NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Atoka, TN
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Atoka, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 112 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 112
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
25 deaths in all
What the records show for Atoka
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Atoka; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 21 miles away. The record near Atoka begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 22 miles away. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Atoka has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 71% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 112 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 10 times; the most recent, on March 31, 2023, came within 7 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on December 14, 1987, killed 6 people. Of the 112, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 39 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on April 5, 2025. Atoka has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 83% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 88 times since 1971, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Atoka has more hail reports within 10 miles than 83% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
Compare Atoka's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Atoka
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 19 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Atoka: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Atoka
By decade
- 2020s13(2 EF3+)
- 2010s10
- 2000s16(1 EF3+)
- 1990s18(1 EF3+)
- 1980s12(1 EF3+)
- 1970s26(1 EF3+)
- 1960s11(1 EF3+)
- 1950s6(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 14, 1987 | F3 | 8 mi | 25 mi | 6 / 121 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 7 mi | 72.55 mi | 4 / 26 |
| Apr 3, 1968 | F3 | in town | 28.8 mi | 4 / 32 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 25 mi | 31.13 mi | 3 / 14 |
| Nov 27, 1994 | F3 | 11 mi | 16 mi | 3 / 25 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 3 mi | 39.18 mi | 1 / 28 |
| Feb 16, 1954 | F3 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 24 mi | 10.4 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Sep 26, 1959 | F3 | 21 mi | 35.2 mi | 0 / 21 |
| Jun 13, 1954 | F3 | 24 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 24, 2018 | EF2 | 24 mi | 9.92 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF2 | 7 mi | 8.09 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 112, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Atoka
The Storm Prediction Center has 88 hail reports within 10 miles of Atoka since 1971, made on 64 separate days. Of these, 49 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 29, 2005. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. May has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Atoka
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Covington 3 SW, TN, 11 miles northeast of Atoka at 385 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 29°F. May and December are the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and August and September the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 55.8 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 49 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 70 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.4 inches a year, most of it in March. That 55.8 inches is more than at 60 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (49%). Millington, 8 miles southwest, has its own station (Memphis WFO, TN): 57.2 inches a year, 1.4 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 29 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Feb | 51 | 32 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 60 | 40 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.9 |
| Apr | 70 | 48 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 58 | 5.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 66 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 69 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 67 | 3.6 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 60 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 49 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 39 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 50 | 32 | 5.8 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Year | 69 | 49 | 55.8 | 76 | 2.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Covington 3 SW, TN (385 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Atoka
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 159 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Atoka: 123 thunderstorm wind reports, 26 flash floods, 7 floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 2 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $34.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on March 31, 2023. April has had the most flash floods, 8 of 26. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 275 have had fewer than Atoka.
May 1, 2010: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Atoka — 1 killed, $28.9 million damage.
July 5, 2009: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Atoka — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
May 9, 1998: thunderstorm wind in Atoka — 2 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “A tree fell on a Tipton County Sheriff car injuring the deputy and a prisoner. A cemetery marker was blown over.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Atoka's ZIP code 38004 have filed 23 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1989, and were paid $689,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late spring storms in 2010: 14 claims (61% of all) and $530,000. 61% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 155 Tennessee cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 56 have fewer than Atoka.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late spring storms2010 | 14 | $530,000 |
Tipton County, which includes Atoka, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 winter storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Tipton County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $34.3 million a year, the 19th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.1 million (21%), is from tornadoes.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. 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).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. 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).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.