NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cross Plains, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Cross Plains, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 132 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 132
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
48 deaths in all
What the records show for Cross Plains
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cross Plains; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 32 miles away. The record near Cross Plains begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm 57 miles away. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site, 55% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Cross Plains. The strongest of the 132 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 27, 1970; its path came within 3 miles, and it killed 3 people. The deadliest, an EF3 on February 5, 2008, killed 22 people. Of the 132, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 72 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 41. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Cross Plains has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 92% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 65 times since 1969, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Cross Plains has more hail reports within 10 miles than 68% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
Compare Cross Plains's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cross Plains
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Cross Plains: 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 Cross Plains
By decade
- 2020s20(1 EF3+)
- 2010s29
- 2000s23(2 EF3+)
- 1990s22(2 EF3+)
- 1980s15
- 1970s12(2 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 1970 | F4 | 3 mi | 42.6 mi | 3 / 85 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 22 mi | 50.32 mi | 22 / 63 |
| Apr 7, 2006 | F3 | 14 mi | 22.7 mi | 7 / 128 |
| Dec 9, 2023 | EF3 | 19 mi | 47.22 mi | 4 / 62 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 14 mi | 31.1 mi | 3 / 57 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 24 mi | 42.1 mi | 1 / 60 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 19 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 27, 1956 | F3 | 6 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Dec 9, 2023 | EF2 | 16 mi | 34.77 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Feb 24, 2018 | EF2 | 14 mi | 12.88 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Mar 22, 1991 | F2 | 23 mi | 39 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Apr 1, 1974 | F2 | 24 mi | 10.9 mi | 1 / 12 |
The strongest 12 of 132, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cross Plains
The Storm Prediction Center has 65 hail reports within 10 miles of Cross Plains since 1969, made on 49 separate days. Of these, 38 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 3, 1998. The most recent report is from April 10, 2025. April has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cross Plains
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Portland Sewage Plt, TN, 9 miles east of Cross Plains at 794 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 27°F. May is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 54.4 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 38 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 80 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.0 inches a year, most of it in February. That 54.4 inches is more than at 39 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (32%). White House, 6 miles south, has its own station (Springfield Exp Stn, TN): 53.4 inches a year, 1.0 less than here, and the same July average high, 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 27 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Feb | 50 | 30 | 4.7 | 7 | 1.5 |
| Mar | 59 | 37 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 70 | 47 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 57 | 5.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 65 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 69 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 67 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 60 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 48 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 37 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 49 | 30 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Year | 69 | 48 | 54.4 | 83 | 2.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Portland Sewage Plt, TN (794 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 Cross Plains
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 204 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cross Plains: 162 thunderstorm wind reports, 32 flash floods, 6 floods, 3 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $14.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on January 30, 2013. June has had the most flash floods, 13 of 32. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 298 have had fewer than Cross Plains.
March 4, 2019: flood 8 miles from the centre of Cross Plains — 1 killed, $5,000 damage.
May 11, 2016: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Cross Plains — 1 injured, $3.0 million damage.
January 30, 2013: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Cross Plains — 1 injured, $750,000 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
Robertson County, which includes Cross Plains, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 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 Robertson 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 $24.0 million a year, the 27th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.1 million (34%), 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 Cross Plains
- White House, TN6 mi
- Cottontown, TN6 mi
- Portland, TN9 mi
- Springfield, TN11 mi
- Greenbrier, TN11 mi
- Franklin, KY13 mi
- Goodlettsville, TN14 mi
- Gallatin, TN17 mi
- Hendersonville, TN17 mi
- Cedar Hill, TN19 mi
- Madison, TN20 mi
- Joelton, TN20 mi
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