NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Celina, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Celina, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 64 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 64
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
44 deaths in all
What the records show for Celina
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Celina; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. The record near Celina begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 35 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Celina has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 64 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 10 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on February 5, 2008, killed 22 people. Of the 64, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 38 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on February 6, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 65% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Celina. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 39 times since 1969, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 72% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Celina.
Compare Celina's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Celina
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Celina: 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 Celina
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s15
- 2000s9(1 EF3+)
- 1990s10(1 EF3+)
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s8(3 EF3+)
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 10 mi | 38.4 mi | 10 / 113 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 23 mi | 11 mi | 5 / 6 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 16 mi | 50.32 mi | 22 / 63 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 15 mi | 9.4 mi | 3 / 120 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 17 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 20, 1986 | F3 | 21 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 26, 1959 | F3 | 15 mi | 19.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 6, 2025 | EF2 | 19 mi | 4.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 17 mi | 6.94 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 18 mi | 3.7 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Oct 9, 2009 | EF2 | 19 mi | 15.82 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F2 | 21 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 64, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Celina
The Storm Prediction Center has 39 hail reports within 10 miles of Celina since 1969, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on April 2, 2006. The most recent report is from May 8, 2024. July has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Celina
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Livingston Radio Wliv, TN, 15 miles southeast of Celina at 975 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 27°F. December is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 53.6 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 28 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 90 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.3 inches a year, most of it in February. That 53.6 inches is more than at 30 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (25%). Tompkinsville, KY, 15 miles northwest, has its own station (Summer Shade, KY): 49.7 inches a year, 3.9 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 27 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Feb | 51 | 30 | 4.7 | 6 | 1.5 |
| Mar | 60 | 36 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 70 | 44 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 62 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 66 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 58 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 45 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 36 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 50 | 31 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Year | 69 | 46 | 53.6 | 81 | 2.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Livingston Radio Wliv, TN (975 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 Celina
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 127 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Celina: 112 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 flash floods, 4 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $11.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on January 11, 2020. July has had the most flash floods, 3 of 9. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 73 have had fewer than Celina.
April 4, 2011: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Celina — 2 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “A concrete wall garage was destroyed and two trees were uprooted southeast of Celina along State Highway 52. Two minor injuries were also reported.”
August 18, 2010: flood 7 miles from the centre of Celina — $10.3 million damage.
NWS: “Several roads across the county were closed due to flooding. A house experienced flooding on Tommy Dodson Highway.”
July 2, 2015: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Celina — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Major flash flooding affected much of Overton County from the evening hours on July 2 into the morning hours on July 3. Numerous roads throughout the county were flooded, including multiple roads flooded and not passable in Rickman such as June Chapel Road, Highway 42, and Spring Creek Road.”
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 Celina's ZIP code 38551 have filed 23 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2010, and were paid $415,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late spring storms in 2010: 12 claims (52% of all) and $277,000. 52% 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, 56 have fewer than Celina.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late spring storms2010 | 12 | $277,000 |
Clay County, which includes Celina, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Clay County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $4.3 million a year, the 90th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.5 million (58%), 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 Celina
- Livingston, TN15 mi
- Tompkinsville, KY15 mi
- Burkesville, KY16 mi
- Monroe, TN16 mi
- Gainesboro, TN16 mi
- Red Boiling Springs, TN18 mi
- Byrdstown, TN19 mi
- Albany, KY23 mi
- Summer Shade, KY25 mi
- Cookeville, TN25 mi
- Pleasant Shade, TN26 mi
- Lafayette, TN29 mi
All Tennessee cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Celina with another place →