NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Gainesboro, 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 Gainesboro, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 73 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 73
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
64 deaths in all
What the records show for Gainesboro
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Gainesboro; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 75 miles away. The record near Gainesboro begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 51 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Gainesboro has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 73 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 3, 2020, came within 12 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on February 5, 2008, killed 22 people. Of the 73, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 41 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on February 6, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 59% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Gainesboro. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1984, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 68% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Gainesboro.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Gainesboro
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Gainesboro: 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 Gainesboro
By decade
- 2020s17(2 EF3+)
- 2010s20
- 2000s4(1 EF3+)
- 1990s12(1 EF3+)
- 1980s2
- 1970s13(3 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF4 | 12 mi | 8.39 mi | 19 / 87 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 21 mi | 28.4 mi | 10 / 51 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 22 mi | 50.32 mi | 22 / 63 |
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF3 | 19 mi | 60.13 mi | 5 / 220 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 15 mi | 9.4 mi | 3 / 120 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 23 mi | 14.6 mi | 1 / 23 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 13 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Mar 26, 1959 | F3 | 6 mi | 19.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 6, 2025 | EF2 | 6 mi | 4.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF2 | 19 mi | 8.37 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 11 mi | 6.94 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 8 mi | 3.7 mi | 0 / 20 |
The strongest 12 of 73, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Gainesboro
The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Gainesboro since 1984, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on September 5, 2025, the most recent report. June has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Gainesboro
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Gainesboro, TN, 1 mile north of Gainesboro at 487 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 24°F. December is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 56.7 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 48 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 104 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 56.7 inches is more than at 71 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (58%). Pleasant Shade, 14 miles west, has its own station (Carthage, TN): 52.5 inches a year, 4.2 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 24 | 4.8 | 8 | 2.5 |
| Feb | 53 | 27 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Mar | 62 | 33 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 73 | 41 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 52 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 60 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 65 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 63 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 56 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 43 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 33 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 51 | 27 | 5.8 | 8 | 0.6 |
| Year | 71 | 44 | 56.7 | 87 | 4.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Gainesboro, TN (487 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 Gainesboro
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 145 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Gainesboro: 121 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 flash floods, 3 floods, 3 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $11.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on July 19, 2010. February has had the most flash floods, 8 of 17. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 212 have had fewer than Gainesboro.
July 8, 2012: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Gainesboro — 1 injured.
NWS: “Fifty year old female was struck by lightning on Anderson Lane. She refused to be transported to a local hospital in an ambulance but her family transported her to the hospital.”
August 18, 2010: flood 7 miles from the centre of Gainesboro — $10.3 million damage.
NWS: “Defeated Creek rose over its banks. Portions of State Highway 85 were covered with approximately 8 inches of water.”
March 28, 2021: flash flood in Gainesboro — $425,000 damage.
NWS: “Several roads were flooded and closed across the county, including Ash Lane near the Jackson County 911/EMA office in Gainesboro.”
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 Gainesboro's ZIP code 38562 have filed 16 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $1.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 38% 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, 38 have fewer than Gainesboro.
Jackson County, which includes Gainesboro, has been named in 35 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 30 of them major disasters (by incident: 19 severe storms, 6 floods, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Jackson County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $4.7 million a year, the 87th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.6 million (55%), 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 Gainesboro
- Pleasant Shade, TN14 mi
- Cookeville, TN15 mi
- Baxter, TN15 mi
- Red Boiling Springs, TN16 mi
- Celina, TN16 mi
- Carthage, TN17 mi
- Livingston, TN19 mi
- Gordonsville, TN22 mi
- Lafayette, TN24 mi
- Tompkinsville, KY25 mi
- Monroe, TN27 mi
- Alexandria, TN28 mi
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