NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rockvale, 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 Rockvale, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 103 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 103
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for Rockvale
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rockvale; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 45 mph winds when its centre passed 12 miles away. The record near Rockvale begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Frederic in 1979. None of the 4 systems has come since 2000. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site, 81% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Rockvale. The strongest of the 103 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 16, 1998; its path came within 24 miles, and it killed 3 people. Of the 103, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 64 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on June 6, 2025. Rockvale has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 73% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 72 times since 1959, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Rockvale has more hail reports within 10 miles than 75% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rockvale
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Rockvale: 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 Rockvale
By decade
- 2020s16(1 EF3+)
- 2010s26
- 2000s22(3 EF3+)
- 1990s12(2 EF3+)
- 1980s8(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10(2 EF3+)
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 1998 | F5 | 24 mi | 69.4 mi | 3 / 36 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF4 | 6 mi | 23.25 mi | 2 / 58 |
| Dec 24, 1988 | F4 | 22 mi | 6 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Jan 24, 1997 | F4 | 4 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 18 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF3 | 16 mi | 11.53 mi | 1 / 12 |
| May 11, 2003 | F3 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 10 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 31 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 9 mi | 15.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 24 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jan 10, 1963 | F3 | 18 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 6, 2018 | EF2 | 7 mi | 10.49 mi | 1 / 3 |
| May 31, 2001 | F2 | 23 mi | 6.3 mi | 1 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 103, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rockvale
The Storm Prediction Center has 72 hail reports within 10 miles of Rockvale since 1959, made on 49 separate days. Of these, 46 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on March 26, 1959. The most recent report is from May 20, 2025. May has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rockvale
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Murfreesboro 5 N, TN, 15 miles northeast of Rockvale at 535 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 28°F. June is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 56.0 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 48 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 89 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 56.0 inches is more than at 63 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (52%). Eagleville, 5 miles west, has its own station (Thompson Stn, TN): 55.9 inches a year, the same as here, and the same July average high, 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 28 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.8 |
| Feb | 53 | 30 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Mar | 61 | 37 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 71 | 46 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 55 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 64 | 5.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 68 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 67 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 59 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 47 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 37 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 51 | 31 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Year | 70 | 47 | 56.0 | 87 | 2.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Murfreesboro 5 N, TN (535 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 Rockvale
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 143 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rockvale: 117 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 10 floods and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on May 2, 2002. February has had the most flash floods, 5 of 12. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 139 have had fewer than Rockvale.
May 8, 2024: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Rockvale — 1 killed.
August 1, 2016: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Rockvale — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “Based on TV news and social media reports, a microburst affected areas of west Murfreesboro from Kingwood Lane to Old Fort Parkway. A security camera video showed one tree falling onto a girl on Kingwood Lane and pinning her arm beneath it, but she was rescued by a police deputy and only had minor cuts and bruises.”
February 23, 2019: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Rockvale — $275,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Rockvale's ZIP code 37153 have filed 15 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2003, and were paid $739,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 13% 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, 29 have fewer than Rockvale.
Rutherford County, which includes Rockvale, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 winter storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Rutherford County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $134.9 million a year, the 4th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $70.5 million (52%), 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 Rockvale
- Eagleville, TN5 mi
- Unionville, TN9 mi
- Arrington, TN10 mi
- College Grove, TN10 mi
- Murfreesboro, TN10 mi
- Chapel Hill, TN11 mi
- Christiana, TN12 mi
- Bell Buckle, TN13 mi
- Nolensville, TN15 mi
- Smyrna, TN15 mi
- La Vergne, TN18 mi
- Lascassas, TN20 mi
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