NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Jackson, 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 Jackson, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 100 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 15 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 100
- EF3 or stronger
- 15
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
78 deaths in all
What the records show for Jackson
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Jackson; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre passed 5 miles away. The record near Jackson begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 32 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1950s, with 2 systems. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Jackson has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 71% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 100 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 5 times; the most recent, on February 5, 2008, came within 3 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on March 21, 1952, killed 38 people. Of the 100, 15 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Jackson has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 69% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 133 times since 1967, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Jackson has more hail reports within 10 miles than 93% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Jackson
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Jackson: 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 Jackson
By decade
- 2020s11(1 EF3+)
- 2010s11
- 2000s20(4 EF3+)
- 1990s21(4 EF3+)
- 1980s10(1 EF3+)
- 1970s9
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s14(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 18 mi | 46.8 mi | 38 / 157 |
| May 4, 2003 | F4 | 7 mi | 39 mi | 11 / 86 |
| Jan 17, 1999 | F4 | 4 mi | 16 mi | 6 / 106 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F4 | 20 mi | 11.6 mi | 3 / 60 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF4 | 3 mi | 7.61 mi | 0 / 51 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 7 mi | 31.13 mi | 3 / 14 |
| Jan 19, 1988 | F3 | 10 mi | 22 mi | 3 / 24 |
| Apr 29, 1963 | F3 | 18 mi | 9.3 mi | 3 / 6 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 21 mi | 39.18 mi | 1 / 28 |
| Nov 27, 1994 | F3 | 25 mi | 16 mi | 1 / 3 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 10 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 17, 1999 | F3 | 4 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 100, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Jackson
The Storm Prediction Center has 133 hail reports within 10 miles of Jackson since 1967, made on 93 separate days. Of these, 87 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently April 26, 2012. The most recent report is from April 10, 2025. April has the most reports, 30.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Jackson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jackson Exp Stn, TN, 3 miles southwest of Jackson at 400 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 27°F. March is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 57.2 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 56 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 71 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 57.2 inches is more than at 78 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (64%). Medina, 10 miles north, has its own station (Jackson 4 NE, TN): 55.1 inches a year, 2.1 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 27 | 4.3 | 7 | 1.1 |
| Feb | 53 | 30 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.9 |
| Mar | 62 | 39 | 5.8 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 73 | 48 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 80 | 58 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 66 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 69 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 67 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 60 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 48 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 37 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 31 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Year | 71 | 48 | 57.2 | 82 | 2.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Jackson Exp Stn, TN (400 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 Jackson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 181 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Jackson: 123 thunderstorm wind reports, 47 flash floods, 6 floods, 4 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $16.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on February 24, 2011. August has had the most flash floods, 9 of 47. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 322 have had fewer than Jackson.
November 26, 2001: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Jackson — 2 injured, $100,000 damage.
NWS: “One mobile home, a shop and a few barns were destroyed. Twenty-five houses were damaged.”
May 1, 2010: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Jackson — $11.3 million damage.
November 9, 2002: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Jackson — $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 Jackson's 2 ZIP codes have filed 159 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $3.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late spring storms in 2010: 45 claims (28% of all) and $1.3 million, then Flooding in 1997 with 27. 52% 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, 129 have fewer than Jackson.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late spring storms2010 | 45 | $1.3 million |
| Flooding1997 | 27 | $206,000 |
Madison County, which includes Jackson, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes, 2 winter storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Madison County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and inland flooding; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $90.8 million a year, the 7th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $14.8 million (16%), 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 Jackson
- Medina, TN10 mi
- Beech Bluff, TN11 mi
- Humboldt, TN12 mi
- Pinson, TN13 mi
- Bells, TN16 mi
- Medon, TN16 mi
- Milan, TN18 mi
- Henderson, TN19 mi
- Cedar Grove, TN20 mi
- Alamo, TN21 mi
- Lexington, TN23 mi
- Trenton, TN23 mi
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