Hazard Plain Automated baseline

Rutherford County, TN

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
47149
Release:
2026-10
Data as of:
2026-09-30
Storm Events data through:
2026-06-30

Hazard Plain is an independent product built from public federal data. It is not a FEMA document and is not reviewed or endorsed by FEMA or any state agency.

Hazard Plain release 2026-10, as of 2026-09-30.

Summary

Plan status as of 2026-09-30: Approved, expires 2027-07-12. Plan: Rutherford County (FEMA plan 108179), approved 2022-07-13.

Since the plan was approved on 2022-07-13: 4 new hazard declarations (3 incidents) and 101 NOAA Storm Events records; details under "What changed since your last plan".

Highest expected annual loss (FEMA National Risk Index, modeled total; see B1-a): Inland Flooding ($70,541,019 a year), Cold Wave ($24,879,866) and Earthquake ($16,665,351).

The tables that follow are organized by the items of FEMA's Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool, Element B (B1-a to B2-c); each heading says which item its tables support.

Plan clock

Status:
Approved, expires 2027-07-12
Plan:
Rutherford County (FEMA plan 108179)
Approved:
2022-07-13
Days to expiry:
285
Update underway:
none recorded in FEMA's plan tracker

What changed since your last plan (approved 2022-07-13)

New federal declarations:
4 new hazard declarations (3 incidents): DR-4701-TN (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes), EM-3625-TN (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), EM-3635-TN (Severe Winter Storm), DR-4898-TN (Severe Winter Storm)
Storm Events records since approval:
101 records (data through 2026-06-30)
Repetitive loss now:
FMA RL 0, SRL 8 (44 CFR 77.2); any definition: 42
Repeat-flood change:
this release sets the baseline count.

Sources: 1, 2, 4, 6 (numbered list at the end)

Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county

Source: 1

JurisdictionTypeStatusPlanApprovedExpiresDays to expirynegative = days since expiryNotes
Rutherford County (unincorporated area)UnincorporatedApproved, expires 2027-07-12Rutherford County (FEMA plan 108179)2022-07-132027-07-12285
Eagleville cityCityApproved, expires 2027-07-12Rutherford County (FEMA plan 108179)2022-07-132027-07-12285this jurisdiction approved 2022-09-14
La Vergne cityCityApproved, expires 2027-07-12Rutherford County (FEMA plan 108179)2022-07-132027-07-12285
Murfreesboro cityCityApproved, expires 2027-07-12Rutherford County (FEMA plan 108179)2022-07-132027-07-12285
Smyrna townTownApproved, expires 2027-07-12Rutherford County (FEMA plan 108179)2022-07-132027-07-12285

State plan status and tribal plans in this state: see the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-a: hazard identification

Hazards NRI does not cover (local data needed)

  • dam failure (incl. upstream dams)
  • levee failure
  • flash flood as its own subtype
  • ice jams
  • debris flows
  • erosion (riverine and coastal)
  • land subsidence and sinkholes
  • expansive soils

The 18 National Risk Index hazards, ranked by expected annual loss (EAL)

Sources: 5, 6

Rank by EALHazardNRI risk ratingEAL ratingEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL total (see note)modeled dollars per yearStorm Events records, 1996 to 2026-06-30countStorm Events coverage note
1Inland FloodingRelatively HighRelatively High$69,417,824$367$1,122,829$70,541,01975
2Cold WaveRelatively HighVery High$58,565$6,971$24,814,331$24,879,8662
3EarthquakeRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$11,285,570n/a$5,379,780$16,665,351Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
4TornadoRelatively HighRelatively High$4,550,098$2,238$10,259,851$14,812,18634
5Heat WaveRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$929$138$2,321,765$2,322,8328
6Strong WindRelatively HighRelatively High$400,104$305$1,566,572$1,966,981394Includes 5 High Wind and 13 Strong Wind records (NOAA non-thunderstorm wind types, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition).
7LightningRelatively HighRelatively High$173,282n/a$1,364,213$1,537,49518
8Winter WeatherVery HighVery High$537,083$1$572,191$1,109,27664
9HailRelatively LowRelatively Low$404,816$1,033$53,821$459,671179
10Ice StormRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$197,321n/a$167,800$365,1211
11DroughtRelatively LowRelatively Lown/a$133,945n/a$133,94536
12HurricaneVery LowVery Low$104,391$7,473$2,977$114,8420No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
13WildfireVery LowVery Low$35,088$7$4,394$39,4890No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
14LandslideVery LowVery Low$41n/a$46$870No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).

