NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lebanon, 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 Lebanon, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 145 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 145
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
46 deaths in all
What the records show for Lebanon
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lebanon; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 63 miles away. The record near Lebanon begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm 26 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 Lebanon. The highest rating among the 145 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 10, 2009, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on February 5, 2008, killed 22 people. Of the 145, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 82 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 32. The most recent tornado was on April 3, 2025. Lebanon has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 96% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 67 times since 1968, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Lebanon has more hail reports within 10 miles than 70% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lebanon
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Lebanon: 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 Lebanon
By decade
- 2020s22(1 EF3+)
- 2010s38
- 2000s22(4 EF3+)
- 1990s20(1 EF3+)
- 1980s9
- 1970s18(4 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s9(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 1970 | F4 | 23 mi | 42.6 mi | 3 / 85 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF4 | 21 mi | 23.25 mi | 2 / 58 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 12 mi | 50.32 mi | 22 / 63 |
| Apr 7, 2006 | F3 | 13 mi | 22.7 mi | 7 / 128 |
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF3 | 4 mi | 60.13 mi | 5 / 220 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 5 mi | 42.1 mi | 1 / 60 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 25 mi | 14.6 mi | 1 / 23 |
| May 11, 2003 | F3 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 17 mi | 15.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 17 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 26, 1959 | F3 | 18 mi | 19.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 27, 1956 | F3 | 23 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 145, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lebanon
The Storm Prediction Center has 67 hail reports within 10 miles of Lebanon since 1968, made on 51 separate days. Of these, 39 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 17, 2022. The most recent report is from March 30, 2025. March and May have the most reports, 14 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lebanon
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lebanon, TN, 1 mile northwest of Lebanon at 525 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 28°F. May is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 54.5 inches over 84 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 91 nights a year. That 54.5 inches is more than at 40 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (33%). Castalian Springs, 11 miles north, has its own station (Bethpage 1 S, TN): 54.9 inches a year, 0.4 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 | 47 | 28 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Feb | 52 | 30 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Mar | 61 | 38 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Apr | 71 | 46 | 4.9 | 7 |
| May | 79 | 56 | 5.6 | 8 |
| Jun | 87 | 65 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Aug | 90 | 67 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Sep | 84 | 60 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Oct | 73 | 47 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Nov | 61 | 37 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Dec | 51 | 31 | 5.2 | 8 |
| Year | 70 | 48 | 54.5 | 84 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lebanon, TN (525 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 Lebanon
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 326 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lebanon: 273 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods, 16 lightning strikes, 8 floods and 7 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $5.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on May 8, 2024. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 22. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 251 have had fewer than Lebanon.
June 21, 2019: thunderstorm wind in Lebanon — 2 injured, $15,000 damage.
NWS: “Trees and power lines were blown down across Wilson County with several roadways blocked, including Cooks Road, Coles Ferry Pike, Carthage highway, East Market Street, John Hagar Road, Old Rome Pike, Trousdale Ferry Pike, Hickory Ridge Road, Goshen Road, and Old Shannon Road.”
June 20, 2014: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Lebanon — 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “A tree was blown down onto a car at Big Springs Road and Goshen Road. One person in the vehicle was injured.”
June 20, 1998: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Lebanon — 1 injured.
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 Lebanon's 2 ZIP codes have filed 280 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $6.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late spring storms in 2010: 120 claims (43% of all) and $3.1 million. 44% 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, 144 have fewer than Lebanon.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late spring storms2010 | 120 | $3.1 million |
Wilson County, which includes Lebanon, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 4 tornadoes, 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 Wilson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $60.5 million a year, the 10th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $31.1 million (51%), 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 Lebanon
- Castalian Springs, TN11 mi
- Mount Juliet, TN11 mi
- Watertown, TN12 mi
- Gallatin, TN15 mi
- Hartsville, TN15 mi
- Hermitage, TN17 mi
- Gordonsville, TN18 mi
- Old Hickory, TN18 mi
- Alexandria, TN18 mi
- Lascassas, TN18 mi
- Hendersonville, TN19 mi
- Bethpage, TN20 mi
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