NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bartlett, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bartlett, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 114 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 114
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
43 deaths in all
What the records show for Bartlett
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bartlett; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 12 miles away. The record near Bartlett begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 21 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1950s, with 2 systems. Of the 9 systems, one has come since 2000. Bartlett has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 92% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The strongest of the 114 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 21, 1952; its path came within 25 miles, and it killed 16 people. Of the 114, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on March 31, 2023. Bartlett has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 85% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 149 times since 1964, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Bartlett has more hail reports within 10 miles than 96% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bartlett
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 19 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 55 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 Bartlett: 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 Bartlett
By decade
- 2020s8(2 EF3+)
- 2010s8
- 2000s17
- 1990s18(1 EF3+)
- 1980s14(3 EF3+)
- 1970s23(3 EF3+)
- 1960s22(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 25 mi | 29.6 mi | 16 / 74 |
| Dec 14, 1987 | F3 | 10 mi | 25 mi | 6 / 121 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 19 mi | 72.55 mi | 4 / 26 |
| Apr 3, 1968 | F3 | 9 mi | 28.8 mi | 4 / 32 |
| Nov 27, 1994 | F3 | 6 mi | 16 mi | 3 / 25 |
| Jan 19, 1988 | F3 | 24 mi | 22 mi | 3 / 24 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 17 mi | 39.18 mi | 1 / 28 |
| Apr 21, 1984 | F3 | 17 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 11 mi | 10.4 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 14 mi | 12.3 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 12 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF2 | 12 mi | 10.24 mi | 3 / 13 |
The strongest 12 of 114, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bartlett
The Storm Prediction Center has 149 hail reports within 10 miles of Bartlett since 1964, made on 111 separate days. Of these, 82 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 7, 2006. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. May has the most reports, 43.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bartlett
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Memphis WFO, TN, 7 miles south of Bartlett at 310 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 30°F. April is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 57.2 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 69 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 68 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 57.2 inches is more than at 80 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (66%). Germantown, 10 miles south, has its own station (Germantown 4SE, TN): 55.4 inches a year, 1.8 less than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 30 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Feb | 54 | 33 | 4.8 | 7 | 1.1 |
| Mar | 63 | 40 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.8 |
| Apr | 73 | 49 | 5.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 59 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 68 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 69 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 62 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 50 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 39 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 33 | 5.7 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Year | 72 | 50 | 57.2 | 79 | 2.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Memphis WFO, TN (310 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 Bartlett
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 293 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bartlett: 187 thunderstorm wind reports, 88 flash floods, 10 lightning strikes, 6 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 4 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $58.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 109 mph, on July 22, 2003. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 335 have had fewer than Bartlett.
July 22, 2003: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Bartlett — 1 killed, 3 injured, $40.0 million damage.
NWS: “Shelby County was hit hard by a downburst wind event. Numerous trees, power lines and power poles were blown down.”
July 5, 2009: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Bartlett — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
June 30, 2017: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Bartlett — 1 killed.
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 Bartlett's 2 ZIP codes have filed 67 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2001, with 24. 12% 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, 110 have fewer than Bartlett.
Shelby County, which includes Bartlett, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 severe storms, 3 winter storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Shelby County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes; Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $554.7 million a year, the highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $153.7 million (28%), is from inland flooding.
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.
Cities near Bartlett
- Cordova, TN5 mi
- Arlington, TN8 mi
- Germantown, TN10 mi
- Millington, TN10 mi
- Memphis, TN10 mi
- Eads, TN12 mi
- Atoka, TN14 mi
- Collierville, TN15 mi
- Munford, TN16 mi
- Brighton, TN18 mi
- Olive Branch, MS19 mi
- Oakland, TN19 mi
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