NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cookeville, 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 Cookeville, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 81 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 81
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
55 deaths in all
What the records show for Cookeville
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cookeville; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 50 miles away. The record near Cookeville begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Cookeville has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 81 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on March 3, 2020, came within 1 mile. Of the 81, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 46 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on February 6, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 52% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Cookeville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 107 times since 1965, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Cookeville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 89% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
Compare Cookeville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cookeville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Cookeville: 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 Cookeville
By decade
- 2020s20(2 EF3+)
- 2010s19
- 2000s7
- 1990s9(1 EF3+)
- 1980s2
- 1970s15(4 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF4 | 1 mi | 8.39 mi | 19 / 87 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 7 mi | 28.4 mi | 10 / 51 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 24 mi | 18.8 mi | 7 / 150 |
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF3 | 22 mi | 60.13 mi | 5 / 220 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 13 mi | 9.4 mi | 3 / 120 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 22 mi | 14.6 mi | 1 / 23 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 3 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Mar 26, 1959 | F3 | 21 mi | 19.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 6, 2025 | EF2 | 25 mi | 21.92 mi | 2 / 3 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 22 mi | 11.13 mi | 2 / 7 |
| Apr 24, 1975 | F2 | 19 mi | 1.5 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Mar 15, 1973 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 81, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cookeville
The Storm Prediction Center has 107 hail reports within 10 miles of Cookeville since 1965, made on 54 separate days. Of these, 63 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on July 14, 2015. The most recent report is from May 6, 2024. April has the most reports, 26.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cookeville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cookeville, TN, 5 miles south of Cookeville at 1,090 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 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 60.3 inches over 91 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 29 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 97 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 60.3 inches is more than at 107 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (88%). Monterey, 15 miles east, has its own station (Monterey, TN): 64.3 inches a year, 4.0 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 27 | 5.3 | 9 | 2.3 |
| Feb | 51 | 29 | 5.5 | 8 | 1.8 |
| Mar | 60 | 35 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.9 |
| Apr | 70 | 43 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 53 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 62 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 66 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 64 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 57 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 45 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 35 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 51 | 30 | 6.1 | 9 | 1.0 |
| Year | 69 | 46 | 60.3 | 91 | 6.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cookeville, TN (1,090 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 Cookeville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 261 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cookeville: 209 thunderstorm wind reports, 33 flash floods, 11 floods, 6 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $9.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on May 27, 2017. July has had the most flash floods, 11 of 33. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 304 have had fewer than Cookeville.
June 23, 2007: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Cookeville — 1 killed.
NWS: “A man was struck by lightning while attending an outdoor festival on June 23, 2007. The 47-year-old Indiana man was among a crowd watching a stage show.”
July 22, 2008: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Cookeville — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
September 2, 2014: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Cookeville — 1 injured.
NWS: “The Cookeville Herald-Citizen reported that one person was struck by lightning and injured on Claude Loftis 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 Cookeville's 2 ZIP codes have filed 35 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1989, and were paid $1.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2010, with 10. 6% 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, 82 have fewer than Cookeville.
Putnam County, which includes Cookeville, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 3 winter storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Putnam County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $24.4 million a year, the 26th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.8 million (36%), 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 Cookeville
- Baxter, TN9 mi
- Monterey, TN15 mi
- Gainesboro, TN15 mi
- Livingston, TN17 mi
- Sparta, TN17 mi
- Smithville, TN25 mi
- Celina, TN25 mi
- Carthage, TN26 mi
- Monroe, TN26 mi
- Pleasant Shade, TN27 mi
- Gordonsville, TN27 mi
- Clarkrange, TN27 mi
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