Oak Ridge, TN Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Oak Ridge is about the same as Tennessee average and is lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Oak Ridge is much lower than Tennessee average and is lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #152
| Oak Ridge, TN | 0.48 |
| 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
| Oak Ridge, TN | 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, #515
| Oak Ridge, TN | 78.90 |
| 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 3,970 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Oak Ridge, TN 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: | 0 | Cold: | 2 | Dense Fog: | 0 | Drought: | 9 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 285 | Hail: | 838 | Heat: | 10 | Heavy Snow: | 7 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 4 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 10 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 2,627 | Tropical Storm: | 1 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 23 | Winter Weather: | 2 |
| Other: | 152 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Oak Ridge, TN.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 5 historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Oak Ridge, TN.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 21.8 | 1973-11-30 | 4.7 | 3 | 35.8 | -83.96 |
| 32.7 | 1984-02-14 | 3.6 | 10 | 36.13 | -83.74 |
| 19.9 | 1982-09-24 | 3.5 | 8 | 35.68 | -84.25 |
| 34.2 | 1969-07-13 | 3.5 | N/A | 36.1 | -83.7 |
| 38.4 | 1977-07-27 | 3.5 | 7 | 35.42 | -84.42 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 37 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Oak Ridge, TN.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 10.0 | 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 |
| 12.0 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 13.3 | 1953-05-02 | 2 | 36°02'N / 84°04'W | 0.80 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Anderson | |
| 14.1 | 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 | |||||||||||
| 14.5 | 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 |
| 16.4 | 1984-05-07 | 2 | 35°44'N / 84°21'W | 1.00 Mile | 70 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Loudon | |
| 18.1 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 19.7 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 22.0 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 35°40'N / 84°10'W | 35°40'N / 84°09'W | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Loudon | ||
| 24.4 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 35°47'N / 83°55'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Blount | |
| 25.7 | 2010-04-25 | 2 | 35°37'N / 84°08'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 20K | 0K | Blount | |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The NWS storm survey determined a tornado tracked from Loudon County for one-half of a mile along Thompson Bridge road. It was classified as an EF2 tornado with winds estimated at 110 mph with a path width of 100 yards. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A strong low pressure system along with an associated cold front tracked across the area triggering thunderstorms during the evening and overnight hours. A tornado touched down in eastern Monroe County, then tracked across southern Loudon County and finally dissipated in western Blount County. Another weak tornado touched down briefly in Polk County. | |||||||||||
| 27.4 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 28.5 | 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 |
| 28.9 | 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 |
| 31.2 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 35°31'N / 84°21'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Monroe | |
| 37.8 | 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 |
| 39.3 | 1963-03-19 | 2 | 35°27'N / 84°39'W | 35°29'N / 84°36'W | 3.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Mcminn |
| 39.3 | 1953-05-02 | 4 | 35°31'N / 84°45'W | 35°32'N / 84°43'W | 1.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Mcminn |
| 39.6 | 1972-05-14 | 2 | 36°22'N / 84°48'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25K | 0 | Fentress | |
| 39.9 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 40.8 | 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 |
| 40.9 | 1953-05-02 | 4 | 35°31'N / 84°47'W | 35°31'N / 84°45'W | 2.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 4 | 8 | 250K | 0 | Meigs |
| 41.1 | 1974-04-08 | 3 | 35°26'N / 84°37'W | 2.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Mcminn | |
| 41.6 | 1972-06-28 | 2 | 36°00'N / 85°02'W | 0.10 Mile | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Cumberland | |
| 41.6 | 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 |
| 43.7 | 1952-02-29 | 2 | 35°18'N / 84°40'W | 35°27'N / 84°28'W | 15.30 Miles | 587 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mcminn |
| 43.8 | 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 |
| 44.8 | 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 |
| 45.4 | 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 |
| 46.6 | 1995-05-18 | 3 | 35°48'N / 85°12'W | 35°57'N / 85°02'W | 9.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 20 | 2.0M | 0 | Cumberland |
| Brief Description: The tornado first touched down in the southwest part of Cumberland County and moved northeast. Two business were destroyed. Eleven homes and 14 mobiles homes were destroyed. Many other homes were damaged. One house had a gas leak in it prompting emergency management officials to evacuate a handful of nearby residents. Other homes had roof damage. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down. | |||||||||||
| 48.0 | 1994-04-15 | 3 | 35°19'N / 85°00'W | 35°26'N / 84°29'W | 15.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 1 | 7 | 5.0M | 0 | Hamilton, Meigs, Bradley And Mcminn |
| Brief Description: The tornado first touched in northern Hamilton County near the town of Grasshopper and moved northeast crossing into Meigs County just south of Birchwood. One man was killed in Birchwood when his mobile home collapsed on top of him. Two others were injured in the same area. In Hamilton County, eight homes, three mobile homes, one church, and 17 barns were damaged or destroyed. The tornado continued across southern Meigs County passing near the towns of East View and Brittsville. Three persons were injured in the county. About 25 mobile homes and six barns were damaged or destroyed. The tornado then clipped the northern part of Bradley County. Two persons were injured in the county. Ten mobile homes and 17 homes were damaged. Numerous trees were knocked down as well. The tornado then crossed into McMinn County where it moved through the towns of Lamontville, Riceville, Georgetown, and Englewood. The tornado was not on the ground during the entire trip in McMinn County, but was on the ground for much of its lifetime. When the tornado went through the town of Riceville, the local elementary school lost the roof off its concession stand and the bleachers were damaged. Numerous trees were knocked down in the county as well. One person was injured in McMinn County. M57H | |||||||||||
| 48.2 | 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 |
| 48.8 | 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 |
| 48.9 | 1980-04-28 | 2 | 35°15'N / 84°20'W | 35°16'N / 84°17'W | 3.30 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Monroe |
| 49.3 | 1967-03-12 | 3 | 36°40'N / 84°07'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Whitley | |
| 49.4 | 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 |
| 49.6 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 35°16'N / 84°38'W | 35°19'N / 84°33'W | 6.10 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 50 | 250K | 0 | Mcminn |
* 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.