Chattanooga, TN Tornado History — 93 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Chattanooga, TN had?
Chattanooga has had 93 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 10 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Chattanooga?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Chattanooga was an EF1 on March 25, 2023.
When is tornado season in Chattanooga?
April is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Chattanooga, with 38 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Chattanooga
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 55 total, averaging 2.8 per year over this window.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near Chattanooga
54 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Chattanooga since 1950, across 12 events. 715 injuries have been reported across all events. 2011 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was an EF4 on April 27, 2011, which caused 20 fatalities along a 48.0-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Chattanooga
About Tornadoes in Chattanooga
This overview was written August 10, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Tornadoes in the Tennessee Valley grow out of a collision zone: moist Gulf of Mexico air streams north into cold fronts and vigorous jet-stream disturbances, and the ridge-and-valley terrain of the southern Appalachians does little to blunt a mature supercell. Chattanooga, set where the Tennessee River bends through that corridor near the Georgia line, sees the pattern in spring and again in late autumn, when a fresh surge of frontal storms crosses the region. The NOAA Storm Prediction Center database, which underlies the event list elsewhere on this page, traces local activity from the 1950s through the 2020s.
The events of late April 2011 dominate that history. On April 27, 2011, an EF4 carved a path of 46.98 miles, killing 14 people and injuring 50, and other tornadoes touched down nearby the same day. Before dawn on April 28, 2011, another EF4 ran 48 miles, killing 20 people and injuring 335. Cold-season and early-spring storms have hit hard as well: an EF3 tracked 41 miles on March 2, 2012, injuring 44, and another EF3 struck on November 30, 2016, killing 4 people and injuring 9. An EF3 on April 13, 2020, killed 2 people and injured 18. Earlier generations faced the same hazard; an F3 during the April 3, 1974, outbreak killed 1 person and injured 100.