NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Spencer, 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 Spencer, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 64 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 64
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
24 deaths in all
What the records show for Spencer
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Spencer; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 63 miles away. The record near Spencer begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. The busiest decade was the 1970s, with 2 systems. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Spencer has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 71% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 64 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1974, killed 10 people. Of the 64, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 37 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 65% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Spencer. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 38 times since 1984, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 74% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Spencer.
Compare Spencer's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Spencer
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 24 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Spencer: 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 Spencer
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s10(1 EF3+)
- 2000s19(1 EF3+)
- 1990s5(1 EF3+)
- 1980s4
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7(2 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 25 mi | 28.4 mi | 10 / 51 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 19 mi | 40.16 mi | 4 / 12 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 22 mi | 12.2 mi | 4 / 18 |
| Apr 15, 1965 | F3 | 22 mi | 6.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 18, 1995 | F3 | 14 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Mar 13, 1961 | F3 | 20 mi | 9.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 15 mi | 8.7 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Mar 15, 1973 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 21 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 23, 2011 | EF2 | 16 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF2 | 24 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 4 mi | 2.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 64, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Spencer
The Storm Prediction Center has 38 hail reports within 10 miles of Spencer since 1984, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 8, 1998. The most recent report is from May 20, 2025. April has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Spencer
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pikeville, TN, 14 miles southeast of Spencer at 864 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 30°F. December is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 56.3 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 34 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 76 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.3 inches a year, most of it in February. That 56.3 inches is more than at 68 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (56%). Rock Island, 13 miles west, has its own station (Mc Minnville, TN): 54.3 inches a year, 2.0 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 30 | 4.8 | 7 | 1.1 |
| Feb | 54 | 33 | 5.1 | 8 | 1.7 |
| Mar | 63 | 39 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.8 |
| Apr | 72 | 47 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 55 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 63 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 67 | 5.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 66 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 59 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 48 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 38 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 33 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.7 |
| Year | 71 | 48 | 56.3 | 88 | 4.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pikeville, TN (864 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 Spencer
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 68 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Spencer: 54 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 4 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $818,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on August 7, 2023. October has had the most flash floods, 3 of 8. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 57 have had fewer than Spencer.
October 6, 2021: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Spencer — 1 killed, 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “A car with 2 occupants was swept off Mooneyham Lonewood Road. The passenger, a 67 year old male, died and the female driver was injured.”
August 7, 2023: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Spencer — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Satellite imagery along with damage photos indicate a large and very damaging 10 mile wide downburst struck eastern Van Buren County. Scattered trees were snapped and uprooted in this large downburst with winds estimated from 60 to 75 mph.”
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
Van Buren County, which includes Spencer, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 5 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 Van Buren County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $2.6 million a year, the 94th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.2 million (44%), 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 Spencer
- Rock Island, TN13 mi
- Pikeville, TN14 mi
- Sparta, TN17 mi
- Dunlap, TN21 mi
- Mcminnville, TN21 mi
- Graysville, TN22 mi
- Dayton, TN26 mi
- Smithville, TN27 mi
- Crossville, TN27 mi
- Sale Creek, TN27 mi
- Evensville, TN27 mi
- Morrison, TN30 mi
All Tennessee cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Spencer with another place →