NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lynchburg, 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 Lynchburg, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 125 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 125
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
115 deaths in all
What the records show for Lynchburg
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lynchburg; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 45 mph winds when its centre passed 20 miles away. The record near Lynchburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Frederic in 1979. 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 Lynchburg. The highest rating among the 125 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 17 miles. Of the 125, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 78 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 33. The most recent tornado was on May 25, 2025. Lynchburg has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 91% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 51 times since 1986, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 52% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Lynchburg.
Compare Lynchburg's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lynchburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Lynchburg: 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 Lynchburg
By decade
- 2020s20(1 EF3+)
- 2010s37(3 EF3+)
- 2000s21(1 EF3+)
- 1990s17
- 1980s6
- 1970s12(3 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s7(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 17 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 2 mi | 83.3 mi | 16 / 190 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 8 mi | 27.5 mi | 11 / 121 |
| Feb 13, 1952 | F4 | 6 mi | 12.7 mi | 3 / 44 |
| Feb 29, 1952 | F4 | 16 mi | 2 mi | 2 / 150 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 2 mi | 26.76 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Apr 1, 2023 | EF3 | 19 mi | 12.03 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 23 mi | 33.99 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 2003 | F3 | 12 mi | 1.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 20 mi | 7.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 13, 1952 | F3 | 8 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 17 mi | 12.3 mi | 2 / 24 |
The strongest 12 of 125, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lynchburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 51 hail reports within 10 miles of Lynchburg since 1986, made on 35 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on October 18, 2011. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. March has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lynchburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lynchburg, TN, 2 miles north of Lynchburg at 810 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 27°F. December is the wettest at 6.8 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 62.4 inches over 90 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 50 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 97 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.5 inches a year, most of it in February. That 62.4 inches is more than at 116 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (95%). Tullahoma, 10 miles northeast, has its own station (Tullahoma, TN): 60.7 inches a year, 1.7 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 27 | 5.5 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Feb | 53 | 29 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 62 | 36 | 6.1 | 9 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 71 | 43 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 53 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 62 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 66 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 64 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 58 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 45 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 35 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 29 | 6.8 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Year | 71 | 46 | 62.4 | 90 | 1.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lynchburg, TN (810 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 Lynchburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 321 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lynchburg: 280 thunderstorm wind reports, 32 flash floods, 5 floods, 2 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on May 31, 2004. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 298 have had fewer than Lynchburg.
May 31, 2004: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Lynchburg — $1.0 million damage.
May 3, 2020: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Lynchburg — $203,000 damage.
November 30, 2010: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Lynchburg — $101,000 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
Moore County, which includes Lynchburg, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Moore County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $4.2 million a year, the 91st highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.0 million (48%), 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 Lynchburg
- Tullahoma, TN10 mi
- Estill Springs, TN13 mi
- Winchester, TN13 mi
- Shelbyville, TN15 mi
- Fayetteville, TN16 mi
- Petersburg, TN16 mi
- Huntland, TN16 mi
- Wartrace, TN16 mi
- Decherd, TN18 mi
- Cowan, TN21 mi
- Manchester, TN22 mi
- Hillsboro, TN23 mi
All Tennessee cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Lynchburg with another place →