NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Madison, 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 Madison, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 156 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 156
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
43 deaths in all
What the records show for Madison
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Madison; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 47 miles away. The record near Madison begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm 44 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 Madison. The highest rating among the 156 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on December 24, 1988, came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on February 5, 2008, killed 22 people. Of the 156, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 95 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 40. The most recent tornado was on April 3, 2025. Madison has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 98% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 168 times since 1959, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Madison has more hail reports within 10 miles than 97% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Madison
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 47 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 Madison: 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 Madison
By decade
- 2020s26(1 EF3+)
- 2010s38
- 2000s31(3 EF3+)
- 1990s24(1 EF3+)
- 1980s11(1 EF3+)
- 1970s13(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6
- 1950s7(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 1970 | F4 | 17 mi | 42.6 mi | 3 / 85 |
| Dec 24, 1988 | F4 | 17 mi | 6 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 22 mi | 50.32 mi | 22 / 63 |
| Apr 7, 2006 | F3 | 5 mi | 22.7 mi | 7 / 128 |
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF3 | 7 mi | 60.13 mi | 5 / 220 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 7 mi | 42.1 mi | 1 / 60 |
| Apr 7, 2006 | F3 | 20 mi | 18.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 27, 1956 | F3 | 15 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Dec 9, 2023 | EF2 | 1 mi | 34.77 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Apr 1, 1974 | F2 | 5 mi | 10.9 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Dec 9, 2023 | EF2 | 18 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Dec 9, 2023 | EF2 | 12 mi | 18.37 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 156, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Madison
The Storm Prediction Center has 168 hail reports within 10 miles of Madison since 1959, made on 93 separate days. Of these, 79 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on June 4, 1985. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 37.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Madison
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Old Hickory Dam, TN, 4 miles northeast of Madison at 460 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 27°F. April is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 48.0 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 59 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 86 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 48.0 inches is more than at 9 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (7%). Old Hickory, 5 miles east, has its own station (Old Hickory WFO, TN): 54.7 inches a year, 6.7 more than here, and an August average high of 88°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 27 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Feb | 51 | 30 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Mar | 61 | 37 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 71 | 45 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 55 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 64 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 67 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 67 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 60 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 47 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 36 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 50 | 29 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Year | 70 | 47 | 48.0 | 79 | 1.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Old Hickory Dam, TN (460 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 Madison
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 753 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Madison: 624 thunderstorm wind reports, 70 flash floods, 26 lightning strikes, 19 heavy rain events and 14 floods. They killed 6 people and injured 13, and the NWS estimated $59.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 99 mph, on May 5, 1999. February has had the most flash floods, 14 of 70. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 333 have had fewer than Madison.
March 27, 2021: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Madison — 5 killed, $20.0 million damage.
January 30, 2013: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Madison — 1 killed, $5,000 damage.
January 4, 1997: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Madison — 2 injured, $500,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Madison's ZIP code 37115 have filed 239 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $10.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late spring storms in 2010: 110 claims (46% of all) and $8.3 million. 46% 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, 140 have fewer than Madison.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late spring storms2010 | 110 | $8.3 million |
Davidson County, which includes Madison, 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 Madison
- Old Hickory, TN5 mi
- Hendersonville, TN6 mi
- Goodlettsville, TN6 mi
- Whites Creek, TN6 mi
- Hermitage, TN8 mi
- Nashville, TN10 mi
- Joelton, TN12 mi
- Mount Juliet, TN13 mi
- Greenbrier, TN13 mi
- White House, TN14 mi
- Antioch, TN15 mi
- Gallatin, TN16 mi
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