NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bell Buckle, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bell Buckle, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 97 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 97
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
28 deaths in all
What the records show for Bell Buckle
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bell Buckle; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 45 mph winds when its centre crossed the city. The record near Bell Buckle begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Frederic in 1979. None of the 4 systems has come since 2000. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site, 81% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Bell Buckle. The strongest of the 97 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 16 people. Of the 97, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 64 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 33. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Bell Buckle has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 67% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 55 times since 1981, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Bell Buckle has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bell Buckle
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | overhead | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bell Buckle: 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 Bell Buckle
By decade
- 2020s12(1 EF3+)
- 2010s27
- 2000s25(3 EF3+)
- 1990s10(1 EF3+)
- 1980s8
- 1970s7(2 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 21 mi | 83.3 mi | 16 / 190 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF4 | 17 mi | 23.25 mi | 2 / 58 |
| Jan 24, 1997 | F4 | 13 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 18 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF3 | 23 mi | 11.53 mi | 1 / 12 |
| May 11, 2003 | F3 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 9 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 31 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 15 mi | 15.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 13 mi | 12.3 mi | 2 / 24 |
| Nov 6, 2018 | EF2 | 5 mi | 10.49 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF2 | 24 mi | 16.1 mi | 1 / 4 |
| May 31, 2001 | F2 | 24 mi | 6.3 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Apr 1, 2023 | EF2 | 10 mi | 18.45 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 97, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bell Buckle
The Storm Prediction Center has 55 hail reports within 10 miles of Bell Buckle since 1981, made on 41 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 8, 2024. The most recent report is from May 20, 2025. May has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bell Buckle
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Shelbyville Water Dept, TN, 10 miles southwest of Bell Buckle at 760 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 29°F. December is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.7 inches; the year adds up to 59.5 inches over 88 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 76 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.1 inches a year, most of it in March. That 59.5 inches is more than at 102 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (84%). Christiana, 6 miles northeast, has its own station (Wartrace 6E, TN): 60.3 inches a year, 0.8 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 29 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Feb | 54 | 32 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Mar | 63 | 39 | 5.8 | 9 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 72 | 47 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 56 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 64 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 68 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 67 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 60 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 48 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 37 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 32 | 6.1 | 9 | 0.1 |
| Year | 71 | 48 | 59.5 | 88 | 1.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Shelbyville Water Dept, TN (760 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 Bell Buckle
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 168 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bell Buckle: 152 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 7 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on March 9, 2017. May has had the most flash floods, 3 of 8. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 57 have had fewer than Bell Buckle.
April 20, 1996: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Bell Buckle — 2 injured, $100,000 damage.
August 3, 2011: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Bell Buckle — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
September 17, 2009: flood 8 miles from the centre of Bell Buckle — $250,000 damage.
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
Bedford County, which includes Bell Buckle, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bedford County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $25.4 million a year, the 24th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.9 million (47%), 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 Bell Buckle
- Christiana, TN6 mi
- Wartrace, TN9 mi
- Unionville, TN10 mi
- Shelbyville, TN11 mi
- Rockvale, TN13 mi
- Beechgrove, TN13 mi
- Murfreesboro, TN16 mi
- Eagleville, TN16 mi
- Chapel Hill, TN16 mi
- Readyville, TN17 mi
- Bradyville, TN17 mi
- Manchester, TN19 mi
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