Tennessee Natural Disaster Risk by County
Of Tennessee's 95 counties, 0 have a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is Shelby County (score 99.4 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $3.0 billion a year.
OpenFEMA lists 95 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Tennessee since 1963 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4898-TN, Severe Winter Storm, declared 6 February 2026.
Live weather alerts for Tennessee Latest FEMA declarations All official warnings
Most exposed counties, hazard by hazard
Top 10 by FEMA hazard risk scoreHurricane 95 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelby County | Relatively Low | $349,654 |
| 2 | Knox County | Relatively Low | $429,879 |
| 3 | Hamilton County | Relatively Low | $275,950 |
| 4 | Madison County | Relatively Low | $204,736 |
| 5 | Monroe County | Relatively Low | $156,167 |
| 6 | Hardin County | Relatively Low | $124,078 |
| 7 | Hardeman County | Relatively Low | $116,980 |
| 8 | McNairy County | Very Low | $135,288 |
| 9 | Giles County | Very Low | $115,351 |
| 10 | Haywood County | Very Low | $94,085 |
Tornado 95 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelby County | Very High | $70 million |
| 2 | Hamilton County | Relatively High | $32 million |
| 3 | Davidson County | Relatively High | $24 million |
| 4 | Madison County | Relatively High | $15 million |
| 5 | Knox County | Relatively High | $20 million |
| 6 | Sumner County | Relatively High | $16 million |
| 7 | Rutherford County | Relatively High | $15 million |
| 8 | Maury County | Relatively High | $12 million |
| 9 | Tipton County | Relatively High | $7.1 million |
| 10 | Montgomery County | Relatively High | $9.6 million |
Inland flooding 95 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelby County | Relatively High | $154 million |
| 2 | Davidson County | Relatively High | $160 million |
| 3 | Hamilton County | Relatively High | $75 million |
| 4 | Rutherford County | Relatively High | $71 million |
| 5 | Knox County | Relatively Moderate | $61 million |
| 6 | Sumner County | Relatively Moderate | $42 million |
| 7 | Williamson County | Relatively Moderate | $57 million |
| 8 | Montgomery County | Relatively Moderate | $29 million |
| 9 | Sevier County | Relatively Moderate | $21 million |
| 10 | Wilson County | Relatively Moderate | $31 million |
Wildfire 95 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Claiborne County | Relatively Low | $354,265 |
| 2 | Campbell County | Relatively Low | $247,999 |
| 3 | Sevier County | Relatively Low | $306,205 |
| 4 | Polk County | Relatively Low | $186,688 |
| 5 | Cumberland County | Relatively Low | $149,975 |
| 6 | Shelby County | Relatively Low | $145,014 |
| 7 | Hamilton County | Relatively Low | $185,084 |
| 8 | Blount County | Relatively Low | $188,652 |
| 9 | Scott County | Relatively Low | $120,384 |
| 10 | Monroe County | Relatively Low | $114,935 |
Earthquake 95 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelby County | Relatively High | $215 million |
| 2 | Davidson County | Relatively High | $58 million |
| 3 | Madison County | Relatively High | $46 million |
| 4 | Dyer County | Relatively Moderate | $31 million |
| 5 | Gibson County | Relatively Moderate | $27 million |
| 6 | Knox County | Relatively Moderate | $30 million |
| 7 | Obion County | Relatively Moderate | $20 million |
| 8 | Tipton County | Relatively Moderate | $13 million |
| 9 | Weakley County | Relatively Moderate | $18 million |
| 10 | Hamilton County | Relatively Moderate | $17 million |
