NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Paris, 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 Paris, 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, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 96
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
15 deaths in all
What the records show for Paris
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Paris; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 10 miles away. The record near Paris begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 50 miles away. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site, 81% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Paris. The highest rating among the 96 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 7, 1971, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 2, 2006, killed 6 people. Of the 96, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 65 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on April 5, 2025. Paris has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 65% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 51 times since 1959, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 52% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Paris.
Compare Paris's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Paris
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Paris: 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 Paris
By decade
- 2020s18(1 EF3+)
- 2010s14
- 2000s33(3 EF3+)
- 1990s7(2 EF3+)
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 1971 | F4 | 22 mi | 50.9 mi | 3 / 137 |
| Apr 3, 1968 | F4 | 23 mi | 50.6 mi | 2 / 30 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | 18 mi | 31 mi | 6 / 44 |
| Nov 26, 2001 | F3 | 6 mi | 5 mi | 2 / 12 |
| Jan 22, 1999 | F3 | 18 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF3 | 9 mi | 122.62 mi | 0 / 38 |
| May 27, 2000 | F3 | 20 mi | 17.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 27, 1994 | F3 | 22 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 7, 1984 | F3 | 2 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 36 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F3 | 17 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 19 |
| Mar 2, 2020 | EF2 | 19 mi | 18.72 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 23 mi | 6.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 96, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Paris
The Storm Prediction Center has 51 hail reports within 10 miles of Paris since 1959, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 8, 2024. The most recent report is from November 18, 2025. May has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Paris
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Paris 2 SE, TN, 2 miles southeast of Paris at 443 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 27°F. May is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and August and October the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 54.9 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 33 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 87 nights a year. Snowfall averages 5.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 54.9 inches is more than at 48 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (39%). Springville, 12 miles east, has its own station (Big Sandy, TN): 51.9 inches a year, 3.0 less than here, and the same July average high, 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 27 | 4.0 | 7 | 2.6 |
| Feb | 51 | 30 | 4.9 | 7 | 1.4 |
| Mar | 60 | 37 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 70 | 46 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 78 | 56 | 5.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 64 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 68 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 66 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 59 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 47 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 36 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 49 | 30 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Year | 69 | 47 | 54.9 | 81 | 5.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Paris 2 SE, TN (443 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 Paris
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 134 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Paris: 104 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 flash floods, 6 lightning strikes, 2 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $5.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 127 mph, on November 6, 2005. February has had the most flash floods, 8 of 21. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 244 have had fewer than Paris.
March 31, 2023: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Paris — 1 killed.
April 25, 2011: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Paris — 1 injured, $1.5 million damage.
May 27, 2000: thunderstorm wind in Paris — 1 injured, $20,000 damage.
NWS: “One person was injured when a tree fell on his car while the man was driving. Several homes were damaged.”
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 Paris's ZIP code 38242 have filed 37 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $306,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2026, with 10. 5% 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, 86 have fewer than Paris.
Henry County, which includes Paris, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes, 2 winter storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Henry County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $38.4 million a year, the 14th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.5 million (9%), 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 Paris
- Henry, TN8 mi
- Puryear, TN10 mi
- Springville, TN12 mi
- Mc Kenzie, TN16 mi
- Big Sandy, TN16 mi
- Gleason, TN16 mi
- Bruceton, TN19 mi
- Dresden, TN20 mi
- Camden, TN21 mi
- Huntingdon, TN22 mi
- Murray, KY22 mi
- Greenfield, TN27 mi
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