Total = buildings + agriculture + population equivalence; FEMA values each expected death (or 10 injuries) at $13.7 million (2024 dollars).

NRI risk rating combines expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience; EAL rating rates expected annual loss alone. Both compare this county with all U.S. counties.

Local data needed: state and local wildfire and landslide records (Storm Events records these hazards only in part).

Not applicable to this county per NRI, with no federal declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996: avalanche, coastal flooding, tsunami and volcanic activity. That is the evidence for leaving them out of the plan.

The state hazard mitigation plan also lists hazards for this county; FEMA asks the plan to explain any hazard it leaves out.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-b: hazard location

Affects the whole county (national data give no location within it): Cold Wave, Drought, Hail, Heat Wave, Ice Storm, Lightning, Strong Wind and Winter Weather.

Inland Flooding: The FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) is the required location source for flooding. See the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (https://msc.fema.gov) for this county.

Hazards that vary within the county: highest-rated census tracts

Source: 5

HazardHighest-rated census tractsNRI risk rating, score 0 to 100
Earthquaketract 422 (Relatively Moderate, 88.5); tract 418 (Relatively Moderate, 88.1); tract 402 (Relatively Moderate, 86.8)
Hurricanetract 408.08 (Very Low, 44.4); tract 407.03 (Very Low, 44.2); tract 402 (Very Low, 43.9)
Landslidetract 406 (Very Low, 74.0); tract 407.02 (Very Low, 62.9); tract 405.02 (Very Low, 57.7)
Tornadotract 407.03 (Relatively High, 91.7); tract 408.08 (Relatively High, 91.6); tract 409.07 (Relatively High, 91.5)
Wildfiretract 406 (Relatively Low, 74.9); tract 405.02 (Relatively Low, 72.3); tract 405.01 (Relatively Low, 72.1)

Up to 3 census tracts per hazard, highest National Risk Index rating first, then highest score; a tract number is the Census tract number (for example 422 is Census Tract 422). FEMA's Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool maps the National Risk Index for every tract: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/resilience-analysis-and-planning-tool

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-c: hazard extent

Extent: scale, observed range and worst recorded event per hazard

Sources: 6, 7

HazardScaleRecordscount and yearsObserved rangeWorst recorded eventMost damaging (when different)How it applies to jurisdictionsNote
Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chillwind chill2 records, 2022 to 2024 (2 zone-level)1 day to 2 days (median 1.5 days); 2 with a recorded value2 consecutive days, 2024-01-16 to 2024-01-17, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage0
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)36 records, 2007 to 2026 (36 zone-level)14 days to 366 days (median 61 days); 9 with a recorded value366 days (12 months), 2007-05-01 to 2008-04-30, a run of 12 consecutive Storm Events drought records, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).Storm Events enters a drought at D2 or worse east of the Rockies and D3 or worse from the Rockies west (NWS Instruction 10-1605); NRI drought counts D3 and D4 only.
EarthquakeModified Mercalli (local data)0Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hailhail size (inches)194 records, 1959 to 20250.75 in to 3 in (median 1 in); 194 with a recorded value3 in hail, 1959-03-26Hail, 2011-10-18, $5,000,000 property; $0 crops (2011 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Murfreesboro city (61 records), Smyrna town (36 records), La Vergne city (11 records), Eagleville city (7 records).
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)8 records, 2010 to 2025 (8 zone-level)1 day to 2 days (median 1 day); 6 with a recorded value2 consecutive days, 2025-07-29 to 2025-07-30, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).
Hurricane, Tropical Storm, Tropical DepressionSaffir-Simpson0Storm Events files every zone of a storm's episode under the storm's type; flooding from the storm is filed as Flood or Flash Flood records.
Ice StormSperry-Piltz ice scale (local data)1 record, 2010 (1 zone-level)Ice Storm, 2010-01-29, $25,000 property; crops not reported (2010 dollars); NWS zone TNZ062Countywide (zone-level records).
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)75 records, 1996 to 2024 (4 zone-level)Flood, 2010-05-01, $3,500,000 property; $1,000 crops (2010 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: La Vergne city (9 records), Murfreesboro city (9 records), Smyrna town (7 records), Eagleville city (3 records). Zone-level records (4) apply countywide.Flood depth: see the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map. Storm Events damage is often $0 or blank for floods, major ones included; FEMA Public Assistance by declaration (B1-d) shows which floods cost the most.
Debris Flownone (count and damage only)0
Lightningannualized frequency (the measure FEMA's Local Mitigation Planning Handbook names)18 records, 1996 to 2024Lightning, 2001-04-15, damage not reported, 1 direct deathLightning, 2019-06-27, $200,000 property; $0 crops (2019 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Murfreesboro city (4 records), Smyrna town (2 records).Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties.
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)18 records, 2001 to 2026 (18 zone-level)35 kt (40 mph) to 52 kt (60 mph) (median 43 kt (49 mph)); 18 with a recorded value52 kt (60 mph) measured gust, High Wind, 2023-03-03; NWS zone TNZ062Countywide (zone-level records).
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)422 records, 1961 to 202635 kt (40 mph) to 85 kt (98 mph) (median 52 kt (60 mph)); 364 with a recorded value85 kt (98 mph) estimated gust, Thunderstorm Wind, 2003-05-05Thunderstorm Wind, 2020-05-03, $1,010,000 property; $0 crops (2020 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Murfreesboro city (112 records), Smyrna town (40 records), La Vergne city (27 records), Eagleville city (6 records).
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)47 records, 1955 to 2025F/EF0 to F/EF4 (median F/EF1); 47 with a recorded valueEF4 tornado, 2009-04-10, 23.25 mi within this county, 750 yd wide, $100,000,000 property; crops not reported (2009 dollars), 2 direct deaths, 58 direct injuriesEvent records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Smyrna town (6 records), Murfreesboro city (5 records), La Vergne city (3 records), Eagleville city (1 record).Before 1996 a tornado is listed once, under the county where it began, with its whole path's rating and length; from 1996 on, each county lists its own segment. Length is not used to rank tornadoes (see Methods).
Wildfireacres burned (local data)0
Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleetnone in data (snowfall: local data)64 records, 1996 to 2026 (64 zone-level)Heavy Snow, 2010-01-29, $250,000 property; crops not reported (2010 dollars); NWS zone TNZ062Countywide (zone-level records).