Every Tennessee county, highest overall risk first
95| # | County | Overall risk | Score | Loss a year | Top hazard | Declarations | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelby County | Relatively High | 99.4 | $555 million | Cold wave | 26 | 53 |
| 2 | Davidson County | Relatively High | 97.2 | $262 million | Earthquake | 26 | 53 |
| 3 | Hamilton County | Relatively Moderate | 93.3 | $140 million | Tornado | 23 | 27 |
| 4 | Knox County | Relatively Moderate | 92.1 | $131 million | Lightning | 17 | 17 |
| 5 | Madison County | Relatively Moderate | 92.1 | $91 million | Earthquake | 22 | 35 |
| 6 | Rutherford County | Relatively Moderate | 91.7 | $135 million | Cold wave | 15 | 46 |
| 7 | Sumner County | Relatively Moderate | 87.7 | $87 million | Tornado | 20 | 45 |
| 8 | Montgomery County | Relatively Moderate | 87.4 | $78 million | Earthquake | 20 | 33 |
| 9 | Dyer County | Relatively Moderate | 86.6 | $47 million | Earthquake | 22 | 30 |
| 10 | Gibson County | Relatively Moderate | 85.9 | $49 million | Earthquake | 26 | 33 |
| 11 | Williamson County | Relatively Moderate | 85.1 | $98 million | Cold wave | 14 | 26 |
| 12 | Henry County | Relatively Moderate | 84.7 | $38 million | Cold wave | 19 | 15 |
| 13 | Obion County | Relatively Moderate | 81.3 | $35 million | Earthquake | 20 | 18 |
| 14 | Tipton County | Relatively Moderate | 81.0 | $34 million | Earthquake | 23 | 22 |
| 15 | Wilson County | Relatively Low | 80.0 | $60 million | Cold wave | 15 | 45 |
| 16 | Maury County | Relatively Low | 79.3 | $46 million | Tornado | 19 | 21 |
| 17 | Sevier County | Relatively Low | 77.4 | $32 million | Landslide | 21 | 3 |
| 18 | Fayette County | Relatively Low | 76.0 | $30 million | Earthquake | 19 | 23 |
| 19 | Blount County | Relatively Low | 74.2 | $37 million | Landslide | 16 | 16 |
| 20 | Weakley County | Relatively Low | 74.0 | $35 million | Earthquake | 19 | 25 |
| 21 | Bradley County | Relatively Low | 73.4 | $36 million | Earthquake | 16 | 26 |
| 22 | Anderson County | Relatively Low | 73.2 | $29 million | Landslide | 20 | 5 |
| 23 | Carroll County | Relatively Low | 72.8 | $25 million | Earthquake | 22 | 26 |
| 24 | Lauderdale County | Relatively Low | 71.6 | $20 million | Earthquake | 22 | 25 |
| 25 | Sullivan County | Relatively Low | 71.5 | $29 million | Landslide | 10 | 2 |
| 26 | Hardin County | Relatively Low | 70.7 | $20 million | Landslide | 26 | 19 |
| 27 | Lawrence County | Relatively Low | 69.7 | $22 million | Tornado | 23 | 43 |
| 28 | Bedford County | Relatively Low | 69.2 | $25 million | Cold wave | 16 | 22 |
| 29 | Roane County | Relatively Low | 69.0 | $22 million | Landslide | 22 | 7 |
| 30 | Loudon County | Relatively Low | 68.4 | $22 million | Earthquake | 18 | 9 |
| 31 | Cumberland County | Relatively Low | 67.2 | $19 million | Cold wave | 24 | 24 |
| 32 | Putnam County | Relatively Low | 65.8 | $24 million | Lightning | 17 | 20 |
| 33 | Haywood County | Relatively Low | 64.7 | $16 million | Earthquake | 19 | 16 |
| 34 | Coffee County | Relatively Low | 63.5 | $23 million | Earthquake | 19 | 29 |
| 35 | Warren County | Relatively Low | 63.5 | $18 million | Tornado | 20 | 21 |
| 36 | Carter County | Relatively Low | 63.2 | $16 million | Landslide | 16 | 4 |
| 37 | Henderson County | Relatively Low | 63.1 | $19 million | Earthquake | 25 | 24 |
| 38 | Hardeman County | Relatively Low | 63.0 | $15 million | Earthquake | 16 | 17 |
| 39 | Washington County | Relatively Low | 61.2 | $23 million | Landslide | 14 | 9 |
| 40 | Giles County | Relatively Low | 60.9 | $18 million | Strong wind | 22 | 21 |
