NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Medina, 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 Medina, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 107 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 17 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 107
- EF3 or stronger
- 17
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
88 deaths in all
What the records show for Medina
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Medina; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre crossed the city. The record near Medina begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 33 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1950s, with 2 systems. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Medina has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 107 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 6 times; the most recent, on February 5, 2008, came within 5 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on March 21, 1952, killed 38 people. Of the 107, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 48 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Medina has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 79% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 81 times since 1973, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Medina has more hail reports within 10 miles than 80% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
Compare Medina's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Medina
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | overhead | 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 Medina: 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 Medina
By decade
- 2020s15(1 EF3+)
- 2010s9
- 2000s24(5 EF3+)
- 1990s18(4 EF3+)
- 1980s11(1 EF3+)
- 1970s13(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s15(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 24 mi | 46.8 mi | 38 / 157 |
| May 4, 2003 | F4 | 15 mi | 39 mi | 11 / 86 |
| Jan 17, 1999 | F4 | 12 mi | 16 mi | 6 / 106 |
| May 7, 1971 | F4 | 18 mi | 50.9 mi | 3 / 137 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F4 | 23 mi | 11.6 mi | 3 / 60 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF4 | 5 mi | 7.61 mi | 0 / 51 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | 19 mi | 31 mi | 6 / 44 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 14 mi | 31.13 mi | 3 / 14 |
| Jan 19, 1988 | F3 | 16 mi | 22 mi | 3 / 24 |
| Apr 29, 1963 | F3 | 16 mi | 9.3 mi | 3 / 6 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 25 mi | 39.18 mi | 1 / 28 |
| Nov 27, 1994 | F3 | 23 mi | 16 mi | 1 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 107, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Medina
The Storm Prediction Center has 81 hail reports within 10 miles of Medina since 1973, made on 61 separate days. Of these, 53 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 5, 1999. The most recent report is from April 3, 2025. May has the most reports, 26.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Medina
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jackson 4 NE, TN, 7 miles southwest of Medina at 430 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 28°F. May is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 55.1 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 66 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 79 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.4 inches a year, most of it in January and March. That 55.1 inches is more than at 54 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (44%). Milan, 8 miles north, has its own station (Milan Exp Stn, TN): 56.2 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and the same July average high, 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 28 | 4.3 | 7 | 1.5 |
| Feb | 52 | 30 | 4.6 | 7 | 1.1 |
| Mar | 61 | 38 | 5.7 | 8 | 1.5 |
| Apr | 72 | 47 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 57 | 6.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 66 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 67 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 60 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 48 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 37 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 50 | 31 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Year | 71 | 48 | 55.1 | 82 | 4.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Jackson 4 NE, TN (430 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 Medina
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 134 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Medina: 92 thunderstorm wind reports, 35 flash floods, 5 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $23.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on March 30, 2022. August has had the most flash floods, 8 of 35. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 310 have had fewer than Medina.
May 1, 2010: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Medina — 1 killed, $9.0 million damage.
May 1, 2010: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Medina — $11.3 million damage.
NWS: “Very heavy rain fell during the day across Madison County. As much as 11 to 16 inches fell across the county.”
November 9, 2002: thunderstorm wind in Medina — $1.4 million damage.
NWS: “Strong straight-line winds produced significant damage in the town of Medina. The south wall of the Medina Elementary School gymnasium was 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
Gibson County, which includes Medina, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 4 floods, 4 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Gibson County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $48.5 million a year, the 11th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.7 million (14%), 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 Medina
- Humboldt, TN8 mi
- Milan, TN8 mi
- Jackson, TN10 mi
- Cedar Grove, TN14 mi
- Beech Bluff, TN16 mi
- Trenton, TN16 mi
- Bells, TN19 mi
- Bradford, TN19 mi
- Alamo, TN21 mi
- Pinson, TN22 mi
- Lexington, TN23 mi
- Dyer, TN24 mi
All Tennessee cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Medina with another place →