NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Memphis, TX
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
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Memphis, Texas since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 100 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 100
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Memphis
The strongest of the 100 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 17, 1970; its path came within 12 miles, and it killed 5 people. Of the 100, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 28 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 42. The most recent tornado was on September 1, 2020. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 54% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Memphis. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 126 times since 1955, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Memphis has more hail reports within 10 miles than 72% of the 753 Texas cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Memphis
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s12
- 2000s15
- 1990s16
- 1980s24(1 EF3+)
- 1970s20(2 EF3+)
- 1960s9(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 1970 | F4 | 12 mi | 96.6 mi | 5 / 51 |
| May 11, 1982 | F3 | 8 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 1977 | F3 | 12 mi | 16.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1965 | F3 | 21 mi | 8.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 1955 | F3 | 20 mi | 16.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 2016 | EF2 | 7 mi | 6.59 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 2007 | EF2 | 19 mi | 4.15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 2007 | EF2 | 21 mi | 16.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 1987 | F2 | 6 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 1980 | F2 | 19 mi | 16.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1960 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1957 | F2 | 8 mi | 9.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 100, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Memphis
The Storm Prediction Center has 126 hail reports within 10 miles of Memphis since 1955, made on 86 separate days. Of these, 97 were 1 inch across or larger, and 32 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on May 31, 2022. The most recent report is from June 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 66.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Memphis
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Memphis, TX, in Memphis at 2,090 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 96°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 25°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 101 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 89 nights a year. That 22.3 inches is more than at 59 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (19%). Wellington, 21 miles northeast, has its own station (Wellington, TX): 22.2 inches a year, 0.1 less than here, and a July average high of 99°F against 96°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 25 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Feb | 57 | 29 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Mar | 67 | 37 | 1.4 | 3 |
| Apr | 75 | 46 | 2.0 | 3 |
| May | 83 | 56 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Jun | 92 | 66 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Jul | 96 | 70 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Aug | 95 | 68 | 2.5 | 4 |
| Sep | 87 | 60 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Oct | 75 | 47 | 1.8 | 4 |
| Nov | 64 | 35 | 1.0 | 2 |
| Dec | 54 | 27 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Year | 75 | 47 | 22.3 | 39 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Memphis, TX (2,090 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 Memphis
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 50 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Memphis: 41 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods, 3 heavy rain events and 2 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on July 9, 2020.
May 5, 2002: thunderstorm wind in Memphis — $300,000 damage.
NWS: “Strong thunderstorm wind gusts overturned four tractor trailers, caused extensive damage to buildings, including the school library, damaged the roofs of at least 50 homes, snapped power poles, and blew down power lines and trees. Portions of Highway 287 were closed due to this damage.”
May 27, 2015: flood 2 miles from the centre of Memphis — $250,000 damage.
July 28, 2008: thunderstorm wind in Memphis — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “A local newspaper reported that thunderstorm winds caused significant damage to metal structures and light weight buildings in the Memphis vicinity. The roof was blown off of a large cotton warehouse.”
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
Hall County, which includes Memphis, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1989, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 fires, 4 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 3 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on February 19, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hall County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.7 million a year, the 177th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $689,000 (10%), is from strong wind.
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 Memphis
- Wellington, TX21 mi
- Childress, TX27 mi
- Clarendon, TX27 mi
- Hollis, OK36 mi
- Shamrock, TX38 mi
- Quanah, TX52 mi
- Wheeler, TX55 mi
- Mangum, OK59 mi
- Lockney, TX60 mi
- Pampa, TX61 mi
- Panhandle, TX65 mi
- Sayre, OK65 mi
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