In event narratives only (local data needed): wind chill, temperature, heat index, ice thickness, acres burned and snow depth; any physical measure of debris flow and lightning.

Storm Events records are more complete after 1996; before 1996 only Tornado (from 1950), Hail and Thunderstorm Wind (from 1955) exist. Zone-level records from zones that no NWS zone-county file places in this county (mostly before 2020) are not counted here (the Methods page explains the zone matching).

Dollars are nominal (as reported), labeled with the year; not adjusted for inflation.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-d: previous occurrences

Federal declarations for this county: 17 declarations covering 13 separate hazard incidents counted in this packet (declarations for the same incident count once; non-natural and evacuation-only declarations are not counted).

Federal disaster declarations for this county

Sources: 1, 2, 3

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazardCounty Public Assistancefederal share obligated, nominal dollarsFlagsNotes
2026-02-062026-01-22DR-4898-TNMajor disasterSevere Winter StormWinter Weather$860,264.63new since last plan; within last 5 years
2026-01-242026-01-22EM-3635-TNEmergencySevere Winter StormWinter Weatherno Public Assistance recordednew since last plan; within last 5 yearssame incident as DR-4898
2025-04-022025-04-02EM-3625-TNEmergencySevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Strong Wind; Tornadono Public Assistance recordednew since last plan; within last 5 years
2023-04-072023-03-31DR-4701-TNMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and TornadoesStrong Wind; Tornado$439,395.10new since last plan; within last 5 years
2020-04-022020-01-20DR-4514-TNMajor disasterCOVID-19 PandemicNon-natural, not counted$15,136,215.34
2020-03-132020-01-20EM-3473-TNEmergencyCOVID-19Non-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4514
2010-05-042010-04-30DR-1909-TNMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, and TornadoesInland Flooding; Strong Wind; Tornado$1,509,284.61
2009-05-152009-04-10DR-1839-TNMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornado$3,986,863.13
2005-09-052005-08-29EM-3217-TNEmergencyHurricane Katrina EvacuationHurricane: evacuation support, not a local hazard event; not countedno Public Assistance recorded
2003-05-082003-05-04DR-1464-TNMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornado$1,417,104.41
2002-11-132002-11-09DR-1441-TNMajor disasterSevere Storms and TornadosTornadoPA not declared for this county
1994-02-281994-02-09DR-1010-TNMajor disasterSevere Winter Ice Storm,Flash FloodingIce Storm; Inland Flooding; Winter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded
1993-03-141993-03-13EM-3095-TNEmergencySevere Snowfall, Winter StormWinter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded
1979-05-071979-05-07DR-585-TNMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes & FloodingInland Flooding; TornadoPA not declared for this county
1975-03-221975-03-22DR-459-TNMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1974-04-041974-04-04DR-424-TNMajor disasterTornadoesTornadono Public Assistance recorded
1973-03-211973-03-21DR-366-TNMajor disasterHeavy Rains & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded

County Public Assistance: applicants the FEMA record places in this county, including any state agencies FEMA files there; statewide rows are listed on the state page; federal share obligated, nominal dollars.

Statewide declarations

Source: 2

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazard
1963-03-271963-03-27DR-151-TNMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Flooding

FEMA recorded these with designated area Statewide and no county, so they are listed on every county page in the state and not counted with county rows. Local data needed: whether each one affected this county.

Public Assistance filed under this county for declarations that do not list it: 7 rows, $7,027,240.55

Sources: 2, 3

FEMA numberDeclaredTitleApplicantPA obligatedfederal share obligated, nominal dollars
DR-4792-TN2024-06-17Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingMiddle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation$61,983.13
DR-4601-TN2021-05-08Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingMiddle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation$81,165.14
DR-4594-TN2021-04-21Severe Winter StormsMiddle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation$750,199.08
DR-4476-TN2020-03-05Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingMiddle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation$5,568,094.98
DR-1745-TN2008-02-07Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingMiddle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation$438,882.27
DR-1634-TN2006-04-05Severe Storms and TornadoesMiddle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation$11,840.45
DR-1275-TN1999-05-12Severe Storms, Tornadoes and FloodingMiddle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation$115,075.50

FEMA's Public Assistance summaries file these applicants under this county, but FEMA's declaration rows for these disasters do not designate it (an electric cooperative or district serving several counties, for example). Not in any declaration row above and not counted.

Public Assistance not placed in any Tennessee county: 5 rows, $12,113,670.26; listed on the Tennessee state page.

Source: 3

Previous occurrences by hazard, with explicit no-event rows

Sources: 2, 6, 7

HazardStorm Events records, all years on file(years in the Period column)Since plan approvalrecordsIn the 12 months before plan approvalrecordsLast 5 yearsrecordsDeclared incidents, all yearsseparate disastersDeclared since approvalseparate disastersPeriodStatement
Cold Wave2202001996 to 2026-06-30
Drought3614014001996 to 2026-06-30
Earthquake000000Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail19414923001955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave8404001996 to 2026-06-30
Hurricane0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Ice Storm1000101996 to 2026-06-30
Inland Flooding75516811996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Lightning18101001996 to 2026-06-30
Strong Wind440521766321955 to 2026-06-30Includes 5 High Wind and 13 Strong Wind records.
Tornado47606821950 to 2026-06-30
Wildfire0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Winter Weather64347311996 to 2026-06-30

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationFlagsWhy listed
2025-07-29Excessive Heat$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2025 dollars)0, 0NWS zone TNZ062 (RUTHERFORD), zone-levelnew since last plan; within last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Excessive Heat, Heat
2024-01-16Extreme Cold/Wind Chill$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2024 dollars)0, 0NWS zone TNZ062 (RUTHERFORD), zone-levelnew since last plan; within last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
2023-03-03High Wind52 kt (60 mph) measured gust$2,000,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2023 dollars)0, 0NWS zone TNZ062 (RUTHERFORD), zone-levelnew since last plan; within last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: High Wind and Strong Wind
2018-11-06TornadoEF2, 8.55 mi within this county, 150 yd wide$3,390,000 property; $0 crops (2018 dollars)1, 3NEWTOWN to PLAINVIEWdeaths or injuries recorded
2012-08-02Heat$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2012 dollars)2, 0NWS zone TNZ062 (RUTHERFORD), zone-leveldeaths or injuries recorded
2010-05-01Flood$3,500,000 property; $1,000 crops (2010 dollars)0, 0LA VERGNE to EAGLEVILLEB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood
2010-01-29Ice Storm$25,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 2010 dollars)0, 0NWS zone TNZ062 (RUTHERFORD), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Ice Storm
2010-01-29Heavy Snow$250,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 2010 dollars)0, 0NWS zone TNZ062 (RUTHERFORD), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleet
2009-04-10TornadoEF4, 23.25 mi within this county, 750 yd wide$100,000,000 property; crops not reported (2009 dollars)2, 58ALLISONA to LOFTONdeaths or injuries recorded
2003-05-05Thunderstorm Wind85 kt (98 mph) estimated gustdamage not reported0, 0EAGLEVILLEB1-c worst recorded: Thunderstorm Wind
2001-04-15Lightningdamage not reported1, 0SMYRNAB1-c worst recorded: Lightning
1959-03-26Hail3 indamage not recorded (pre-1996 record)0, 0location not recordedB1-c worst recorded: Hail

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (885 rows).

