NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Brownsville, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Brownsville, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 101 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 101
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
44 deaths in all
What the records show for Brownsville
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Brownsville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 9 miles away. The record near Brownsville begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 8 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1950s, with 2 systems. Of the 9 systems, one has come since 2000. Brownsville has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 92% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 101 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on February 5, 2008, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 4, 2003, killed 11 people. Of the 101, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 44 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Brownsville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 70% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 30 times since 1964, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 86% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Brownsville.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Brownsville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 19 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 62 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 Brownsville: 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 Brownsville
By decade
- 2020s14(1 EF3+)
- 2010s11
- 2000s19(4 EF3+)
- 1990s21(4 EF3+)
- 1980s9(1 EF3+)
- 1970s15
- 1960s4(2 EF3+)
- 1950s8(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 2003 | F4 | 14 mi | 39 mi | 11 / 86 |
| Jan 17, 1999 | F4 | 21 mi | 16 mi | 6 / 106 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF4 | 23 mi | 7.61 mi | 0 / 51 |
| Apr 3, 1968 | F3 | 18 mi | 28.8 mi | 4 / 32 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 8 mi | 31.13 mi | 3 / 14 |
| Jan 19, 1988 | F3 | 22 mi | 22 mi | 3 / 24 |
| Apr 29, 1963 | F3 | 16 mi | 9.3 mi | 3 / 6 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 4 mi | 39.18 mi | 1 / 28 |
| Nov 27, 1994 | F3 | 16 mi | 16 mi | 1 / 3 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 20 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 17, 1999 | F3 | 12 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jan 17, 1999 | F3 | 15 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 101, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Brownsville
The Storm Prediction Center has 30 hail reports within 10 miles of Brownsville since 1964, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently August 10, 2000. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. May has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Brownsville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Brownsville, TN, in Brownsville at 330 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 30°F. May is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 56.3 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 57 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 67 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.2 inches a year, most of it in January and February. That 56.3 inches is more than at 67 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (55%). Bells, 12 miles northeast, has its own station (Alamo 1 N, TN): 53.5 inches a year, 2.8 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 30 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Feb | 53 | 33 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Mar | 62 | 41 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 72 | 50 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.1 |
| May | 80 | 60 | 6.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 68 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 70 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 62 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 50 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 40 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 51 | 33 | 5.8 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Year | 71 | 51 | 56.3 | 80 | 2.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Brownsville, TN (330 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 Brownsville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 66 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Brownsville: 48 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods and 4 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $534,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on March 31, 2023. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 172 have had fewer than Brownsville.
May 26, 2008: thunderstorm wind in Brownsville — 1 injured, $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Straight line winds blew trees and power lines down across Brownsville. A few trees were reported down on Highway 76.”
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 Brownsville's ZIP code 38012 have filed 83 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1987, and were paid $1.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late spring storms in 2010: 51 claims (61% of all) and $1.2 million. 66% 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, 119 have fewer than Brownsville.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late spring storms2010 | 51 | $1.2 million |
Haywood County, which includes Brownsville, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1994, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 winter storms, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Haywood County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $16.1 million a year, the 46th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.9 million (12%), 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 Brownsville
- Stanton, TN11 mi
- Bells, TN12 mi
- Alamo, TN16 mi
- Whiteville, TN18 mi
- Mason, TN21 mi
- Covington, TN22 mi
- Halls, TN22 mi
- Friendship, TN22 mi
- Somerville, TN22 mi
- Medon, TN24 mi
- Jackson, TN26 mi
- Humboldt, TN26 mi
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