NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Chapel Hill, 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 Chapel Hill, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 91 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 91
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
What the records show for Chapel Hill
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Chapel Hill; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 45 mph winds when its centre passed 11 miles away. The record near Chapel Hill begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Frederic in 1979. None of the 4 systems has come since 2000. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site, 81% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Chapel Hill. The strongest of the 91 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 16, 1998; its path came within 14 miles, and it killed 3 people. Of the 91, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 53 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on June 6, 2025. Chapel Hill has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 58% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 36 times since 1974, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 76% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Chapel Hill.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Chapel Hill
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Chapel Hill: 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 Chapel Hill
By decade
- 2020s14(1 EF3+)
- 2010s21
- 2000s18(2 EF3+)
- 1990s13(2 EF3+)
- 1980s10(2 EF3+)
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 1998 | F5 | 14 mi | 69.4 mi | 3 / 36 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF4 | 11 mi | 23.25 mi | 2 / 58 |
| Dec 24, 1988 | F4 | 23 mi | 6 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Jan 24, 1997 | F4 | 14 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 18 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF3 | 7 mi | 11.53 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 19 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 31 |
| Aug 16, 1985 | F3 | 24 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 20 mi | 15.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 10, 1963 | F3 | 14 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 6, 2018 | EF2 | 9 mi | 10.49 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Apr 1, 2023 | EF2 | 19 mi | 18.45 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 11, 2008 | EF2 | 16 mi | 7.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 91, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Chapel Hill
The Storm Prediction Center has 36 hail reports within 10 miles of Chapel Hill since 1974, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 25 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on July 12, 2022. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Chapel Hill
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Shelbyville Water Dept, TN, 16 miles southeast of Chapel Hill at 760 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 29°F. December is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.7 inches; the year adds up to 59.5 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 49 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 76 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.1 inches a year, most of it in March. That 59.5 inches is more than at 102 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (84%). Eagleville, 7 miles north, has its own station (Thompson Stn, TN): 55.9 inches a year, 3.6 less than here, and the same July average high, 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 29 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Feb | 54 | 32 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Mar | 63 | 39 | 5.8 | 9 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 72 | 47 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 56 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 64 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 68 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 67 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 60 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 48 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 37 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 32 | 6.1 | 9 | 0.1 |
| Year | 71 | 48 | 59.5 | 88 | 1.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Shelbyville Water Dept, TN (760 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 Chapel Hill
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 115 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Chapel Hill: 88 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods, 10 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $2.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on May 2, 2002. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 183 have had fewer than Chapel Hill.
September 22, 2009: lightning strike in Chapel Hill — 1 killed, $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Lightning from a thunderstorm struck a utility pole at the end of a 83 year old man's driveway. The lightning's charge went to the man's house and started a fire, that destroyed most of the home, and also killed the man.”
May 8, 2024: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Chapel Hill — 1 killed.
May 8, 2024: flash flood in Chapel Hill — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain across Marshall County caused flash flooding in the area. Beasley Road in Chapel Hill was closed due to being washed out.”
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 Chapel Hill's ZIP code 37034 have filed 14 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1999, and were paid $163,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 57% 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, 24 have fewer than Chapel Hill.
Marshall County, which includes Chapel Hill, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 winter storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Marshall County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for 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 $19.7 million a year, the 34th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.1 million (46%), 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 Chapel Hill
- Unionville, TN6 mi
- Eagleville, TN7 mi
- College Grove, TN8 mi
- Rockvale, TN11 mi
- Lewisburg, TN13 mi
- Spring Hill, TN14 mi
- Arrington, TN15 mi
- Bell Buckle, TN16 mi
- Thompsons Station, TN17 mi
- Shelbyville, TN17 mi
- Christiana, TN19 mi
- Columbia, TN20 mi
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