Location is the place NOAA recorded, as written in its data; it need not be a jurisdiction in this plan.

Local data needed: state-declared emergencies, from your state emergency management agency (federal data do not include them).

FEMA's declaration data list no tribal or special-area declarations for this state.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-e: probability of future events

Probability: FEMA annualized frequency and descriptor per hazard

Sources: 5, 6

HazardFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)unit per rowUnitIn plain termsDescriptorDescriptor basisNRI events or days in its record period (hail, wind and tornado are area-weighted, so can be fractional)NRI periodLocationNote
Cold Wave1.16event-days per yearabout 1.16 days per yearPossibleStorm Events event-days in 2 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (6.67%)222005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Drought16.4event-days per yearabout 16.4 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 9 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (30%)6792000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywide
Earthquake0.00326annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 0.326%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail3.59events per yearabout 3.59 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)136.3 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Wave4.63event-days per yearabout 4.63 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 5 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (16.7%)752005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Hurricane0.0267events per yearabout 1 in 37 yearsPossibleFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)101851 to 2024 (Atlantic)see B1-fNRI counts hurricane and tropical storm tracks passing within storm-force wind range; federal declarations are in B1-d.
Ice Storm0.617event-days per yearabout 0.617 days per yearPossibleStorm Events event-days in 1 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (3.33%)421946-12-31 to 2014-02-12 (67 years)countywide
Inland Flooding2.18event-days per yearabout 2.18 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 25 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (83.3%)611996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide0.216events per year (modeled)about 1 in 5 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning60days per year with a strikeabout 60 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind6.15events per yearabout 6.15 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)2341986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.522events per yearabout 0.52 per yearLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Wildfire0.0000444annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 0.00444%Storm Events records in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor: no Storm Events record 1996 to 2025
Winter Weather5.26event-days per yearabout 5.26 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 22 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (73.3%)1002005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide

FEMA annualized frequency (modeled) is the National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025) estimate of how often a hazard affects this county in a year; it is not recorded events divided by years, and its unit differs by hazard (events, event-days, or days with a lightning strike per year). For earthquake, wildfire, coastal flooding and tsunami the value is the chance (or number of events) at a location in the county, not across the county, so no "1 in N years" is given and the descriptor comes from Storm Events where it has a record (none for earthquake). The Methods page gives each hazard's method, from FEMA's National Risk Index Technical Documentation v1.20.

Where NRI gives event-days, the descriptor comes from the share of years with a Storm Events record; NRI's source records more events, so the two differ.

Descriptor scale used in this packet (defined per unit)

Sources: 5, 6

UnitDescriptorDefinition
events per yearHighly likely1 or more per year
events per yearLikelyabout once in 1 to 10 years
events per yearPossibleabout once in 10 to 100 years
events per yearUnlikelyless than once in 100 years
annual probabilityLikely10% to under 100% chance in a given year
annual probabilityPossible1% to under 10% chance in a given year
annual probabilityUnlikelyunder 1% chance in a given year
event-days (share of years)Highly likelyevent-days recorded in 90% or more of years
event-days (share of years)Likelyevent-days recorded in 10% to under 90% of years
event-days (share of years)Possibleevent-days recorded in some years but under 10% of years
lightning strike-daysHighly likelycloud-to-ground strikes on 1 or more days per year

Intensity bands: historical frequency (Storm Events)

Source: 6

HazardBandYearsEventscounty-coded recordsYears in periodEvents per yearevents / years
Hail1.00-1.99 in1996 to 202599303.3
Hail2.00 in+1996 to 20256300.2
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 20253153010.5
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)65 kt+1996 to 202524300.8
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)unmeasured or below 50 kt1996 to 202530301
TornadoEF0-11996 to 202527300.9
TornadoEF2-31996 to 20255300.167
TornadoEF4-51996 to 20252300.0667
Tornadounrated (EFU)1996 to 20250300

The bands show how often events of each severity were recorded in this county, to profile how severe events have been (FEMA's probability item asks for the range of intensities).

