NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hixson, 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 Hixson, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 88 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 88
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
52 deaths in all
What the records show for Hixson
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hixson; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 49 miles away. The record near Hixson begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 72 miles away. The 1970s and the 2020s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 7 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Hixson has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 71% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 88 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on April 27, 2011, killed 20 people. Of the 88, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 52 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 47. The most recent tornado was on March 2, 2023. Hixson has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 54% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 117 times since 1965, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Hixson has more hail reports within 10 miles than 91% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hixson
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 54 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 Hixson: 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 Hixson
By decade
- 2020s6(1 EF3+)
- 2010s39(4 EF3+)
- 2000s7
- 1990s17(3 EF3+)
- 1980s8(1 EF3+)
- 1970s5(2 EF3+)
- 1960s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 15 mi | 48 mi | 20 / 335 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 15 mi | 46.98 mi | 14 / 50 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 17 mi | 40.16 mi | 4 / 12 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 19 mi | 21.2 mi | 3 / 50 |
| Apr 12, 2020 | EF3 | 11 mi | 19.34 mi | 2 / 18 |
| Apr 15, 1994 | F3 | 16 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 17 mi | 18.1 mi | 1 / 100 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 4 mi | 41 mi | 0 / 44 |
| Mar 29, 1997 | F3 | 18 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 50 |
| Mar 29, 1997 | F3 | 8 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 44 |
| Feb 6, 1986 | F3 | 23 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 15, 1965 | F3 | 19 mi | 10.4 mi | 0 / 50 |
The strongest 12 of 88, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hixson
The Storm Prediction Center has 117 hail reports within 10 miles of Hixson since 1965, made on 83 separate days. Of these, 63 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on March 2, 2012. The most recent report is from May 12, 2025. May has the most reports, 30.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hixson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Soddy Daisy-Mowbray Mountain, TN, 8 miles north of Hixson at 1,700 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 28°F. December is the wettest at 6.8 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.7 inches; the year adds up to 63.1 inches over 89 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 82 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.3 inches a year, most of it in February. That 63.1 inches is more than at 117 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (96%). Chattanooga, 9 miles south, has its own station (Chattanooga Lovell Airport, TN): 55.0 inches a year, 8.1 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 28 | 6.3 | 7 | 1.4 |
| Feb | 51 | 31 | 5.0 | 8 | 1.8 |
| Mar | 61 | 38 | 5.8 | 9 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 71 | 47 | 5.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 55 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 62 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 66 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 64 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 57 | 5.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 47 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 38 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 50 | 32 | 6.8 | 8 | 0.8 |
| Year | 69 | 47 | 63.1 | 89 | 4.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Soddy Daisy-Mowbray Mountain, TN (1,700 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 Hixson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 350 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hixson: 302 thunderstorm wind reports, 32 flash floods, 13 floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 7 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $9.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on June 7, 2025. September has had the most flash floods, 10 of 32. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 298 have had fewer than Hixson.
July 5, 2012: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Hixson — 2 killed.
NWS: “A houseboat capsized on Chickamauga Lake north of Chattanooga. A two year old female toddler and her grandmother were trapped under the boat when it capsized resulting in their deaths.”
October 24, 2001: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Hixson — 1 killed, 1 injured, $75,000 damage.
September 26, 2018: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Hixson — 1 killed, $1.6 million 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 Hixson's ZIP code 37343 have filed 146 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Heavy rains in 2003: 30 claims (21% of all) and $361,000, then Flooding in 1990 with 11. 30% 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, 127 have fewer than Hixson.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy rains2003 | 30 | $361,000 |
| Flooding1990 | 11 | $84,000 |
Hamilton County, which includes Hixson, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hamilton County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $140.1 million a year, the 3rd highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $75.4 million (54%), 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 Hixson
- Harrison, TN7 mi
- Signal Mountain, TN7 mi
- Soddy Daisy, TN8 mi
- Chattanooga, TN9 mi
- Ooltewah, TN10 mi
- Mc Donald, TN13 mi
- Lookout Mountain, TN14 mi
- Rossville, GA15 mi
- Apison, TN15 mi
- Fort Oglethorpe, GA15 mi
- Whitwell, TN16 mi
- Sale Creek, TN17 mi
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