NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Dayton, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Dayton, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 56 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 56
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
34 deaths in all
What the records show for Dayton
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Dayton; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 60 miles away. The record near Dayton begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 50 miles away. The 1970s and the 2020s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 7 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Dayton has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 71% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 56 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 23 miles. Of the 56, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 29 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 71% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Dayton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1977, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 68% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Dayton.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Dayton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 24 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Dayton: 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 Dayton
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s18(3 EF3+)
- 2000s6
- 1990s11(3 EF3+)
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1970s5(2 EF3+)
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 23 mi | 48 mi | 20 / 335 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 5 mi | 40.16 mi | 4 / 12 |
| May 2, 1953 | F4 | 13 mi | 4.2 mi | 4 / 8 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 23 mi | 21.2 mi | 3 / 50 |
| Apr 15, 1994 | F3 | 12 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 22 mi | 41 mi | 0 / 44 |
| Mar 29, 1997 | F3 | 25 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 50 |
| May 18, 1995 | F3 | 24 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Feb 6, 1986 | F3 | 21 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 8, 1974 | F3 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 15, 1965 | F3 | 20 mi | 10.4 mi | 0 / 50 |
| Apr 12, 2020 | EF2 | 25 mi | 3.04 mi | 0 / 6 |
The strongest 12 of 56, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Dayton
The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Dayton since 1977, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on May 20, 2006. The most recent report is from April 10, 2025. May has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Dayton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Dayton 2SE, TN, 2 miles southeast of Dayton at 822 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 28°F. December is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 58.7 inches over 85 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 33 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 72 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 58.7 inches is more than at 94 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (77%). Evensville, 7 miles northeast, has its own station (Spring City, TN): 59.4 inches a year, 0.7 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 28 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Feb | 52 | 31 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 61 | 38 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 71 | 46 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 55 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 63 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 67 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 66 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 60 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 48 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 37 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 50 | 31 | 6.0 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Year | 69 | 48 | 58.7 | 85 | 1.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Dayton 2SE, TN (822 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 Dayton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 172 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Dayton: 155 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 6 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on February 21, 2005. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 10. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 93 have had fewer than Dayton.
December 24, 2015: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Dayton — 1 killed, $15,000 damage.
NWS: “A section of Hwy 30 crossing Rattan Creek near Dayton washed out. Two vehicles were washed away, with rescues required.”
March 20, 1998: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Dayton — 4 injured, $100,000 damage.
December 25, 2015: flood 2 miles from the centre of Dayton — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “and a few businesses were flooded across the county.”
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 Dayton's ZIP code 37321 have filed 28 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $323,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2003, with 10. 18% 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, 70 have fewer than Dayton.
Rhea County, which includes Dayton, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 3 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 Rhea County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, 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 $13.5 million a year, the 54th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.5 million (63%), 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 Dayton
- Evensville, TN7 mi
- Sale Creek, TN9 mi
- Birchwood, TN10 mi
- Graysville, TN10 mi
- Decatur, TN11 mi
- Pikeville, TN13 mi
- Georgetown, TN14 mi
- Spring City, TN17 mi
- Soddy Daisy, TN18 mi
- Riceville, TN20 mi
- Calhoun, TN20 mi
- Charleston, TN20 mi
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