Hail smaller than 1 inch is not counted: on 2010-01-05 the National Weather Service raised its severe-hail threshold from 3/4 inch to 1 inch, so smaller reports became less common after 2009 (NWS Service Change Notice 09-52). NRI hail frequency uses a 0.75 inch threshold.

Optional: future conditions. Not a required item in the 2025 FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide; some states ask for it. The federal Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) site gives county exposure to future climate conditions (https://resilience.climate.gov/).

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-f: hazards that vary across jurisdictions

Range of census tract risk within the county

Source: 5

HazardTractsrated of allNRI risk score, 0 to 100Tracts by rating
MinMedianMax
Cold Wave64 of 6479.891.397.5Very High 9, Relatively High 55
Drought34 of 6472.179.391.8Relatively Low 18, Very Low 16, No Rating 30
Earthquake64 of 6451.880.488.5Relatively Moderate 44, Relatively Low 20
Hail64 of 6428.147.262.8Relatively Low 57, Very Low 7
Heat Wave64 of 6422.943.466.9Relatively Moderate 11, Relatively Low 53
Hurricane64 of 6427.837.244.4Very Low 64
Ice Storm64 of 6423.450.470.0Relatively Moderate 3, Relatively Low 58, Very Low 3
Inland Flooding64 of 643.870.697.6Very High 2, Relatively High 21, Relatively Moderate 27, Relatively Low 13, Very Low 1
Landslide62 of 648.714.574.0Very Low 62, No Rating 2
Lightning64 of 6446.668.988.2Relatively High 15, Relatively Moderate 46, Relatively Low 3
Strong Wind64 of 6442.563.879.7Relatively Moderate 51, Relatively Low 13
Tornado64 of 6456.276.191.7Relatively High 35, Relatively Moderate 29
Wildfire64 of 6428.254.574.9Relatively Low 7, Very Low 57
Winter Weather64 of 6469.889.395.7Relatively High 59, Relatively Moderate 5

Drought: Agriculture is all of NRI's expected annual loss for this hazard in the county, so the tract range mostly reflects where crop and livestock value is.

Rated tracts only: No Rating (score 0.0), Not Applicable and Insufficient Data tracts are counted but not used for the minimum, median and maximum.

The score ranks a tract against all U.S. tracts (100 = highest). The rating is FEMA's category for the tract's risk value, computed differently, so the two can disagree.

Frequency data for cold wave, drought, hail, heat wave, ice storm, lightning, strong wind and winter weather are county-wide or coarse (49 km grid or NWS zone), the same for every jurisdiction; the tract range mostly reflects where buildings and people are (crop and livestock value where a line above names agriculture).

Each jurisdiction (starting figures from federal data)

Sources: 1, 3, 4, 6

JurisdictionTypePlan statusRepetitive lossFMA RL and SRL (44 CFR 77.2); repeat-flood, any definitionPublic Assistance to this jurisdictionFEMA records matched by applicant name; federal share obligated, nominal dollarsEvent records naming this placeall years; since its planNotes
Rutherford County (unincorporated area)UnincorporatedApproved, expires 2027-07-12FMA RL 0, SRL 3; any 20$1,144,717.330 total; 0 since its planIncludes $189,037.90 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4514-TN).
Eagleville cityCityApproved, expires 2027-07-12FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded17 total; 1 since its plan
La Vergne cityCityApproved, expires 2027-07-12FMA RL 0, SRL 1; any 9no Public Assistance recorded50 total; 2 since its plan
Murfreesboro cityCityApproved, expires 2027-07-12FMA RL 0, SRL 3; any 9$3,985,940.41191 total; 13 since its planIncludes $72,869.15 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4514-TN).
Smyrna townTownApproved, expires 2027-07-12FMA RL 0, SRL 1; any 4$642,798.3591 total; 2 since its planIncludes $18,298.01 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4514-TN).

Repetitive-loss counts are for whole NFIP communities, which can extend beyond this county (see the note in B2-c).

County Public Assistance in B1-d also includes applicants filed under the county that are not jurisdictions in this plan (for example state agencies, special districts and nonprofits), so the jurisdiction rows add up to less.

Supports FEMA checklist items B2-a and B2-b: vulnerability and potential impacts

Local data needed

The table below gives county-level starting figures; the plan describes impacts for each jurisdiction and its own assets.

