NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Charlotte, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Charlotte, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 100 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 100
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Charlotte
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Charlotte; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 31 miles away. The record near Charlotte begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm 64 miles away. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site, 94% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Charlotte. The strongest of the 100 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 27, 1970; its path came within 18 miles, and it killed 3 people. The deadliest, an EF3 on March 3, 2020, killed 5 people. Of the 100, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 68 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Charlotte has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 69% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 42 times since 1962, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 66% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Charlotte.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Charlotte
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Charlotte: 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 Charlotte
By decade
- 2020s16(1 EF3+)
- 2010s18
- 2000s34(3 EF3+)
- 1990s13(3 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 1970 | F4 | 18 mi | 42.6 mi | 3 / 85 |
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF3 | 19 mi | 60.13 mi | 5 / 220 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 23 mi | 42.1 mi | 1 / 60 |
| Apr 7, 2006 | F3 | 4 mi | 18.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 13 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 27, 2000 | F3 | 22 mi | 17.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 22, 1999 | F3 | 21 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 16 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Dec 9, 2023 | EF2 | 6 mi | 18.37 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 9, 2023 | EF2 | 6 mi | 5.81 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF2 | 10 mi | 12.61 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF2 | 12 mi | 10.87 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 100, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Charlotte
The Storm Prediction Center has 42 hail reports within 10 miles of Charlotte since 1962, made on 35 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on March 3, 2020. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. March has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Charlotte
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cheatham L&D, TN, 8 miles northeast of Charlotte at 392 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 28°F. May is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 51.3 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 58 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 94 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.3 inches a year, most of it in February. That 51.3 inches is more than at 20 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (16%). White Bluff, 9 miles southeast, has its own station (Kingston Springs, TN): 50.5 inches a year, 0.8 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 28 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Feb | 53 | 30 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Mar | 61 | 37 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 70 | 44 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 55 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 64 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 68 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 66 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 60 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 47 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 37 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 51 | 31 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Year | 70 | 47 | 51.3 | 76 | 1.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cheatham L&D, TN (392 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 Charlotte
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 136 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Charlotte: 115 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 5 heavy rain events and 4 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $745,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on March 1, 2017. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 139 have had fewer than Charlotte.
July 13, 2004: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Charlotte — 1 injured, $50,000 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
Dickson County, which includes Charlotte, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 4 tornadoes, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Dickson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.8 million a year, the 38th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.0 million (32%), 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 Charlotte
- White Bluff, TN9 mi
- Cumberland Furnace, TN9 mi
- Burns, TN12 mi
- Dickson, TN13 mi
- Ashland City, TN13 mi
- Kingston Springs, TN14 mi
- Chapmansboro, TN14 mi
- Pegram, TN16 mi
- Pleasant View, TN19 mi
- Fairview, TN19 mi
- Bon Aqua, TN19 mi
- Cumberland City, TN22 mi
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