NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bradford, 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 Bradford, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 98 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 18 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 98
- EF3 or stronger
- 18
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
54 deaths in all
What the records show for Bradford
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bradford; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre passed 16 miles away. The record near Bradford begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 28 miles away. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site, 81% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Bradford. The highest rating among the 98 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 5 times; the most recent, on February 5, 2008, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 2, 2006, killed 16 people. Of the 98, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 41 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Bradford has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 67% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 61 times since 1962, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Bradford has more hail reports within 10 miles than 66% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bradford
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bradford: 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 Bradford
By decade
- 2020s12(1 EF3+)
- 2010s8
- 2000s21(4 EF3+)
- 1990s16(6 EF3+)
- 1980s10(1 EF3+)
- 1970s12(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
- 1950s14(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 1971 | F4 | 2 mi | 50.9 mi | 3 / 137 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 21 mi | 4.7 mi | 2 / 10 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 21 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF4 | 23 mi | 7.61 mi | 0 / 51 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 9 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | 22 mi | 18 mi | 16 / 70 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F3 | 22 mi | 18.1 mi | 10 / 30 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | in town | 31 mi | 6 / 44 |
| Apr 29, 1963 | F3 | 21 mi | 9.3 mi | 3 / 6 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | 10 mi | 8 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 25 mi | 4 mi | 2 / 3 |
| Nov 27, 1994 | F3 | 24 mi | 16 mi | 1 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 98, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bradford
The Storm Prediction Center has 61 hail reports within 10 miles of Bradford since 1962, made on 45 separate days. Of these, 29 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 11 days, most recently February 15, 2025. The most recent report is from April 5, 2025. April has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bradford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Milan Exp Stn, TN, 10 miles southeast of Bradford at 415 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 28°F. May is the wettest at 6.2 inches of precipitation on average and August and October the driest at 3.7 inches; the year adds up to 56.2 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 59 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 90 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 56.2 inches is more than at 66 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (54%). Greenfield, 6 miles north, has its own station (Dresden, TN): 53.6 inches a year, 2.6 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 28 | 4.2 | 7 | 1.5 |
| Feb | 53 | 31 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.9 |
| Mar | 62 | 39 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 72 | 47 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 58 | 6.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 66 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 70 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 67 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 59 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 47 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 37 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 51 | 31 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Year | 71 | 48 | 56.2 | 82 | 3.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Milan Exp Stn, TN (415 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 Bradford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 78 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bradford: 52 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 flash floods, 2 floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on January 13, 2005. May has had the most flash floods, 5 of 21. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 244 have had fewer than Bradford.
April 27, 1998: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Bradford — 3 injured, $1,000 damage.
May 1, 2010: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Bradford — $232,000 damage.
February 5, 2008: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Bradford — $150,000 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
Gibson County, which includes Bradford, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 4 floods, 4 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Gibson County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $48.5 million a year, the 11th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.7 million (14%), 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 Bradford
- Greenfield, TN6 mi
- Trenton, TN10 mi
- Milan, TN11 mi
- Dyer, TN11 mi
- Sharon, TN12 mi
- Kenton, TN15 mi
- Gleason, TN16 mi
- Mc Kenzie, TN17 mi
- Humboldt, TN17 mi
- Dresden, TN18 mi
- Medina, TN19 mi
- Martin, TN20 mi
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