NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Leoma, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Leoma, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 119 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 119
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Leoma
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Leoma; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 11 miles away. The record near Leoma begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Frederic in 1979. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 2 systems. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. Leoma has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The strongest of the 119 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 16, 1998; its path came within 19 miles, and it killed 3 people. Of the 119, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 70 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 35. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Leoma has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 88% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 85 times since 1965, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Leoma has more hail reports within 10 miles than 82% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Leoma
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 53 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 Leoma: 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 Leoma
By decade
- 2020s25
- 2010s17(1 EF3+)
- 2000s28(2 EF3+)
- 1990s19(4 EF3+)
- 1980s6(2 EF3+)
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s8(2 EF3+)
- 1950s9(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 1998 | F5 | 19 mi | 69.4 mi | 3 / 36 |
| May 18, 1995 | F4 | 3 mi | 29 mi | 3 / 32 |
| Mar 9, 1964 | F3 | 16 mi | 5.2 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF3 | 20 mi | 48.38 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 11, 2008 | EF3 | 15 mi | 4.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 2008 | EF3 | 11 mi | 10.34 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 26, 1994 | F3 | 24 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1994 | F3 | 14 mi | 38 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Aug 16, 1985 | F3 | 17 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 16, 1985 | F3 | 13 mi | 45 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F3 | 7 mi | 32.3 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Mar 17, 1965 | F3 | 14 mi | 29.8 mi | 0 / 22 |
The strongest 12 of 119, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Leoma
The Storm Prediction Center has 85 hail reports within 10 miles of Leoma since 1965, made on 60 separate days. Of these, 51 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 30, 2002. The most recent report is from June 25, 2023. April has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Leoma
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lexington, AL, 13 miles south of Leoma 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%). Lawrenceburg, 10 miles northwest, has its own station (Pulaski Wwtp, TN): 58.7 inches a year, the same as 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 Leoma
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 272 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Leoma: 224 thunderstorm wind reports, 29 flash floods, 8 floods, 7 lightning strikes and 4 heavy rain events. They killed 7 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $2.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on February 11, 2009. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 287 have had fewer than Leoma.
May 9, 2024: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Leoma — 3 killed, $500,000 damage.
May 5, 2003: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Leoma — 3 killed.
July 2, 2023: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Leoma — 1 killed, $1,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds downed a tree near Lee Chapman Road and Hurricane Creek Road. The tree fell on a man who was in his yard at the time moving his motorcycle.”
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
Lawrence County, which includes Leoma, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 3 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 Lawrence County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.3 million a year, the 30th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.4 million (29%), 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 Leoma
- Loretto, TN8 mi
- Lawrenceburg, TN10 mi
- Lexington, AL13 mi
- Ethridge, TN14 mi
- Pulaski, TN17 mi
- Prospect, TN19 mi
- Iron City, TN19 mi
- Killen, AL20 mi
- Rogersville, AL20 mi
- Summertown, TN21 mi
- Lynnville, TN22 mi
- Elkmont, AL23 mi
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