NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Joelton, 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 Joelton, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 133 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 133
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
24 deaths in all
What the records show for Joelton
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Joelton; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The record near Joelton begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm 55 miles away. 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 Joelton. The highest rating among the 133 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on December 24, 1988, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 7, 2006, killed 7 people. Of the 133, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 85 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 39. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Joelton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 93% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 104 times since 1976, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Joelton has more hail reports within 10 miles than 89% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Joelton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Joelton: 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 Joelton
By decade
- 2020s20(1 EF3+)
- 2010s31
- 2000s34(3 EF3+)
- 1990s20(2 EF3+)
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 1970 | F4 | 10 mi | 42.6 mi | 3 / 85 |
| Dec 24, 1988 | F4 | 22 mi | 6 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Apr 7, 2006 | F3 | 8 mi | 22.7 mi | 7 / 128 |
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF3 | 11 mi | 60.13 mi | 5 / 220 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 16 mi | 42.1 mi | 1 / 60 |
| Apr 7, 2006 | F3 | 10 mi | 18.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 17 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 18 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 27, 1956 | F3 | 17 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Dec 9, 2023 | EF2 | 9 mi | 34.77 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Feb 24, 2018 | EF2 | 22 mi | 12.88 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 1, 1974 | F2 | 14 mi | 10.9 mi | 1 / 12 |
The strongest 12 of 133, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Joelton
The Storm Prediction Center has 104 hail reports within 10 miles of Joelton since 1976, made on 62 separate days. Of these, 68 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on June 4, 1985. The most recent report is from May 20, 2025. May has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Joelton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Springfield Exp Stn, TN, 11 miles north of Joelton at 745 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 27°F. May is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.7 inches; the year adds up to 53.4 inches over 84 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 44 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 91 nights a year. Snowfall averages 5.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 53.4 inches is more than at 28 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (23%). Whites Creek, 6 miles southeast, has its own station (Old Hickory Dam, TN): 48.0 inches a year, 5.4 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 27 | 4.3 | 7 | 1.5 |
| Feb | 50 | 30 | 4.5 | 7 | 2.4 |
| Mar | 59 | 37 | 4.8 | 8 | 1.2 |
| Apr | 69 | 47 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 57 | 5.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 65 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 68 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 66 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 60 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 48 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 38 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 49 | 31 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.7 |
| Year | 69 | 48 | 53.4 | 84 | 5.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Springfield Exp Stn, TN (745 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 Joelton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 232 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Joelton: 197 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods, 6 lightning strikes, 4 floods and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 3 people and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $67.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on May 27, 2000. February has had the most flash floods, 8 of 22. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 251 have had fewer than Joelton.
May 6, 2021: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Joelton — 1 killed, 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
January 30, 2013: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Joelton — 1 killed, $5,000 damage.
March 28, 2021: flood 10 miles from the centre of Joelton — 1 killed.
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 Joelton's ZIP code 37080 have filed 15 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1993, and were paid $367,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 33% 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, 29 have fewer than Joelton.
Davidson County, which includes Joelton, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 5 tornadoes, 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 Davidson County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hail and heat waves; Relatively Low for lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $262.4 million a year, the 2nd highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $160.3 million (61%), 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 Joelton
- Whites Creek, TN6 mi
- Pleasant View, TN8 mi
- Greenbrier, TN9 mi
- Ashland City, TN9 mi
- Goodlettsville, TN11 mi
- Madison, TN12 mi
- Springfield, TN13 mi
- Chapmansboro, TN13 mi
- Cedar Hill, TN15 mi
- Nashville, TN15 mi
- Pegram, TN16 mi
- White House, TN16 mi
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