NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ridgely, 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 Ridgely, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 109 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 109
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
67 deaths in all
What the records show for Ridgely
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Ridgely; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre passed 49 miles away. The record near Ridgely begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 11 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Ridgely has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 109 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 7 times; the most recent, on December 10, 2021, came within 5 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on March 21, 1952, killed 17 people. Of the 109, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 55 have come since 2000. April and May have had the most tornadoes, 25 each. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Ridgely has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 81% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 23 times since 1959, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 97% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Ridgely.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ridgely
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Ridgely: 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 Ridgely
By decade
- 2020s16(2 EF3+)
- 2010s14
- 2000s25(3 EF3+)
- 1990s21(4 EF3+)
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s11
- 1960s4
- 1950s11(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 16 mi | 6.5 mi | 17 / 100 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 5 mi | 81.17 mi | 8 / 14 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 15 mi | 2 mi | 4 / 5 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 20 mi | 4.7 mi | 2 / 10 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 13 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 20 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 23 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | 7 mi | 18 mi | 16 / 70 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F3 | 16 mi | 18.1 mi | 10 / 30 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | 25 mi | 8 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | 10 mi | 77 mi | 2 / 177 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 16 mi | 4 mi | 2 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 109, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ridgely
The Storm Prediction Center has 23 hail reports within 10 miles of Ridgely since 1959, made on 21 separate days. Of these, 13 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 5, 2003. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ridgely
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Caruthersville, MO, 10 miles west of Ridgely at 270 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 30°F. April is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 55.3 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 54 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 71 nights a year. That 55.3 inches is more than at 56 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (46%). Dyersburg, 14 miles southeast, has its own station (Dyersburg Iii Golf, TN): 53.4 inches a year, 1.9 less than here, and the same July average high, 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 30 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Feb | 51 | 33 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Mar | 60 | 40 | 5.3 | 7 |
| Apr | 71 | 50 | 6.1 | 8 |
| May | 79 | 60 | 5.9 | 7 |
| Jun | 88 | 68 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Jul | 90 | 72 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Aug | 89 | 70 | 3.1 | 4 |
| Sep | 83 | 63 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Oct | 72 | 51 | 4.6 | 5 |
| Nov | 59 | 40 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Dec | 49 | 33 | 5.2 | 7 |
| Year | 70 | 51 | 55.3 | 74 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Caruthersville, MO (270 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 Ridgely
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 63 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ridgely: 55 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods and 4 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on May 10, 2003.
May 4, 2020: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Ridgely — 1 injured.
NWS: “A macroburst struck southern portions of Lake County causing widespread damage. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down.”
April 6, 2025: flood 3 miles from the centre of Ridgely — $1.3 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain resulted in widespread flooding of the Obion River in Bogota. Nearly 100 structures were affected.”
May 1, 2011: flood 5 miles from the centre of Ridgely — $750,000 damage.
NWS: “The Mississippi River rose to record levels in Tiptonville during the beginning to middle part of May. A few homes along the river were flooded and sustained damage while additional homes in Tiptonville were flooded and sustained minor 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Ridgely's ZIP code 38080 have filed 29 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1983, and were paid $722,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Mid-spring storms in 2011: 12 claims (41% of all) and $59,000. 69% 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, 73 have fewer than Ridgely.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-spring storms2011 | 12 | $59,000 |
Lake County, which includes Ridgely, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 4 floods, 4 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lake County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, 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 $9.6 million a year, the 67th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $888,000 (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 Ridgely
- Caruthersville, MO11 mi
- Dyersburg, TN14 mi
- Hayti, MO15 mi
- Newbern, TN15 mi
- Portageville, MO18 mi
- Troy, TN19 mi
- Tiptonville, TN20 mi
- Steele, MO23 mi
- Halls, TN24 mi
- Kenton, TN25 mi
- Friendship, TN26 mi
- New Madrid, MO26 mi
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