NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Savannah, 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
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Savannah, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 67 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 16 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 67
- EF3 or stronger
- 16
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
37 deaths in all
What the records show for Savannah
None of the 10 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Savannah; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre passed 53 miles away. The record near Savannah begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 71 miles away. The 1910s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 10 systems, one has come since 2000. Savannah has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 96% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The strongest of the 67 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 16, 1998; its path came within 10 miles, and it killed 3 people. The deadliest, an EF3 on March 31, 2023, killed 9 people. Of the 67, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 63% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Savannah. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 47 times since 1974, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 58% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Savannah.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Savannah
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Savannah: 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 Savannah
By decade
- 2020s7(2 EF3+)
- 2010s14(2 EF3+)
- 2000s12(1 EF3+)
- 1990s8(3 EF3+)
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s8(3 EF3+)
- 1960s6(2 EF3+)
- 1950s7(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 1998 | F5 | 10 mi | 69.4 mi | 3 / 36 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF4 | 21 mi | 75.09 mi | 9 / 36 |
| Apr 19, 1970 | F4 | 10 mi | 47.6 mi | 4 / 78 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF4 | 8 mi | 16.17 mi | 3 / 5 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 9 mi | 86.01 mi | 9 / 23 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 11 mi | 29.15 mi | 5 / 14 |
| Mar 22, 1991 | F3 | 12 mi | 22 mi | 4 / 45 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF3 | 13 mi | 48.38 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jun 26, 1994 | F3 | 14 mi | 38 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Nov 4, 1988 | F3 | 18 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 1976 | F3 | 14 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1971 | F3 | 22 mi | 9.8 mi | 0 / 5 |
The strongest 12 of 67, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Savannah
The Storm Prediction Center has 47 hail reports within 10 miles of Savannah since 1974, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 6 days, most recently June 15, 2011. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. March has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Savannah
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Savannah 6 SW, TN, 8 miles west of Savannah at 420 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 30°F. May is the wettest at 6.2 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.9 inches; the year adds up to 59.2 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 44% of the year's precipitation (25.8 of 59.2 inches); the other six months are wetter. October has brought the most of the 10 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal October there has highs of 76°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 66 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 71 nights a year. That 59.2 inches is more than at 98 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (80%). Clifton, 20 miles northeast, has its own station (Waynesboro, TN): 61.9 inches a year, 2.7 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 30 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Feb | 56 | 33 | 5.4 | 8 |
| Mar | 65 | 40 | 5.6 | 8 |
| Apr | 74 | 49 | 5.7 | 8 |
| May | 81 | 59 | 6.2 | 8 |
| Jun | 88 | 67 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Jul | 91 | 70 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Aug | 91 | 69 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Sep | 86 | 61 | 4.3 | 5 |
| Oct | 76 | 49 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Nov | 64 | 40 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Dec | 54 | 34 | 5.6 | 8 |
| Year | 73 | 50 | 59.2 | 82 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Savannah 6 SW, TN (420 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 Savannah
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 81 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Savannah: 65 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $3.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on March 31, 2023. March has had the most flash floods, 6 of 14. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 172 have had fewer than Savannah.
July 4, 2018: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Savannah — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
May 6, 2021: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Savannah — 1 injured.
NWS: “Straight-line winds knocked down 30-40 trees. Several trees fell on houses while several power lines were knocked down as well.”
September 21, 2009: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Savannah — $1.3 million damage.
NWS: “Numerous roads were closed due to flash flooding. Sixteen homes were damaged by the flash flood.”
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 Savannah's ZIP code 38372 have filed 64 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $1.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2019, with 19. 14% 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, 109 have fewer than Savannah.
Hardin County, which includes Savannah, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 24 of them major disasters (by incident: 16 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hardin 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 hurricanes, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $19.6 million a year, the 36th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.0 million (26%), 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 Savannah
- Counce, TN11 mi
- Adamsville, TN12 mi
- Michie, TN16 mi
- Clifton, TN20 mi
- Selmer, TN23 mi
- Collinwood, TN24 mi
- Ramer, TN25 mi
- Burnsville, MS25 mi
- Decaturville, TN26 mi
- Glen, MS26 mi
- Corinth, MS26 mi
- Bethel Springs, TN26 mi
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