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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Oakland, 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

10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Oakland, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 96 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
10

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
96

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
11

37 deaths in all

What the records show for Oakland

None of the 10 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Oakland; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 1 mile away. The record near Oakland begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 3 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1950s, with 2 systems. Of the 10 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Oakland has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 96% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The strongest of the 96 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 21, 1952; its path came within 13 miles, and it killed 16 people. Of the 96, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 36 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on April 3, 2025. Oakland has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 65% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 77 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Oakland has more hail reports within 10 miles than 79% of the 339 Tennessee cities.

Compare Oakland's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Oakland

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Oakland, Tennessee, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2019OlgaOct 263 miTropical storm (47 mph)Tropical storm
2005KatrinaAug 3072 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 5
1969CamilleAug 1945 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 5
1957AudreyJun 2845 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 3
1950BakerAug 3154 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
1934Unnamed 1934 stormJun 1757 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
1923Unnamed 1923 stormOct 1818 miTropical storm (41 mph)Tropical storm
1906Unnamed 1906 stormSep 2831 miTropical storm (44 mph)Category 3
1888Unnamed 1888 stormAug 211 miTropical storm (62 mph)Category 3
1860Unnamed 1860 stormOct 342 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Oakland: 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 Oakland

By decade

  • 2020s10(2 EF3+)
  • 2010s7
  • 2000s19(1 EF3+)
  • 1990s19(2 EF3+)
  • 1980s12(1 EF3+)
  • 1970s14(3 EF3+)
  • 1960s10(1 EF3+)
  • 1950s5(1 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near Oakland, Tennessee
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Mar 21, 1952F413 mi29.6 mi16 / 74
Apr 3, 1968F323 mi28.8 mi4 / 32
Feb 5, 2008EF313 mi31.13 mi3 / 14
Nov 27, 1994F311 mi16 mi3 / 25
Jan 19, 1988F310 mi22 mi3 / 24
Apr 3, 2025EF320 mi39.55 mi2 / 3
Mar 31, 2023EF323 mi39.18 mi1 / 28
Jan 17, 1999F323 mi22 mi0 / 2
Apr 24, 1970F320 mi10.4 mi0 / 3
Apr 24, 1970F324 mi12.3 mi0 / 18
Apr 24, 1970F317 mi17 mi0 / 5
Feb 5, 2008EF223 mi10.24 mi3 / 13

The strongest 12 of 96, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Oakland

The Storm Prediction Center has 77 hail reports within 10 miles of Oakland since 1962, made on 52 separate days. Of these, 42 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 7, 2006. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. April has the most reports, 26.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Oakland

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Moscow, TN, 11 miles southeast of Oakland at 335 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 30°F. May is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 54.9 inches over 62 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 46% of the year's precipitation (25.1 of 54.9 inches); the other six months are wetter. August has brought the most of the 10 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal August there has highs of 90°F and 4.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 55 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 66 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.9 inches a year, most of it in February. That 54.9 inches is more than at 48 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (39%). Eads, 7 miles west, has its own station (Collierville, TN): 57.0 inches a year, 2.1 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 90°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Moscow, TN
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan51304.050.6
Feb55334.451.0
Mar64405.560.2
Apr73505.060.1
May80605.660.0
Jun87674.350.0
Jul90714.160.0
Aug90704.640.0
Sep85623.850.0
Oct75494.450.0
Nov64393.950.0
Dec53335.350.0
Year725054.9621.9

Averages for 1991–2020 at Moscow, TN (335 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.

Tennessee weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Oakland

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 91 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Oakland: 76 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 2 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $52.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 22, 2003. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 117 have had fewer than Oakland.

  • July 14, 2018: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Oakland — 1 killed.

    NWS: “A man was killed while mowing the lawn when lightning struck a nearby tree off Feathers Chapel Drive.”

  • July 22, 2003: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Oakland — 1 injured, $1.0 million damage.

    NWS: “Several businesses and homes were damaged. One person was injured when a tree fell on their car.”

  • June 29, 2014: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Oakland — $50.0 million 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

Fayette County, which includes Oakland, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1994, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 winter storms, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Fayette County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $29.7 million a year, the 21st highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.8 million (20%), 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 Oakland