  • Critical facilities and lifelines per hazard
  • A problem statement per jurisdiction per hazard
  • Changes in development in hazard-prone areas since the last approval, or a statement of none (E1-a)
  • Future assets

County-level starter: exposure, expected annual loss and damage since the plan

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7

HazardBuilding exposuremodeled dollarsAgriculture exposuremodeled dollarsPopulation exposedpeopleEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL as % of exposurebuildings; agriculture where notedStorm Events damage since 2022-07-13county-coded records, property plus crops, nominal dollarsZone-level damage since planproperty plus crops, reported for the zonePublic Assistance since plannominal dollars; see noteNote
Cold Wave$72,219,281,437$35,063,017341,253$58,565$6,971$24,814,331under 0.0001%$0
Droughtn/a$15,979,988n/an/a$133,945n/a0.838% (agriculture)NRI has no building exposure for this hazard; agriculture shown
Earthquake$124,558,555,557n/a341,486$11,285,570n/a$5,379,7800.00906%
Hail$72,219,281,437$35,063,017341,253$404,816$1,033$53,8210.000561%$0
Heat Wave$72,219,281,437$35,063,017341,253$929$138$2,321,765under 0.0001%$0
Hurricane$72,139,529,111$34,762,175340,647$104,391$7,473$2,9770.000145%
Ice Storm$72,216,775,113n/a341,226$197,321n/a$167,8000.000273%
Inland Flooding$72,195,186,676$5,087,74710,099$69,417,824$367$1,122,829n/a (see note)$0no Public Assistance recorded (1 declaration)NRI counts the full building value of any census block with some flood loss; this is not the value of buildings in the floodplain. Use local FIRM overlays for B2-a/B2-b.
Landslide$293,194,851n/a1,330$41n/a$46under 0.0001%
Lightning$72,219,281,437n/a341,253$173,282n/a$1,364,2130.00024%$100,000
Strong Wind$72,219,281,437$35,063,017341,253$400,104$305$1,566,5720.000554%$1,960,500$2,025,000$439,395.10Storm Events damage since the plan includes 1 zone-level High Wind record ($2,000,000) and 3 zone-level Strong Wind records ($25,000): NOAA non-thunderstorm wind types, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition.
Tornado$72,219,281,437$35,063,017341,253$4,550,098$2,238$10,259,8510.0063%$2,800,000$439,395.10
Wildfire$26,500,611,156$19,150,520136,274$35,088$7$4,3940.000132%
Winter Weather$72,219,281,437$35,063,017341,253$537,083$1$572,1910.000744%$0$860,264.63

Totals since 2022-07-13 (Storm Events through 2026-06-30): 74 county-coded records, 74 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $4,860,500; 27 zone-level records, 12 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $2,025,000 reported for the zone; Public Assistance: $1,299,659.73 on 4 counted declarations, 2 of them with Public Assistance.

FEMA does not split Public Assistance by hazard. A declaration mapped to several hazards is listed under each of them with its full amount, so the per-hazard column does not add up to the total; the unit total counts each declaration once.

NRI computes earthquake exposure on its own basis, so it exceeds the county building value in B2-a.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-a: vulnerability (county context)

County context

Source: 5

MeasureValue
Population341,253
Building value (total, not at risk)$72,219,281,437
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$35,063,017
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Relatively Moderate
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$87,317,590
Expected annual loss, population equivalence, all hazards (NRI values each statistical life at $13.7M; a modeled value of expected deaths and injuries, not property damage)$47,630,571
Social vulnerability ratingVery Low
Community resilience ratingRelatively Moderate
NRI versionDecember 2025

FEMA's all-hazard expected annual loss adds buildings, agriculture and population equivalence; this table gives the property part and the population-equivalence part as separate rows.

Social vulnerability: higher means people are more likely to be harmed and slower to recover. Community resilience: lower means the community is less able to recover. High social vulnerability and low resilience both raise the NRI risk rating.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-c: repetitive loss properties

Repetitive loss in this county, both definitions

Sources: 1, 4

DefinitionPropertiesSevere repetitive lossProperties
Repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)0Severe repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)8
Repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition41Severe repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition7

The state NFIP coordinator's list, the source FEMA's Handbook names, often uses the NFIP insurance definition (second row).

