NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Manchester, 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 Manchester, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 112 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 112
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
41 deaths in all
What the records show for Manchester
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Manchester; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 45 mph winds when its centre passed 19 miles away. The record near Manchester 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 Manchester. The strongest of the 112 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 3 miles, and it killed 16 people. Of the 112, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 73 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 36. The most recent tornado was on May 25, 2025. Manchester has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 83% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 58 times since 1968, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Manchester has more hail reports within 10 miles than 61% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Manchester
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 55 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 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | overhead | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Manchester: 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 Manchester
By decade
- 2020s16
- 2010s33(1 EF3+)
- 2000s24(1 EF3+)
- 1990s14
- 1980s3
- 1970s8(3 EF3+)
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
- 1950s9(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 3 mi | 83.3 mi | 16 / 190 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 12 mi | 27.5 mi | 11 / 121 |
| Feb 13, 1952 | F4 | 19 mi | 12.7 mi | 3 / 44 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 22 mi | 26.76 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 23 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 31 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 15 mi | 7.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 13, 1961 | F3 | 12 mi | 9.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 13, 1952 | F3 | 22 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 3 mi | 12.3 mi | 2 / 24 |
| Nov 6, 2018 | EF2 | 22 mi | 10.49 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF2 | 13 mi | 16.1 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 18 mi | 8.7 mi | 1 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 112, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Manchester
The Storm Prediction Center has 58 hail reports within 10 miles of Manchester since 1968, made on 41 separate days. Of these, 37 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 8, 2024, the most recent report. April has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Manchester
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Manchester #2, TN, 1 mile north of Manchester at 1,070 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 26°F. December is the wettest at 6.6 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 59.5 inches over 89 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 23 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 94 nights a year. That 59.5 inches is more than at 102 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (84%). Beechgrove, 11 miles northwest, has its own station (Wartrace 6E, TN): 60.3 inches a year, 0.8 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 26 | 5.4 | 7 |
| Feb | 51 | 29 | 5.5 | 9 |
| Mar | 60 | 35 | 6.4 | 9 |
| Apr | 69 | 43 | 5.9 | 7 |
| May | 76 | 53 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Jun | 84 | 61 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Aug | 86 | 63 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Sep | 80 | 57 | 4.2 | 5 |
| Oct | 71 | 44 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Nov | 59 | 34 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Dec | 51 | 30 | 6.6 | 9 |
| Year | 68 | 45 | 59.5 | 89 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Manchester #2, TN (1,070 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 Manchester
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 143 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Manchester: 134 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods, 2 lightning strikes, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $3.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on July 6, 2004. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 18 have had fewer than Manchester.
April 20, 1996: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Manchester — 2 injured, $500,000 damage.
August 7, 2023: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Manchester — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
January 22, 1999: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Manchester — 1 injured.
NWS: “A metal roof from an H&R Block building was lifted and hurled into vehicles in downtown Manchester. There was one injury.”
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 Manchester's ZIP code 37355 have filed 11 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1990, and were paid $56,000 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, 7 have fewer than Manchester.
Coffee County, which includes Manchester, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 5 floods, 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 Coffee County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.9 million a year, the 28th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.8 million (34%), 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 Manchester
- Hillsboro, TN10 mi
- Beechgrove, TN11 mi
- Morrison, TN11 mi
- Tullahoma, TN12 mi
- Wartrace, TN13 mi
- Bradyville, TN14 mi
- Estill Springs, TN15 mi
- Decherd, TN19 mi
- Bell Buckle, TN19 mi
- Christiana, TN21 mi
- Mcminnville, TN21 mi
- Shelbyville, TN21 mi
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