-year-old oak trees were snapped like wheat straws. Mobile homes on the Ballyhoo Campground and modular homes in Lake Tansi were destroyed. The four fatalities occurred in mobile homes. A couple was killed at 298 Lantana Drive when their mobile home was lifted off its foundation and placed on another trailer. Edward, 80 and Mary Laffer 75 were killed. Another couple died at 4040 Lone Wolf Circle. Robert, 55 and Sandy Scarbrough , 52, were killed and their bodies were found across Lake Mohawk. F75MH, M80MH, M55MH, F52MH 11 tornadoes were reported in Middle Tennessee in one of the worst tornadic outbreaks ever in November. 8 people...and possibly a ninth victim...were killed in Middle Tennessee alone. Damage estimate for the tornadoes in Tennessee was placed at $160 million. Primary losses were due to houses and cars. The toll on government owned infrastructure is about $6 million. The federal government is expected to reimburse the state and affected counties for 75% of the costs of responding to the disaster. The FEMA Public Assistance Program has obligated more than $3.6 million to assist local governments. These funds will be used to reimburse local governments for debris removal, the repair of public buildings and utilities, and overtime paid to police officers, firefighters and other emergency personnel. More than 900 families across the state applied for storm aid. This was the worst tornado disaster since the April3-4 outbreak in 1974. The United States Small Business Administration has approved more than 9.7 million dollars in disaster loans to assist disaster victims with repairing their property or replacing lost personal items. The 20 counties that are eligible for disaster assistance to individuals, households, and businesses were: Anderson, Bedford, Bledsoe, Carroll, Coffee, Crockett, Cumberland, Fentress, Gibson, Henderson, Madison, Marshall, Montgomery, Morgan, Roane, Rutherford, Scott, Sumner and Tipton and Van Buren. | |||||||||||
| 47.3 | 1975-04-24 | 2 | 36°03'N / 85°12'W | 1.50 Miles | 440 Yards | 1 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Cumberland | |
| 47.8 | 1956-03-07 | 2 | 36°23'N / 85°23'W | 36°26'N / 85°20'W | 4.30 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Overton |
| 48.5 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 36°39'N / 85°22'W | 36°43'N / 85°16'W | 7.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 33 | 25K | 0 | Cumberland |
| 48.5 | 1971-04-27 | 4 | 37°05'N / 84°54'W | 37°04'N / 84°50'W | 3.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Pulaski |
| 48.8 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 37°01'N / 84°52'W | 37°15'N / 84°26'W | 28.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Russell |
| 49.0 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 35°57'N / 85°17'W | 36°01'N / 85°04'W | 12.90 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 20 | 250K | 0 | Cumberland |
| 49.1 | 1965-04-15 | 3 | 35°52'N / 85°05'W | 35°52'N / 84°58'W | 6.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 1 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Cumberland |
| 49.3 | 1984-05-07 | 2 | 35°44'N / 84°21'W | 1.00 Mile | 70 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Loudon | |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.