| 41 | Monroe County | Relatively Low | 60.9 | $16 million | Landslide | 16 | 19 |
| 42 | Robertson County | Relatively Low | 60.4 | $24 million | Earthquake | 12 | 28 |
| 43 | McMinn County | Relatively Low | 60.2 | $18 million | Earthquake | 14 | 23 |
| 44 | Lincoln County | Relatively Low | 58.9 | $16 million | Tornado | 15 | 36 |
| 45 | Marion County | Relatively Low | 58.2 | $16 million | Strong wind | 23 | 21 |
| 46 | Campbell County | Relatively Low | 58.0 | $14 million | Landslide | 23 | 1 |
| 47 | Franklin County | Relatively Low | 57.5 | $20 million | Earthquake | 13 | 33 |
| 48 | Greene County | Relatively Low | 56.3 | $14 million | Landslide | 16 | 12 |
| 49 | Hawkins County | Relatively Low | 55.8 | $14 million | Landslide | 15 | 3 |
| 50 | Cocke County | Relatively Low | 54.5 | $12 million | Landslide | 22 | 6 |
| 51 | Dickson County | Relatively Low | 53.5 | $19 million | Earthquake | 25 | 23 |
| 52 | Crockett County | Relatively Low | 52.6 | $13 million | Earthquake | 17 | 13 |
| 53 | McNairy County | Relatively Low | 50.5 | $15 million | Earthquake | 19 | 19 |
| 54 | Rhea County | Relatively Low | 49.2 | $14 million | Landslide | 19 | 4 |
| 55 | Humphreys County | Relatively Low | 48.3 | $13 million | Earthquake | 24 | 26 |
| 56 | Lake County | Relatively Low | 47.8 | $9.6 million | Earthquake | 20 | 6 |
| 57 | Hickman County | Relatively Low | 47.2 | $13 million | Earthquake | 23 | 22 |
| 58 | Hamblen County | Relatively Low | 47.1 | $12 million | Earthquake | 13 | 3 |
| 59 | Cheatham County | Relatively Low | 46.3 | $17 million | Earthquake | 23 | 14 |
| 60 | Marshall County | Relatively Low | 45.4 | $20 million | Tornado | 15 | 22 |
| 61 | Jefferson County | Relatively Low | 44.9 | $12 million | Landslide | 19 | 10 |
| 62 | Chester County | Relatively Low | 44.5 | $13 million | Earthquake | 14 | 14 |
| 63 | Wayne County | Relatively Low | 43.0 | $9.4 million | Earthquake | 25 | 15 |
| 64 | Claiborne County | Relatively Low | 42.8 | $10 million | Landslide | 19 | 10 |
| 65 | Sequatchie County | Very Low | 40.2 | $11 million | Cold wave | 19 | 10 |
| 66 | Benton County | Very Low | 39.1 | $9.7 million | Earthquake | 20 | 26 |
| 67 | White County | Very Low | 38.5 | $10.0 million | Winter weather | 16 | 20 |
| 68 | Decatur County | Very Low | 38.4 | $8.4 million | Earthquake | 26 | 8 |
| 69 | Macon County | Very Low | 34.6 | $8.6 million | Earthquake | 19 | 11 |
| 70 | Grundy County | Very Low | 34.3 | $6.3 million | Cold wave | 20 | 10 |
| 71 | Perry County | Very Low | 33.4 | $6.9 million | Earthquake | 22 | 12 |
| 72 | Polk County | Very Low | 31.2 | $6.8 million | Landslide | 21 | 12 |
| 73 | Stewart County | Very Low | 29.4 | $6.8 million | Earthquake | 21 | 13 |
| 74 | Fentress County | Very Low | 28.4 | $6.2 million | Lightning | 22 | 19 |
| 75 | Johnson County | Very Low | 28.2 | $5.9 million | Landslide | 18 | 3 |
| 76 | Scott County | Very Low | 26.1 | $6.5 million | Landslide | 24 | 11 |
| 77 | DeKalb County | Very Low | 25.5 | $7.5 million | Earthquake | 18 | 16 |
| 78 | Bledsoe County | Very Low | 24.1 | $6.0 million | Landslide | 23 | 8 |
| 79 | Cannon County | Very Low | 22.9 | $7.1 million | Tornado | 20 | 11 |
| 80 | Jackson County | Very Low | 22.5 | $4.7 million | Landslide | 33 | 11 |
| 81 | Overton County | Very Low | 22.2 | $7.3 million | Lightning | 19 | 16 |
| 82 | Morgan County | Very Low | 19.1 | $6.5 million | Landslide | 19 | 9 |
| 83 | Smith County | Very Low | 18.8 | $9.6 million | Landslide | 20 | 16 |
