NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Humboldt, 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 Humboldt, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 102 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 20 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 102
- EF3 or stronger
- 20
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
53 deaths in all
What the records show for Humboldt
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Humboldt; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre passed 7 miles away. The record near Humboldt begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 25 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1950s, with 2 systems. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Humboldt has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 71% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 102 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 6 times; the most recent, on February 5, 2008, came within 10 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 4, 2003, killed 11 people. Of the 102, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 47 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Humboldt has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 71% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 79 times since 1977, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Humboldt has more hail reports within 10 miles than 79% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Humboldt
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Humboldt: 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 Humboldt
By decade
- 2020s15(1 EF3+)
- 2010s8
- 2000s24(6 EF3+)
- 1990s20(6 EF3+)
- 1980s11(2 EF3+)
- 1970s11(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s10(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 2003 | F4 | 19 mi | 39 mi | 11 / 86 |
| Jan 17, 1999 | F4 | 17 mi | 16 mi | 6 / 106 |
| May 7, 1971 | F4 | 18 mi | 50.9 mi | 3 / 137 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 21 mi | 4.7 mi | 2 / 10 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF4 | 10 mi | 7.61 mi | 0 / 51 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 21 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | 17 mi | 31 mi | 6 / 44 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 13 mi | 31.13 mi | 3 / 14 |
| Jan 19, 1988 | F3 | 22 mi | 22 mi | 3 / 24 |
| Apr 29, 1963 | F3 | 8 mi | 9.3 mi | 3 / 6 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | 21 mi | 8 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 24 mi | 4 mi | 2 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 102, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Humboldt
The Storm Prediction Center has 79 hail reports within 10 miles of Humboldt since 1977, made on 58 separate days. Of these, 52 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently February 5, 2008. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. May has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Humboldt
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jackson 4 NE, TN, 9 miles southeast of Humboldt at 430 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 28°F. May is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 55.1 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 66 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 79 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.4 inches a year, most of it in January and March. That 55.1 inches is more than at 54 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (44%). Milan, 10 miles northeast, has its own station (Milan Exp Stn, TN): 56.2 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and the same July average high, 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 28 | 4.3 | 7 | 1.5 |
| Feb | 52 | 30 | 4.6 | 7 | 1.1 |
| Mar | 61 | 38 | 5.7 | 8 | 1.5 |
| Apr | 72 | 47 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 57 | 6.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 66 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 67 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 60 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 48 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 37 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 50 | 31 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Year | 71 | 48 | 55.1 | 82 | 4.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Jackson 4 NE, TN (430 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 Humboldt
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 116 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Humboldt: 79 thunderstorm wind reports, 31 flash floods, 5 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $23.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 83 mph, on August 5, 2015. February has had the most flash floods, 11 of 31. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 295 have had fewer than Humboldt.
May 1, 2010: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Humboldt — 1 killed, $9.0 million damage.
NWS: “Very heavy rain produced widespread flash flooding in Gibson County. Rainfall amounts were estimated between 10 to 15 inches.”
May 1, 2010: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Humboldt — $11.3 million damage.
November 9, 2002: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Humboldt — $1.4 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 Humboldt's ZIP code 38343 have filed 77 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $921,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late spring storms in 2010: 25 claims (32% of all) and $684,000. 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, 116 have fewer than Humboldt.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late spring storms2010 | 25 | $684,000 |
Gibson County, which includes Humboldt, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 4 floods, 4 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Gibson County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $48.5 million a year, the 11th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.7 million (14%), is from tornadoes.
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 Humboldt
- Medina, TN8 mi
- Milan, TN10 mi
- Trenton, TN11 mi
- Jackson, TN12 mi
- Alamo, TN13 mi
- Bells, TN14 mi
- Bradford, TN17 mi
- Dyer, TN18 mi
- Friendship, TN20 mi
- Cedar Grove, TN21 mi
- Beech Bluff, TN22 mi
- Greenfield, TN24 mi
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