NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bolivar, 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
12 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bolivar, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 77 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 17 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 12
- Tornadoes
- 77
- EF3 or stronger
- 17
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
169 deaths in all
What the records show for Bolivar
None of the 12 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bolivar; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 19 miles away. The record near Bolivar begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 26 miles away. The 1880s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 12 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Bolivar is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 77 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 6 times; the most recent, on December 23, 2015, came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on February 21, 1971, killed 58 people. Of the 77, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 34 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 55% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bolivar. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 52 times since 1974, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 49% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bolivar.
Compare Bolivar's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bolivar
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 30 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 19 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 39 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 Bolivar: 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 Bolivar
By decade
- 2020s14(3 EF3+)
- 2010s9(2 EF3+)
- 2000s11(3 EF3+)
- 1990s22(4 EF3+)
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s5(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 1971 | F4 | 16 mi | 202.1 mi | 58 / 795 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 1 mi | 46.8 mi | 38 / 157 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 19 mi | 29.6 mi | 16 / 74 |
| May 4, 2003 | F4 | 18 mi | 39 mi | 11 / 86 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF4 | 18 mi | 75.09 mi | 9 / 36 |
| Jan 17, 1999 | F4 | 23 mi | 16 mi | 6 / 106 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 12 mi | 86.01 mi | 9 / 23 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 18 mi | 29.15 mi | 5 / 14 |
| Mar 22, 1991 | F3 | 21 mi | 22 mi | 4 / 45 |
| May 2, 2010 | EF3 | 18 mi | 29.58 mi | 3 / 9 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 20 mi | 31.13 mi | 3 / 14 |
| Jan 19, 1988 | F3 | 6 mi | 22 mi | 3 / 24 |
The strongest 12 of 77, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bolivar
The Storm Prediction Center has 52 hail reports within 10 miles of Bolivar since 1974, made on 44 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on April 7, 2006. The most recent report is from April 3, 2025. April has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bolivar
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bolivar Wtr Wks, TN, in Bolivar at 455 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 28°F. March is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 56.4 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 44% of the year's precipitation (24.8 of 56.4 inches); the other six months are wetter. August has brought the most of the 12 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal August there has highs of 89°F and 3.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 49 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 75 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.7 inches a year, most of it in February. That 56.4 inches is more than at 70 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (57%). Medon, 14 miles northeast, has its own station (Henderson 4 W, TN): 61.9 inches a year, 5.5 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 28 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Feb | 54 | 31 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 62 | 39 | 5.9 | 9 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 72 | 48 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 79 | 57 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 65 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 67 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 60 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 48 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 37 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 31 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Year | 71 | 48 | 56.4 | 80 | 1.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bolivar Wtr Wks, TN (455 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 Bolivar
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 69 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bolivar: 57 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods and 2 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $400,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on January 22, 2012. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 93 have had fewer than Bolivar.
May 13, 2000: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Bolivar — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “A couple of trees were blown down. One tree fell on a trailer, killing someone inside.”
May 24, 2015: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Bolivar — 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
Hardeman County, which includes Bolivar, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes, 2 winter storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hardeman County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for hurricanes, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.8 million a year, the 49th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.1 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.
Cities near Bolivar
- Whiteville, TN11 mi
- Middleton, TN13 mi
- Medon, TN14 mi
- Somerville, TN19 mi
- Bethel Springs, TN19 mi
- Pinson, TN21 mi
- Henderson, TN21 mi
- Selmer, TN23 mi
- Walnut, MS23 mi
- Stanton, TN25 mi
- Ramer, TN25 mi
- Moscow, TN26 mi
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