| 84 | Grainger County | Very Low | 18.6 | $5.2 million | Landslide | 18 | 4 |
| 85 | Lewis County | Very Low | 13.9 | $5.4 million | Earthquake | 22 | 15 |
| 86 | Clay County | Very Low | 13.3 | $4.3 million | Landslide | 20 | 1 |
| 87 | Houston County | Very Low | 13.1 | $5.2 million | Earthquake | 26 | 7 |
| 88 | Union County | Very Low | 12.9 | $5.1 million | Landslide | 14 | 3 |
| 89 | Meigs County | Very Low | 12.7 | $4.0 million | Landslide | 17 | 5 |
| 90 | Hancock County | Very Low | 11.9 | $3.1 million | Landslide | 17 | 3 |
| 91 | Unicoi County | Very Low | 10.6 | $4.4 million | Landslide | 16 | 2 |
| 92 | Moore County | Very Low | 9.9 | $4.2 million | Tornado | 16 | 13 |
| 93 | Trousdale County | Very Low | 6.1 | $4.6 million | Earthquake | 11 | 13 |
| 94 | Pickett County | Very Low | 4.6 | $2.1 million | Landslide | 19 | 5 |
| 95 | Van Buren County | Very Low | 2.7 | $2.6 million | Landslide | 18 | 2 |
Score: FEMA's national percentile (higher = more risk). Declarations: federal declarations that named the county since 1953, not counting COVID-19. Tornadoes: NOAA SPC tornadoes that touched the county, 1950–2025.
Latest federal declarations in Tennessee
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What this page shows, and what it misses
FEMA's National Risk Index compares every US county with every other for 18 natural hazards, combining expected losses with social vulnerability and community resilience. It is a planning-level estimate for nationwide comparison, not a flood-zone map and not the risk to any one property — for flood zones use FEMA's Flood Map Service Center ↗. Federal declarations exclude state declarations and SBA or USDA designations.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Risk Index Dataset: National Risk Index Counties - v1.20.0 (December 2025). Retrieved from https://services.arcgis.com/XG15cJAlne2vxtgt/ArcGIS/rest/services/National_Risk_Index_Counties/FeatureServer/0/query on November 2, 2026, 1:20 PM EST. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), OpenFEMA Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2, retrieved from https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries on November 2, 2026, 1:21 PM EST. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Tornado records: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center, Severe Weather Database, tornadoes 1950–2025 (https://www.spc.noaa.gov/wcm/data/1950-2025_actual_tornadoes.csv, downloaded 2 November 2026). Public domain; not endorsed by NOAA. Compiled by Global Incident Tracker.
Questions about Tennessee
Which county in Tennessee has the highest natural disaster risk?
Of Tennessee's 95 counties, 0 have a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is Shelby County (score 99.4 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $3.0 billion a year.
Which Tennessee counties are most at risk from tornadoes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index tornado risk score: Shelby County, Hamilton County, Davidson County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
Which Tennessee counties are most at risk from hurricanes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index hurricane risk score: Shelby County, Knox County, Hamilton County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
How many FEMA disaster declarations has Tennessee had?
OpenFEMA lists 95 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Tennessee since 1963 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4898-TN, Severe Winter Storm, declared 6 February 2026.