NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pulaski, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Pulaski, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 122 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 15 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 122
- EF3 or stronger
- 15
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
28 deaths in all
What the records show for Pulaski
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Pulaski; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre crossed the city. The record near Pulaski begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Frederic in 1979. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 2 systems. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. Pulaski has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 122 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 16, 1998, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F5 on April 3, 1974, killed 16 people. Of the 122, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 66 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on May 14, 2024. Pulaski has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 90% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 34 times since 1993, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 79% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Pulaski.
Compare Pulaski's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pulaski
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | overhead | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Pulaski: 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 Pulaski
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s22(1 EF3+)
- 2000s29(3 EF3+)
- 1990s15(3 EF3+)
- 1980s10(2 EF3+)
- 1970s11(2 EF3+)
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s13(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 24 mi | 83.3 mi | 16 / 190 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F5 | 20 mi | 69.4 mi | 3 / 36 |
| May 18, 1995 | F4 | 13 mi | 29 mi | 3 / 32 |
| Feb 29, 1952 | F4 | 25 mi | 2 mi | 2 / 150 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF3 | 24 mi | 48.38 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 11, 2008 | EF3 | 12 mi | 4.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 2008 | EF3 | 14 mi | 10.34 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 5, 2003 | F3 | 25 mi | 1.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 26, 1994 | F3 | 21 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1985 | F3 | 2 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 16, 1985 | F3 | 14 mi | 45 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F3 | 10 mi | 32.3 mi | 0 / 10 |
The strongest 12 of 122, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pulaski
The Storm Prediction Center has 34 hail reports within 10 miles of Pulaski since 1993, made on 23 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 5, 2003. The most recent report is from March 14, 2024. March has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pulaski
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pulaski Wwtp, TN, 2 miles southwest of Pulaski 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%). Cornersville, 13 miles northeast, has its own station (Lewisburg Exp Stn, TN): 56.1 inches a year, 2.6 less than here, and a July average high of 91°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 Pulaski
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 115 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pulaski: 101 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 3 heavy rain events and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $937,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on May 30, 2004. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 93 have had fewer than Pulaski.
May 9, 2024: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Pulaski — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “A NWS storm survey team found straight line wind damage in Giles County, particularly around the Pulaski area. Numerous trees were snapped and uprooted in a northwest to southeast direction.”
May 3, 2020: thunderstorm wind in Pulaski — $113,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across Giles County.”
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 Pulaski's ZIP code 38478 have filed 18 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1989, and were paid $270,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 17% 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, 42 have fewer than Pulaski.
Giles County, which includes Pulaski, 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 Pulaski
- Prospect, TN11 mi
- Lynnville, TN12 mi
- Cornersville, TN13 mi
- Ardmore, TN15 mi
- Leoma, TN17 mi
- Ethridge, TN17 mi
- Culleoka, TN19 mi
- Elkmont, AL19 mi
- Ardmore, AL20 mi
- Lawrenceburg, TN21 mi
- Lewisburg, TN22 mi
- Petersburg, TN22 mi
All Tennessee cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Pulaski with another place →