NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Baxter, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Baxter, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 86 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 86
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
45 deaths in all
What the records show for Baxter
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Baxter; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 59 miles away. The record near Baxter begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site, 55% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Baxter. The highest rating among the 86 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 3, 2020, came within 3 miles. Of the 86, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 45 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on February 6, 2025. Baxter has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 51% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 86 times since 1963, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Baxter has more hail reports within 10 miles than 82% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Baxter
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Baxter: 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 Baxter
By decade
- 2020s18(2 EF3+)
- 2010s20
- 2000s7
- 1990s14(1 EF3+)
- 1980s4
- 1970s14(4 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF4 | 3 mi | 8.39 mi | 19 / 87 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 8 mi | 28.4 mi | 10 / 51 |
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF3 | 14 mi | 60.13 mi | 5 / 220 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 21 mi | 9.4 mi | 3 / 120 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 13 mi | 14.6 mi | 1 / 23 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 4 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 20 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 26, 1959 | F3 | 19 mi | 19.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 1973 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Feb 6, 2025 | EF2 | 11 mi | 4.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF2 | 11 mi | 8.37 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 16 mi | 6.94 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 86, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Baxter
The Storm Prediction Center has 86 hail reports within 10 miles of Baxter since 1963, made on 49 separate days. Of these, 45 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on July 14, 2015. The most recent report is from May 6, 2024. April has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Baxter
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cookeville, TN, 8 miles east of Baxter at 1,090 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 27°F. December is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 60.3 inches over 91 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 29 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 97 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 60.3 inches is more than at 107 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (88%). Gainesboro, 15 miles north, has its own station (Gainesboro, TN): 56.7 inches a year, 3.6 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 27 | 5.3 | 9 | 2.3 |
| Feb | 51 | 29 | 5.5 | 8 | 1.8 |
| Mar | 60 | 35 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.9 |
| Apr | 70 | 43 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 53 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 62 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 66 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 64 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 57 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 45 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 35 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 51 | 30 | 6.1 | 9 | 1.0 |
| Year | 69 | 46 | 60.3 | 91 | 6.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cookeville, TN (1,090 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 Baxter
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 207 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Baxter: 158 thunderstorm wind reports, 30 flash floods, 14 floods, 3 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $44.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on May 27, 2017. July has had the most flash floods, 10 of 30. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 293 have had fewer than Baxter.
March 12, 2010: heavy rain event 9 miles from the centre of Baxter — 1 killed, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “As reported by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Jessie C. Brewer, 69, of Rockwood, Tennessee, died after his 1994 Ford ASP hydroplaned and ended up running in front of a tractor trailer truck.”
July 22, 2008: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Baxter — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “A tree fell on a car injuring one person at the intersection of Burgess Falls road and River Rd.”
September 2, 2014: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Baxter — 1 injured.
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
Putnam County, which includes Baxter, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 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 Putnam County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $24.4 million a year, the 26th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.8 million (36%), 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 Baxter
- Cookeville, TN9 mi
- Gainesboro, TN15 mi
- Smithville, TN17 mi
- Sparta, TN17 mi
- Gordonsville, TN19 mi
- Carthage, TN19 mi
- Alexandria, TN21 mi
- Pleasant Shade, TN23 mi
- Monterey, TN23 mi
- Livingston, TN25 mi
- Rock Island, TN26 mi
- Watertown, TN27 mi
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