NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Nashville, 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 Nashville, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 142 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 142
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
23 deaths in all
What the records show for Nashville
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Nashville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 52 miles away. The record near Nashville begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm 40 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 Nashville. The highest rating among the 142 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 10, 2009, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 7, 2006, killed 7 people. Of the 142, 15 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 89 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 39. The most recent tornado was on April 3, 2025. Nashville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 95% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 227 times since 1955, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Nashville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 99% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Nashville
All 5 tracks on the map were moving northeast as they passed Nashville. The unnamed 1888 storm, the strongest pass, was heading northeast; its centre passed 52 miles northwest of Nashville. None made landfall within 75 miles of Nashville; 4 of the 5 were hurricanes at their peak, none at their closest to the city. None came near Nashville in the last 30 seasons (1996–2025); from 1851 to 1995 the rate was 0.3 a decade.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 57 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 | 52 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 Nashville: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Nashville
By decade
- 2020s20(1 EF3+)
- 2010s35
- 2000s34(5 EF3+)
- 1990s21(1 EF3+)
- 1980s10(1 EF3+)
- 1970s12(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 1970 | F4 | 25 mi | 42.6 mi | 3 / 85 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF4 | 23 mi | 23.25 mi | 2 / 58 |
| Dec 24, 1988 | F4 | 7 mi | 6 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Apr 7, 2006 | F3 | 13 mi | 22.7 mi | 7 / 128 |
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF3 | 2 mi | 60.13 mi | 5 / 220 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | in town | 42.1 mi | 1 / 60 |
| Apr 7, 2006 | F3 | 19 mi | 18.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2003 | F3 | 25 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2003 | F3 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jan 10, 1963 | F3 | 25 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Feb 27, 1956 | F3 | 24 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Dec 9, 2023 | EF2 | 8 mi | 34.77 mi | 3 / 22 |
The strongest 12 of 142, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Nashville
The Storm Prediction Center has 227 hail reports within 10 miles of Nashville since 1955, made on 135 separate days. Of these, 110 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 12, 1966. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. April has the most reports, 56.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Nashville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Nashville International Airport, TN, 5 miles east of Nashville at 600 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 30°F. May is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 50.6 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 54 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 66 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 50.6 inches is more than at 18 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (15%). Brentwood, 9 miles south, has its own station (Franklin Sewage Plt, TN): 54.0 inches a year, 3.4 more than here, and the same July average high, 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 30 | 4.0 | 7 | 2.0 |
| Feb | 54 | 33 | 4.5 | 7 | 1.5 |
| Mar | 63 | 40 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 73 | 49 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 58 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 66 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 69 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 62 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 50 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 39 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 52 | 33 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Year | 72 | 50 | 50.6 | 81 | 4.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Nashville International Airport, TN (600 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 Nashville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 851 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Nashville: 717 thunderstorm wind reports, 62 flash floods, 39 lightning strikes, 18 floods and 15 heavy rain events. They killed 13 people and injured 21, and the NWS estimated $1.58 billion 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, 16 of 62. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 329 have had fewer than Nashville.
May 1, 2010: flood 10 miles from the centre of Nashville — 10 killed, $1.50 billion damage.
July 21, 2006: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Nashville — 1 killed, 3 injured, $10,000 damage.
January 30, 2013: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Nashville — 1 killed, $5,000 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 Nashville's 20 ZIP codes have filed 3,727 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $144.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late spring storms in 2010: 1,678 claims (45% of all) and $102.3 million, then Central U.S. April Flooding in 2025 with 105 and Heavy rains in 2003 with 49. 50% 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, 154 have fewer than Nashville.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late spring storms2010 | 1,678 | $102.3 million |
| Central U.S. April Flooding2025 | 105 | $4.2 million |
| Heavy rains2003 | 49 | $715,000 |
| Flooding1997 | 14 | $26,000 |
Davidson County, which includes Nashville, 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 Nashville
- Brentwood, TN9 mi
- Antioch, TN9 mi
- Whites Creek, TN10 mi
- Madison, TN10 mi
- Hermitage, TN11 mi
- Old Hickory, TN12 mi
- Pegram, TN15 mi
- La Vergne, TN15 mi
- Nolensville, TN15 mi
- Joelton, TN15 mi
- Hendersonville, TN15 mi
- Goodlettsville, TN16 mi
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