NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lexington, 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 Lexington, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 74 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 74
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
76 deaths in all
What the records show for Lexington
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lexington; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre passed 20 miles away. The record near Lexington begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 54 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1950s, with 2 systems. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Lexington has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 74 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 6 times; the most recent, on February 5, 2008, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on March 21, 1952, killed 38 people. Of the 74, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 39 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 58% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Lexington. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 69 times since 1981, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Lexington has more hail reports within 10 miles than 72% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
Compare Lexington's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lexington
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Lexington: 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 Lexington
By decade
- 2020s12(1 EF3+)
- 2010s12
- 2000s15(3 EF3+)
- 1990s8(1 EF3+)
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s11(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 5 mi | 46.8 mi | 38 / 157 |
| May 4, 2003 | F4 | 1 mi | 39 mi | 11 / 86 |
| Jan 17, 1999 | F4 | 16 mi | 16 mi | 6 / 106 |
| May 7, 1971 | F4 | 22 mi | 50.9 mi | 3 / 137 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F4 | 1 mi | 11.6 mi | 3 / 60 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF4 | 20 mi | 7.61 mi | 0 / 51 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 24 mi | 29.15 mi | 5 / 14 |
| Jan 19, 1988 | F3 | 5 mi | 22 mi | 3 / 24 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 8 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 1953 | F3 | 14 mi | 24.7 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F3 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Nov 9, 2002 | F2 | 17 mi | 10 mi | 2 / 6 |
The strongest 12 of 74, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lexington
The Storm Prediction Center has 69 hail reports within 10 miles of Lexington since 1981, made on 47 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 13 days, most recently March 27, 2021. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. May has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lexington
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lexington, TN, 1 mile southeast of Lexington at 540 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 27°F. May is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 54.9 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 52 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 77 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 54.9 inches is more than at 50 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (41%). Beech Bluff, 13 miles west, has its own station (Henderson 4 W, TN): 61.9 inches a year, 7.0 more than here, and the same July average high, 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 27 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Feb | 53 | 31 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Mar | 62 | 38 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 72 | 46 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 79 | 56 | 6.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 65 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 68 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 67 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 60 | 3.9 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 47 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 37 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 51 | 31 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Year | 71 | 48 | 54.9 | 78 | 1.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lexington, TN (540 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 Lexington
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 107 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lexington: 89 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 3 floods, 3 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $2.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on December 11, 2021. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 117 have had fewer than Lexington.
December 8, 2009: heavy rain event 6 miles from the centre of Lexington — 4 injured.
NWS: “Heavy rain produced ponding of water on Highway 412 outside of Lexington. A car hydroplaned due to the ponding of water near the intersection of McCall Road.”
August 31, 2020: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Lexington — 1 injured.
NWS: “A lightning strike occurred near the NIDEC plant in northeast Lexington. One injury resulted.”
May 5, 1999: thunderstorm wind in Lexington — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Over 300 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed in and around the city of Lexington. Some trees were blown down.”
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 Lexington's ZIP code 38351 have filed 14 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2004, and were paid $311,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 36% 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, 24 have fewer than Lexington.
Henderson County, which includes Lexington, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 16 severe storms, 4 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 Henderson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $19.5 million a year, the 37th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.3 million (17%), 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 Lexington
- Beech Bluff, TN13 mi
- Cedar Grove, TN15 mi
- Parsons, TN16 mi
- Decaturville, TN18 mi
- Pinson, TN22 mi
- Henderson, TN22 mi
- Medina, TN23 mi
- Jackson, TN23 mi
- Huntingdon, TN23 mi
- Milan, TN27 mi
- Bruceton, TN28 mi
- Adamsville, TN29 mi
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