NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Gordonsville, 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 Gordonsville, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 106 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 106
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
60 deaths in all
What the records show for Gordonsville
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Gordonsville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 74 miles away. The record near Gordonsville begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 72 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Gordonsville has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 106 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 3, 2020, came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on February 5, 2008, killed 22 people. Of the 106, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 61 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on April 3, 2025. Gordonsville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 78% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 47 times since 1983, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 58% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Gordonsville.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Gordonsville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Gordonsville: 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 Gordonsville
By decade
- 2020s22(2 EF3+)
- 2010s30
- 2000s9(2 EF3+)
- 1990s17(2 EF3+)
- 1980s4
- 1970s13(3 EF3+)
- 1960s6
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF4 | 18 mi | 8.39 mi | 19 / 87 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF4 | 25 mi | 23.25 mi | 2 / 58 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 22 mi | 50.32 mi | 22 / 63 |
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF3 | 2 mi | 60.13 mi | 5 / 220 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 15 mi | 42.1 mi | 1 / 60 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 12 mi | 14.6 mi | 1 / 23 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 21 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 19 mi | 15.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 11 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 26, 1959 | F3 | 5 mi | 19.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 9, 2023 | EF2 | 23 mi | 34.77 mi | 3 / 22 |
| May 31, 2001 | F2 | 16 mi | 6.3 mi | 1 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 106, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Gordonsville
The Storm Prediction Center has 47 hail reports within 10 miles of Gordonsville since 1983, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 23 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on August 19, 1997. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. April has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Gordonsville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Carthage, TN, 5 miles northeast of Gordonsville at 515 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 27°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 44 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 86 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.5 inches a year, most of it in February. That 52.5 inches is more than at 24 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (20%). Watertown, 10 miles southwest, has its own station (Lebanon, TN): 54.5 inches a year, 2.0 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 27 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Feb | 53 | 30 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Mar | 61 | 36 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 71 | 45 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 54 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 63 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 67 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 65 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 59 | 3.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 47 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 36 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 30 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Year | 70 | 47 | 52.5 | 75 | 1.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Carthage, TN (515 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 Gordonsville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 188 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Gordonsville: 165 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods, 4 floods, 3 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $3.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on November 18, 2017. May has had the most flash floods, 5 of 15. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 183 have had fewer than Gordonsville.
February 6, 2008: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Gordonsville — 11 injured, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “Trees and power lines were down around the county. |TEMA reported 11 injuries around the county.”
May 6, 2003: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Gordonsville — $1.3 million damage.
May 8, 2024: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Gordonsville — $500,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Gordonsville's ZIP code 38563 have filed 14 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $143,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 7% 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, 24 have fewer than Gordonsville.
Smith County, which includes Gordonsville, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Smith County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.6 million a year, the 66th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.1 million (53%), 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 Gordonsville
- Carthage, TN6 mi
- Alexandria, TN8 mi
- Watertown, TN10 mi
- Pleasant Shade, TN14 mi
- Lebanon, TN18 mi
- Hartsville, TN18 mi
- Baxter, TN19 mi
- Smithville, TN21 mi
- Gainesboro, TN22 mi
- Castalian Springs, TN22 mi
- Lascassas, TN24 mi
- Lafayette, TN25 mi
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