NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Parsons, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Parsons, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 66 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 66
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
80 deaths in all
What the records show for Parsons
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Parsons; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 31 miles away. The record near Parsons begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 70 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1950s, with 2 systems. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Parsons has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 71% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 66 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 6 times; the most recent, on February 5, 2008, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on March 21, 1952, killed 38 people. Of the 66, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 46 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on April 5, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 63% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Parsons. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 55 times since 1994, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Parsons has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Parsons
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 31 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 Parsons: 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 Parsons
By decade
- 2020s14(2 EF3+)
- 2010s17
- 2000s15(3 EF3+)
- 1990s6(1 EF3+)
- 1980s3(1 EF3+)
- 1970s2(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s6(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 9 mi | 46.8 mi | 38 / 157 |
| May 4, 2003 | F4 | 13 mi | 39 mi | 11 / 86 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF4 | 20 mi | 16.17 mi | 3 / 5 |
| May 5, 1999 | F4 | 13 mi | 6 mi | 3 / 0 |
| May 7, 1971 | F4 | 18 mi | 50.9 mi | 3 / 137 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F4 | 12 mi | 11.6 mi | 3 / 60 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 22 mi | 86.01 mi | 9 / 23 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 24 mi | 29.15 mi | 5 / 14 |
| Jan 19, 1988 | F3 | 14 mi | 22 mi | 3 / 24 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 22 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 4, 1964 | F3 | 21 mi | 27.6 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF2 | 19 mi | 14.92 mi | 2 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 66, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Parsons
The Storm Prediction Center has 55 hail reports within 10 miles of Parsons since 1994, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 35 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 4, 2020. The most recent report is from May 8, 2024. May has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Parsons
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Parsons Wtp, TN, 4 miles south of Parsons at 410 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 28°F. March is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 4.0 inches; the year adds up to 57.1 inches over 85 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 64 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 86 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 57.1 inches is more than at 77 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (63%). Linden, 14 miles east, has its own station (Linden Wtp, TN): 57.6 inches a year, 0.5 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 28 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.8 |
| Feb | 55 | 31 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 64 | 39 | 5.6 | 9 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 74 | 47 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 57 | 5.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 65 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 69 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 67 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 60 | 4.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 47 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 63 | 37 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 31 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Year | 72 | 48 | 57.1 | 85 | 1.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Parsons Wtp, TN (410 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 Parsons
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 109 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Parsons: 74 thunderstorm wind reports, 32 flash floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 flood. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $2.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on October 26, 2019. July has had the most flash floods, 7 of 32. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 298 have had fewer than Parsons.
May 31, 2001: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Parsons — 1 injured, $100,000 damage.
NWS: “One home sustained major damage. Thirty homes and other buildings had minor damage.”
February 10, 2013: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Parsons — 1 injured.
NWS: “A woman was struck by lightning while lifting the garage door of a storage unit and suffered a minor injury to her right arm.”
October 26, 2019: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Parsons — $1.1 million damage.
NWS: “A 5-10 mile wide swath of severe downburst winds struck the northwest portions of Perry County into adjacent eastern Decatur County along the Tennessee River.”
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
Decatur County, which includes Parsons, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 16 severe storms, 5 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Decatur County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.4 million a year, the 70th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.7 million (32%), 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 Parsons
- Decaturville, TN8 mi
- Linden, TN14 mi
- Lexington, TN16 mi
- Lobelville, TN19 mi
- Clifton, TN20 mi
- Cedar Grove, TN26 mi
- New Johnsonville, TN27 mi
- Camden, TN27 mi
- Bruceton, TN27 mi
- Huntingdon, TN28 mi
- Beech Bluff, TN29 mi
- Waynesboro, TN30 mi
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