Knoxville, TN Tornado History — 46 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Knoxville, TN had?
Knoxville has had 46 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 4 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Knoxville?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Knoxville was an EF2 on August 7, 2023.
When is tornado season in Knoxville?
April is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Knoxville, with 15 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 Knoxville
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 22 total, averaging 1.1 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 Knoxville
3 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Knoxville since 1950, across 2 events. 96 injuries have been reported across all events. 1974 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F1 on April 4, 1974, which caused 2 fatalities along a 1.0-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Knoxville
About Tornadoes in Knoxville
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.
Storm surveyors have walked tornado damage paths in the Tennessee Valley around Knoxville since mid-century, and the archive maintained by the NOAA Storm Prediction Center reaches from the early 1950s to the present. An F2 crossed the area on May 2, 1953, and another F2 followed on March 25, 1955, cutting a swath 16.3 miles long and roughly a mile wide. An F2 on April 15, 1965 injured 6 people, and an F1 on April 4, 1974 killed 2 and injured 21. On February 21, 1993, paired F3 tornadoes raked the area; the longer of the pair tracked 30 miles, killed 1 person, and injured 55. The spring of 2011 brought an EF3 on March 24, an EF4 on April 27, and an EF2 the following day, while an EF2 on August 7, 2023 showed the calendar keeps an occasional late-summer page.
The seasonal rhythm behind those dates reflects East Tennessee's geography. Gulf of Mexico moisture streams north into the corridor between the Cumberland Plateau and the Great Smoky Mountains, where jet-stream disturbances of late winter and spring tilt and spin it into rotating thunderstorms. Cold-season systems can spark tornadoes as early as February, activity builds through the heart of spring, and the threat slackens under summer's weaker upper-level winds — though a stray warm-season storm can still turn severe.