NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Dickson, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Dickson, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 85 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 85
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Dickson
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Dickson; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The record near Dickson begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm 60 miles away. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site, 94% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Dickson. The highest rating among the 85 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 7, 2006, came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on March 22, 1952, killed 3 people. Of the 85, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 67 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on April 5, 2025. Dickson has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 51% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 84 times since 1982, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Dickson has more hail reports within 10 miles than 81% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
Compare Dickson's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Dickson
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Dickson: 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 Dickson
By decade
- 2020s16
- 2010s24
- 2000s27(3 EF3+)
- 1990s5(1 EF3+)
- 1980s5
- 1970s4
- 1960s1
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2006 | F3 | 16 mi | 18.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 25 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 27, 2000 | F3 | 23 mi | 17.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 6 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 22, 1952 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.5 mi | 3 / 10 |
| Mar 2, 2020 | EF2 | 21 mi | 18.72 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Dec 9, 2023 | EF2 | 12 mi | 18.37 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 9, 2023 | EF2 | 15 mi | 5.81 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF2 | 12 mi | 12.61 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF2 | 3 mi | 10.87 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF2 | 18 mi | 15.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 30, 2013 | EF2 | 21 mi | 4.27 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 85, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Dickson
The Storm Prediction Center has 84 hail reports within 10 miles of Dickson since 1982, made on 62 separate days. Of these, 53 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on March 3, 2020. The most recent report is from April 3, 2025. March and April have the most reports, 20 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Dickson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Dickson, TN, in Dickson at 780 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 28°F. May is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and August and September the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 54.0 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 26 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 84 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 54.0 inches is more than at 35 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (29%). Bon Aqua, 11 miles southeast, has its own station (Fairview Bowie Nat Ctr, TN): 57.0 inches a year, 3.0 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 28 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Feb | 52 | 30 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 61 | 38 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 71 | 46 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 55 | 5.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 63 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 67 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 59 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 47 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 37 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 50 | 31 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Year | 69 | 47 | 54.0 | 82 | 2.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Dickson, TN (780 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 Dickson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 251 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Dickson: 207 thunderstorm wind reports, 34 flash floods, 6 heavy rain events and 4 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $9.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on March 29, 2002. August has had the most flash floods, 12 of 34. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 306 have had fewer than Dickson.
May 2, 2010: flood 9 miles from the centre of Dickson — 1 killed, $3.6 million damage.
June 17, 2022: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Dickson — 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “A tree fell onto the porch of a house in the 600 block of Lucas Road, pinning a women underneath and causing her serious injuries. She was hospitalized for several days.”
February 6, 2019: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Dickson — $1.3 million damage.
NWS: “Dickson County Emergency Management reported major flash flooding affected central and southern portions of Dickson County. Several roads and bridges were washed out including bridges on Coon Creek Road and on Willow Branch Road at Liberty Road near Charlotte.”
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 Dickson's ZIP code 37055 have filed 60 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1989, and were paid $4.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Tennessee Flooding in 2021: 11 claims (18% of all) and $1.4 million. 37% 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, 106 have fewer than Dickson.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Flooding2021 | 11 | $1.4 million |
Dickson County, which includes Dickson, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 4 tornadoes, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Dickson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.8 million a year, the 38th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.0 million (32%), 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 Dickson
- Burns, TN7 mi
- Bon Aqua, TN11 mi
- White Bluff, TN11 mi
- Charlotte, TN13 mi
- Mc Ewen, TN13 mi
- Lyles, TN14 mi
- Fairview, TN16 mi
- Kingston Springs, TN17 mi
- Cumberland Furnace, TN17 mi
- Pegram, TN21 mi
- Centerville, TN21 mi
- Erin, TN22 mi
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