NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Prospect, 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 Prospect, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 171 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 21 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 171
- EF3 or stronger
- 21
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
134 deaths in all
What the records show for Prospect
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Prospect; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 7 miles away. The record near Prospect begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 67 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 2 systems. None of the 7 systems has come since 2000. Prospect has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 71% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 171 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 22 miles. Of the 171, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 113 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 46. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Prospect has more tornadoes within 25 miles than any other of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 60 times since 1984, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Prospect has more hail reports within 10 miles than 64% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Prospect
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Prospect: 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 Prospect
By decade
- 2020s33(2 EF3+)
- 2010s46(4 EF3+)
- 2000s34(2 EF3+)
- 1990s14(4 EF3+)
- 1980s12(2 EF3+)
- 1970s12(3 EF3+)
- 1960s7(2 EF3+)
- 1950s13(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 22 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 21 mi | 52 mi | 28 / 267 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 15 mi | 83.3 mi | 16 / 190 |
| May 18, 1995 | F4 | 21 mi | 29 mi | 3 / 32 |
| Feb 29, 1952 | F4 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 2 / 150 |
| May 18, 1995 | F4 | 15 mi | 39 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 25 mi | 26.76 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 15 mi | 15.56 mi | 2 / 30 |
| Mar 9, 1964 | F3 | 21 mi | 5.2 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Apr 1, 2023 | EF3 | 24 mi | 12.03 mi | 1 / 5 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF3 | 22 mi | 3.76 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 19 mi | 33.99 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 171, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Prospect
The Storm Prediction Center has 60 hail reports within 10 miles of Prospect since 1984, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 42 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on March 29, 2011. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. March has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Prospect
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pulaski Wwtp, TN, 10 miles north of Prospect at 644 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 25°F. December is the wettest at 6.3 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 58.7 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 38 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 91 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 58.7 inches is more than at 94 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (77%). Elkmont, AL, 8 miles south, has its own station (Athens, AL): 59.1 inches a year, 0.4 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 25 | 5.3 | 7 | 1.0 |
| Feb | 53 | 28 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 61 | 35 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 71 | 43 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 53 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 61 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 66 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 64 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 56 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 44 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 33 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 51 | 28 | 6.3 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Year | 70 | 45 | 58.7 | 82 | 1.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pulaski Wwtp, TN (644 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 Prospect
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 123 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Prospect: 104 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 6 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $1.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 120 mph, on May 30, 2004. September has had the most flash floods, 4 of 11. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 117 have had fewer than Prospect.
May 30, 2004: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Prospect — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
NWS: “Straight line winds were estimated to be 115 to 120 mph. The path length of destruction was 1/2 mile wide and 3/4 of a mile long.”
October 18, 2007: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Prospect — $1.0 million damage.
August 3, 2011: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Prospect — $100,000 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
Giles County, which includes Prospect, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 winter storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Giles County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes 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 $17.6 million a year, the 42nd highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.4 million (42%), 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 Prospect
- Elkmont, AL8 mi
- Ardmore, TN8 mi
- Ardmore, AL11 mi
- Pulaski, TN11 mi
- Athens, AL16 mi
- Toney, AL18 mi
- Leoma, TN19 mi
- Harvest, AL20 mi
- Cornersville, TN22 mi
- Rogersville, AL22 mi
- Lexington, AL23 mi
- Hazel Green, AL23 mi
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