Repeat-flood properties: county total and NFIP communities

Sources: 1, 4

ScopeRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
County total0841742113
of which: Rutherford County (unincorporated area)032032008
of which: Lavergne city0191902
of which: Murfreesboro city0382913
of which: Smyrna town0141400

Repeat-flood properties by jurisdiction in the plan (NFIP community)

Sources: 1, 4

JurisdictionNFIP community IDRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
Rutherford County (unincorporated area)470165032032008
Eagleville city4701660000000
La Vergne city4701670191902
Murfreesboro city4701680382913
Smyrna town4701690141400

Counts by occupancy group for each jurisdiction are in the Excel file, sheet "B2-c Jurisdictions".

Jurisdiction rows are whole NFIP communities and need not add up to the county total: a community that extends into another county is counted in full on each jurisdiction row, while the county table counts only its part in this county.

County repeat-flood properties by occupancy group

Sources: 1, 4

Occupancy groupRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
single-family residential0638539113
2 to 4 unit residential0000000
other residential0000000
non-residential0232300
not reported0000000

FEMA's occupancy groups have no institutional class; institutional properties are counted in non-residential or other residential in the table by occupancy group.

FMA RL and FMA SRL are the Flood Mitigation Assistance definitions (44 CFR 77.2), the ones the FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide cites. NFIP repetitive loss (the FEMA insurance definition) is 2 or more claims over $1,000 in 10 years, and a property can leave that group once it is mitigated. Also shown: NFIP severe repetitive loss, any category, mitigated and currently insured. The Methods page gives the OpenFEMA field details.

Counts are aggregates of FEMA's public NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (FEMA's data date 2026-08-02; file version 2026-08-04). No property is identified. County assignment is FEMA's geocode.

In this county 0 properties are FMA repetitive loss but not NFIP repetitive loss, and 41 properties are NFIP repetitive loss but not FMA repetitive loss.

Exact counts; no count suppression.

Sources

Tables cite these sources by number. The full list, for the plan's bibliography (FEMA review item A4-a):

  1. FEMA, OpenFEMA HazardMitigationPlanStatuses v1, version 2026-09-29T134039Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/HazardMitigationPlanStatuses (API)
  2. FEMA, OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, version 2026-09-29T162832Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries (API)
  3. FEMA, OpenFEMA PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries v1, version 2026-09-29T150754Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries (API)
  4. FEMA, OpenFEMA NfipMultipleLossProperties v1, version 2026-08-04T164045Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/NfipMultipleLossProperties (API)
  5. FEMA, FEMA National Risk Index 1.20.0 (December 2025), county and census tract tables, version 1.20.0, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_Counties.zip (download, 25 MB), https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_CensusTracts.zip (download, 635 MB)
  6. NOAA NCEI, NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, details files (csvfiles v1.0), version c20260918, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/csvfiles/
  7. NOAA National Weather Service, NWS county-public forecast zones correlation file, version bp03mr20 to bp16ap26 (11 files; newest bp16ap26), pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.weather.gov/gis/ZoneCounty
  8. U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2024 Gazetteer, 2020 place by county, CT county-to-cousub crosswalk, version 2024-gazetteer, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_counties_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_cousubs_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_place_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_unsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_elsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_scsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/codes2020/national_place_by_county2020.txt, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ct_change/ct_cou_to_cousub_crosswalk.xlsx (used to match place names and codes; no table prints its values)

What this packet is and what the plan adds

This packet is the federal data for the plan's risk assessment (the summary on page 1 says how it is organized); the plan and FEMA's review decide whether each item is met.

The plan adds what only the community has: local data on assets, critical facilities, development and each jurisdiction's impacts; local hazard history, including state-declared emergencies; the mitigation strategy; and adoption.

How the federal data are built: National Risk Index values are FEMA's model, not counts of events. Storm Events is more complete from 1996; zone-level records are placed by forecast zone, not by location in the county. Public Assistance for a jurisdiction is matched by applicant name. The Methods page gives every rule and the known edge cases.

OpenFEMA disclaimer

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).

Reuse, citation and corrections

Reuse and citation: Hazard Plain text and tables are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); credit Hazard Plain and the release. The underlying federal data are public domain; OpenFEMA data are also subject to the OpenFEMA terms and conditions.

Cite this: Hazard Plain (2026). Rutherford County, TN: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 47149). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/tn/47149/ Built from FEMA OpenFEMA, the FEMA National Risk Index and NOAA NCEI Storm Events; source versions in the packet's Sources list.

Corrections: to report an error, name the packet, the table and what your records show. Contact: [email protected]