NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Benton, 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 Benton, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 74 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 74
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
48 deaths in all
What the records show for Benton
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Benton; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 29 miles away. The record near Benton begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 44 miles away. The busiest decade was the 2020s, with 2 systems. Of the 5 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site, 55% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Benton. The highest rating among the 74 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 8 miles. Of the 74, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 44 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 41. The most recent tornado was on March 2, 2023. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 58% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Benton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 40 times since 1973, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 71% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Benton.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Benton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 24 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Benton: 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 Benton
By decade
- 2020s7(1 EF3+)
- 2010s32(3 EF3+)
- 2000s5
- 1990s12(3 EF3+)
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1970s9(4 EF3+)
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 8 mi | 48 mi | 20 / 335 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 25 mi | 24 mi | 4 / 26 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 7 mi | 21.2 mi | 3 / 50 |
| Apr 12, 2020 | EF3 | 20 mi | 19.34 mi | 2 / 18 |
| Nov 30, 2016 | EF3 | 2 mi | 4.6 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 1994 | F3 | 15 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 5 mi | 18.1 mi | 1 / 100 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 6 mi | 41 mi | 0 / 44 |
| Mar 29, 1997 | F3 | 15 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 50 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 19 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Feb 6, 1986 | F3 | 7 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 8, 1974 | F3 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 74, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Benton
The Storm Prediction Center has 40 hail reports within 10 miles of Benton since 1973, made on 33 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 6 days, most recently March 17, 2018. The most recent report is from March 27, 2021. April has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Benton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cleveland Fltr Plt, TN, 9 miles west of Benton at 842 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 29°F. March is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 57.7 inches over 90 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 36 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 80 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 57.7 inches is more than at 85 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (70%). Etowah, 12 miles northeast, has its own station (Athens, TN): 60.4 inches a year, 2.7 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 29 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Feb | 55 | 33 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 63 | 39 | 5.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 72 | 47 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 56 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 64 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 68 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 67 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 60 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 48 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 37 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 32 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.3 |
| Year | 71 | 48 | 57.7 | 90 | 1.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cleveland Fltr Plt, TN (842 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 Benton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 157 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Benton: 150 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 floods and 3 flash floods. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on November 30, 2016.
February 28, 2011: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Benton — 1 killed, 1 injured, $15,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Benton's ZIP code 37307 have filed 15 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1994, and were paid $81,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 53% 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, 29 have fewer than Benton.
Polk County, which includes Benton, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 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 Polk County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.8 million a year, the 75th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.6 million (52%), 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 Benton
- Ocoee, TN6 mi
- Charleston, TN10 mi
- Old Fort, TN11 mi
- Calhoun, TN11 mi
- Etowah, TN12 mi
- Cleveland, TN13 mi
- Riceville, TN14 mi
- Crandall, GA18 mi
- Copperhill, TN18 mi
- Athens, TN19 mi
- Englewood, TN19 mi
- Georgetown, TN19 mi
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