NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Iron City, 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 Iron City, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 102 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 102
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Iron City
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Iron City; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 24 miles away. The record near Iron City begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Frederic in 1979. The 1910s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. None of the 7 systems has come since 2000. Iron City has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 71% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The strongest of the 102 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 16, 1998; its path came within 17 miles, and it killed 3 people. Of the 102, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 59 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Iron City has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 71% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 53 times since 1984, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Iron City has more hail reports within 10 miles than 51% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Iron City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Iron City: 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 Iron City
By decade
- 2020s22
- 2010s16(1 EF3+)
- 2000s21(1 EF3+)
- 1990s13(3 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s10(3 EF3+)
- 1950s7(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 1998 | F5 | 17 mi | 69.4 mi | 3 / 36 |
| May 18, 1995 | F4 | 9 mi | 29 mi | 3 / 32 |
| Mar 9, 1964 | F3 | 20 mi | 5.2 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF3 | 14 mi | 48.38 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 11, 2008 | EF3 | 19 mi | 10.34 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 26, 1994 | F3 | 2 mi | 38 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F3 | 7 mi | 32.3 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F3 | 15 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 17, 1965 | F3 | 18 mi | 29.8 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Feb 17, 1956 | F3 | 19 mi | 10.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1958 | F2 | 24 mi | 19.2 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Mar 24, 2023 | EF2 | 15 mi | 3.82 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 102, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Iron City
The Storm Prediction Center has 53 hail reports within 10 miles of Iron City since 1984, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 29, 2023. The most recent report is from March 13, 2025. March has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Iron City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lexington, AL, 16 miles southeast of Iron City at 760 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 31°F. January and December are the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 58.6 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 43 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 70 nights a year. That 58.6 inches is more than at 93 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (76%). Collinwood, 12 miles northwest, has its own station (Waynesboro, TN): 61.9 inches a year, 3.3 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 31 | 6.0 | 8 |
| Feb | 55 | 34 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Mar | 64 | 41 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Apr | 73 | 49 | 5.3 | 7 |
| May | 80 | 58 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Jun | 87 | 66 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Aug | 90 | 68 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Sep | 84 | 62 | 4.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 74 | 50 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Nov | 62 | 40 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Dec | 53 | 35 | 6.0 | 8 |
| Year | 72 | 50 | 58.6 | 82 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lexington, AL (760 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 Iron City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 213 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Iron City: 165 thunderstorm wind reports, 28 flash floods, 16 floods, 3 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on April 14, 2018. July has had the most flash floods, 6 of 28. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 284 have had fewer than Iron City.
December 27, 2008: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Iron City — 1 injured.
May 2, 2010: flood 5 miles from the centre of Iron City — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Between 2 and 4 inches of rainfall combined with 8 inches of rainfall the previous day upstream in Lawrenceburg (Tennessee), caused Shoal Creek to rise above it's banks on Sunday evening, May 2. This resulted in flooded homes near the river as the night progressed.”
April 14, 2018: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Iron City — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “A storm survey by Wayne County Emergency Management, along with numerous photos of damage, indicate a severe 1/2 mile long by 300 yard wide microburst struck the area in the 2500 block of Highway 13 southeast of Collinwood.”
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
Wayne County, which includes Iron City, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 16 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 winter storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wayne County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.4 million a year, the 68th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.3 million (45%), 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 Iron City
- Loretto, TN11 mi
- Collinwood, TN12 mi
- Killen, AL13 mi
- Lexington, AL15 mi
- Florence, AL15 mi
- Lawrenceburg, TN19 mi
- Leoma, TN19 mi
- Waynesboro, TN20 mi
- Muscle Shoals, AL21 mi
- Sheffield, AL22 mi
- Rogersville, AL24 mi
- Tuscumbia, AL26 mi
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