NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Murfreesboro, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Murfreesboro, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 115 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 115
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
14 deaths in all
What the records show for Murfreesboro
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Murfreesboro; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 45 mph winds when its centre passed 11 miles away. The record near Murfreesboro begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Frederic in 1979. None of the 4 systems has come since 2000. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site, 81% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Murfreesboro. The highest rating among the 115 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 10, 2009, came within 2 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on March 3, 2020, killed 5 people. Of the 115, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 74 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Murfreesboro has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 85% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 111 times since 1959, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Murfreesboro has more hail reports within 10 miles than 90% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Murfreesboro
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 26 mi | 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 Murfreesboro: 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 Murfreesboro
By decade
- 2020s16(1 EF3+)
- 2010s30
- 2000s28(3 EF3+)
- 1990s13(1 EF3+)
- 1980s8(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10(3 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF4 | 2 mi | 23.25 mi | 2 / 58 |
| Dec 24, 1988 | F4 | 24 mi | 6 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Jan 24, 1997 | F4 | 2 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF3 | 22 mi | 60.13 mi | 5 / 220 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 21 mi | 14.6 mi | 1 / 23 |
| May 11, 2003 | F3 | 7 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 7 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 31 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | in town | 15.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 14 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Nov 6, 2018 | EF2 | 10 mi | 10.49 mi | 1 / 3 |
| May 31, 2001 | F2 | 13 mi | 6.3 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Apr 1, 2023 | EF2 | 6 mi | 18.45 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 115, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Murfreesboro
The Storm Prediction Center has 111 hail reports within 10 miles of Murfreesboro since 1959, made on 74 separate days. Of these, 64 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on March 26, 1959. The most recent report is from May 20, 2025. April has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Murfreesboro
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Murfreesboro 5 N, TN, 5 miles north of Murfreesboro at 535 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 28°F. June is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 56.0 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 48 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 89 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 56.0 inches is more than at 63 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (52%). Christiana, 10 miles south, has its own station (Wartrace 6E, TN): 60.3 inches a year, 4.3 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 28 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.8 |
| Feb | 53 | 30 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Mar | 61 | 37 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 71 | 46 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 55 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 64 | 5.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 68 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 67 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 59 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 47 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 37 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 51 | 31 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Year | 70 | 47 | 56.0 | 87 | 2.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Murfreesboro 5 N, TN (535 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 Murfreesboro
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 265 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Murfreesboro: 231 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 10 floods, 9 lightning strikes and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $4.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 13, 2004. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 139 have had fewer than Murfreesboro.
May 5, 1999: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Murfreesboro — 3 injured, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “Mobile home damaged by strong thunderstorm winds.”
May 16, 2009: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Murfreesboro — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “The pavilion at the New Vision Baptist Church was blown down resulting in one minor injury. Newspaper also reported that about 50 Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation customers lose power temporarily.”
August 1, 2016: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Murfreesboro — 1 injured, $10,000 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 Murfreesboro's 4 ZIP codes have filed 186 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $2.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late spring storms in 2010: 57 claims (31% of all) and $325,000, then Heavy rains in 2003 with 15. 42% 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, 134 have fewer than Murfreesboro.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late spring storms2010 | 57 | $325,000 |
| Heavy rains2003 | 15 | $576,000 |
Rutherford County, which includes Murfreesboro, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 winter storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Rutherford County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $134.9 million a year, the 4th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $70.5 million (52%), 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 Murfreesboro
- Lascassas, TN10 mi
- Rockvale, TN10 mi
- Christiana, TN10 mi
- Smyrna, TN11 mi
- Readyville, TN12 mi
- Arrington, TN14 mi
- La Vergne, TN14 mi
- Eagleville, TN15 mi
- Bell Buckle, TN16 mi
- Nolensville, TN16 mi
- Unionville, TN18 mi
- College Grove, TN19 mi
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