NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cleveland, 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 Cleveland, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 80 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 80
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
48 deaths in all
What the records show for Cleveland
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cleveland; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The record near Cleveland begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 55 miles away. The busiest decade was the 2020s, with 2 systems. Of the 6 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Cleveland has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 80 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, passed within a mile of the city centre. Of the 80, 18 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 45 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 39. The most recent tornado was on March 2, 2023. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 53% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Cleveland. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 114 times since 1974, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Cleveland has more hail reports within 10 miles than 90% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cleveland
Of the 6 tracks on the map, 5 were moving northeast as they passed Cleveland, 1 northwest. Zeta (2020), the strongest pass, was heading northeast; its centre passed 37 miles southeast of Cleveland. None made landfall within 75 miles of Cleveland; 4 of the 6 were hurricanes at their peak, none at their closest to the city. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 2 came near Cleveland: 0.7 a decade, against 0.3 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 24 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 72 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 Cleveland: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Check hail and hurricane history for any address
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Cleveland
By decade
- 2020s7(1 EF3+)
- 2010s33(3 EF3+)
- 2000s5
- 1990s14(3 EF3+)
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1970s9(3 EF3+)
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | in town | 48 mi | 20 / 335 |
| May 2, 1953 | F4 | 25 mi | 4.2 mi | 4 / 8 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 1 mi | 21.2 mi | 3 / 50 |
| Apr 12, 2020 | EF3 | 8 mi | 19.34 mi | 2 / 18 |
| Nov 30, 2016 | EF3 | 8 mi | 4.6 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 1994 | F3 | 12 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 2 mi | 18.1 mi | 1 / 100 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 3 mi | 41 mi | 0 / 44 |
| Mar 29, 1997 | F3 | 2 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 50 |
| Mar 29, 1997 | F3 | 20 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 44 |
| Feb 6, 1986 | F3 | 5 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 8, 1974 | F3 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 80, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cleveland
The Storm Prediction Center has 114 hail reports within 10 miles of Cleveland since 1974, made on 81 separate days. Of these, 65 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 7, 1985. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. May has the most reports, 30.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cleveland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cleveland Fltr Plt, TN, 6 miles northeast of Cleveland at 842 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 29°F. March is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 57.7 inches over 90 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 36 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 80 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 57.7 inches is more than at 85 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (70%). Ooltewah, 12 miles southwest, has its own station (Chattanooga Lovell Airport, TN): 55.0 inches a year, 2.7 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 | 50 | 29 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Feb | 55 | 33 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 63 | 39 | 5.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 72 | 47 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 56 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 64 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 68 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 67 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 60 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 48 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 37 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 32 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.3 |
| Year | 71 | 48 | 57.7 | 90 | 1.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cleveland Fltr Plt, TN (842 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 Cleveland
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 248 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cleveland: 231 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods and 5 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 19, 2006. August has had the most flash floods, 3 of 12. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 139 have had fewer than Cleveland.
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 Cleveland's 3 ZIP codes have filed 192 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $2.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Heavy rains in 2003: 25 claims (13% of all) and $344,000. The year with the most claims was 2004, with 31. 16% 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, 135 have fewer than Cleveland.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy rains2003 | 25 | $344,000 |
Bradley County, which includes Cleveland, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 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 Bradley County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $35.8 million a year, the 16th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $14.0 million (39%), 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 Cleveland
- Mc Donald, TN8 mi
- Charleston, TN9 mi
- Ocoee, TN10 mi
- Old Fort, TN11 mi
- Georgetown, TN11 mi
- Calhoun, TN12 mi
- Ooltewah, TN12 mi
- Benton, TN13 mi
- Apison, TN13 mi
- Harrison, TN14 mi
- Birchwood, TN15 mi
- Riceville, TN16 mi
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