NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Clifton, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Clifton, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 55 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 55
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
64 deaths in all
What the records show for Clifton
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Clifton; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre passed 50 miles away. The record near Clifton begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm 53 miles away. The 1910s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. None of the 8 systems has come since 2000. Clifton has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 89% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The strongest of the 55 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 16, 1998; its path came within 11 miles, and it killed 3 people. The deadliest, an F4 on March 21, 1952, killed 38 people. Of the 55, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 34 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on April 3, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 72% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Clifton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 28 times since 1995, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 88% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Clifton.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Clifton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Clifton: 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 Clifton
By decade
- 2020s8(2 EF3+)
- 2010s19(1 EF3+)
- 2000s7(1 EF3+)
- 1990s10(3 EF3+)
- 1980s2
- 1970s2
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 1998 | F5 | 11 mi | 69.4 mi | 3 / 36 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 23 mi | 46.8 mi | 38 / 157 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF4 | 4 mi | 16.17 mi | 3 / 5 |
| May 5, 1999 | F4 | 12 mi | 6 mi | 3 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 2 mi | 86.01 mi | 9 / 23 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 17 mi | 29.15 mi | 5 / 14 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF3 | 16 mi | 48.38 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jun 26, 1994 | F3 | 17 mi | 38 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Mar 4, 1964 | F3 | 2 mi | 27.6 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Feb 26, 1958 | F3 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF2 | 14 mi | 14.92 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Mar 22, 1991 | F2 | 20 mi | 5 mi | 1 / 14 |
The strongest 12 of 55, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Clifton
The Storm Prediction Center has 28 hail reports within 10 miles of Clifton since 1995, made on 24 separate days. Of these, 15 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 8, 2024. The most recent report is from May 8, 2024. May has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Clifton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Waynesboro, TN, 14 miles southeast of Clifton at 750 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 27°F. December is the wettest at 6.2 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 4.2 inches; the year adds up to 61.9 inches over 86 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 39 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 99 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.3 inches a year, most of it in March. That 61.9 inches is more than at 113 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (93%). Decaturville, 13 miles northwest, has its own station (Parsons Wtp, TN): 57.1 inches a year, 4.8 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 27 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Feb | 53 | 29 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 62 | 36 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 72 | 43 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 53 | 5.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 62 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 66 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 64 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 57 | 4.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 45 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 34 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 29 | 6.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Year | 70 | 45 | 61.9 | 86 | 1.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Waynesboro, TN (750 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 Clifton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 47 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Clifton: 34 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $10.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on May 30, 2004. March has had the most flash floods, 3 of 11. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 117 have had fewer than Clifton.
August 18, 2010: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Clifton — $8.3 million damage.
May 2, 2010: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Clifton — $2.0 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain produced widespread flash flooding across Hardin County. One hundred roads were damaged as a result.”
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 Clifton's ZIP code 38425 have filed 37 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1983, and were paid $1.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2019, with 20. 19% 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, 86 have fewer than Clifton.
Wayne County, which includes Clifton, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 16 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 winter storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wayne County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.4 million a year, the 68th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.3 million (45%), 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 Clifton
- Waynesboro, TN13 mi
- Decaturville, TN13 mi
- Linden, TN16 mi
- Collinwood, TN19 mi
- Savannah, TN20 mi
- Parsons, TN20 mi
- Hohenwald, TN26 mi
- Adamsville, TN26 mi
- Lobelville, TN27 mi
- Counce, TN30 mi
- Lexington, TN30 mi
- Iron City, TN30 mi
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