Tennessee
The March 2020 Nashville tornado killed 25 people in their sleep. The 2021 Waverly flood killed 20 in a town that had never flooded like that. Tennessee's varied terrain creates a complex hazard profile where the next disaster may come from a direction no one expected.
Enter your Tennessee ZIP for live alerts, forecasts, and county-specific data.
Know your region
Nashville, Murfreesboro, Cookeville, the Cumberland Plateau. The March 2020 Nashville tornado (EF3) struck at 1 a.m., killing 25. The 2010 Nashville flood caused $2 billion in damage. Severe storms track through the Cumberland Basin from March through June.
Primary hazards: tornadoes, flooding, severe storms, ice storms
Knoxville, Chattanooga, the Smoky Mountains, Johnson City. The 2021 Waverly flood killed 20 when 17 inches of rain fell in 24 hours. Mountain flash floods develop with terrifying speed. Hurricane Helene (2024) caused devastating flooding in the eastern mountains.
Primary hazards: flash flooding, winter storms, severe storms, tropical remnants
Memphis, Jackson, the Mississippi River corridor. The New Madrid Seismic Zone runs directly beneath Memphis. West Tennessee is Dixie Alley for tornadoes. The Mississippi River floods regularly. Memphis faces earthquake, tornado, and flood risk simultaneously.
Primary hazards: earthquakes, tornadoes, flooding, severe storms, heat
Your hazard profile
Each links to a full guide with during-event protocol, recovery steps, and resources specific to TN.
The 2020 Nashville tornado (EF3) killed 25 at 1 a.m. Tennessee averages 26 tornadoes per year. Nighttime tornadoes are a particular risk in Dixie Alley. A NOAA weather radio is critical.
Read the tornadoes guide →
The 2021 Waverly flood killed 20 when 17 inches fell in 24 hours. The 2010 Nashville flood caused $2 billion in damage. Flash flooding in mountain terrain develops with terrifying speed.
Read the flooding guide →
Straight-line winds, large hail, and dangerous lightning. Severe storms cross the state regularly from spring through fall.
Read the severe thunderstorms guide →
Ice storms are the most disruptive winter hazard. The Cumberland Plateau and Smokies get heavy snow. Even moderate ice events cause widespread outages.
Read the ice storms guide →
West Tennessee sits on the New Madrid Seismic Zone. Eastern Tennessee has its own seismic activity. Most structures were not built to seismic standards.
Read the earthquakes guide →
Tennessee resources
Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. Coordinates disaster response and manages the state's Ready Tennessee campaign.
Middle Tennessee forecasts. Tornado warnings, flood alerts, and severe weather outlooks.
West Tennessee forecasts. Covers the New Madrid Seismic Zone area and the Mississippi River corridor.
Statewide referral service. Disaster recovery, energy assistance, food banks, and housing.
March 3, 2020
At 12:32 a.m. on March 3, 2020, an EF3 tornado touched down in Nashville. It cut across North Nashville, East Nashville, and the Donelson neighborhood, then continued east to Cookeville where an EF4 killed 19 more people. In Nashville, 6 people died. Most were asleep when the tornado struck.
The warnings were issued. The sirens sounded. But at 1 a.m., many people were asleep with their phones on silent. Outdoor sirens are not designed to wake people inside sealed homes. The only reliable alert at that hour is a NOAA weather radio set to alarm mode on your nightstand.
For every Tennessee household, the Nashville tornado made one thing clear: nighttime tornadoes are not rare here. They are part of the Dixie Alley pattern. A weather radio that wakes you up is the difference between hearing the warning and not hearing it. That single device is the most important piece of preparedness equipment in the state.