NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hillsboro, 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 Hillsboro, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 95 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 95
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
110 deaths in all
What the records show for Hillsboro
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hillsboro; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 45 mph winds when its centre passed 29 miles away. The record near Hillsboro begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Frederic in 1979. 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 Hillsboro. The highest rating among the 95 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 24 miles. Of the 95, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 58 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on May 25, 2025. Hillsboro has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 64% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 52 times since 1959, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 49% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hillsboro.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hillsboro
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Hillsboro: 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 Hillsboro
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s28(2 EF3+)
- 2000s17
- 1990s16
- 1980s3
- 1970s5(3 EF3+)
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
- 1950s8(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 24 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 7 mi | 83.3 mi | 16 / 190 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 8 mi | 27.5 mi | 11 / 121 |
| Feb 13, 1952 | F4 | 14 mi | 12.7 mi | 3 / 44 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 23 mi | 26.76 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 5 mi | 7.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 13, 1961 | F3 | 15 mi | 9.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 13, 1952 | F3 | 12 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 13 mi | 12.3 mi | 2 / 24 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF2 | 10 mi | 16.1 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 14 mi | 8.7 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Nov 6, 2018 | EF2 | 6 mi | 29.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 95, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hillsboro
The Storm Prediction Center has 52 hail reports within 10 miles of Hillsboro since 1959, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on April 3, 2007. The most recent report is from May 8, 2024. April has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hillsboro
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Manchester #2, TN, 11 miles northwest of Hillsboro at 1,070 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 26°F. December is the wettest at 6.6 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 59.5 inches over 89 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 23 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 94 nights a year. That 59.5 inches is more than at 102 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (84%). Decherd, 12 miles south, has its own station (Winchester 5SE, TN): 57.9 inches a year, 1.6 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 26 | 5.4 | 7 |
| Feb | 51 | 29 | 5.5 | 9 |
| Mar | 60 | 35 | 6.4 | 9 |
| Apr | 69 | 43 | 5.9 | 7 |
| May | 76 | 53 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Jun | 84 | 61 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Aug | 86 | 63 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Sep | 80 | 57 | 4.2 | 5 |
| Oct | 71 | 44 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Nov | 59 | 34 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Dec | 51 | 30 | 6.6 | 9 |
| Year | 68 | 45 | 59.5 | 89 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Manchester #2, TN (1,070 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 Hillsboro
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 126 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hillsboro: 104 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods, 5 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on July 6, 2004. March has had the most flash floods, 8 of 15. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 183 have had fewer than Hillsboro.
January 22, 1999: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Hillsboro — 1 injured.
August 24, 2007: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Hillsboro — $556,000 damage.
August 6, 2005: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Hillsboro — $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
Coffee County, which includes Hillsboro, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 5 floods, 3 winter storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Coffee County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.9 million a year, the 28th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.8 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 Hillsboro
- Manchester, TN10 mi
- Decherd, TN12 mi
- Estill Springs, TN12 mi
- Monteagle, TN13 mi
- Sewanee, TN14 mi
- Tullahoma, TN14 mi
- Morrison, TN14 mi
- Tracy City, TN15 mi
- Cowan, TN16 mi
- Winchester, TN17 mi
- Beechgrove, TN21 mi
- Wartrace, TN21 mi
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