NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Summertown, 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 Summertown, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 87 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 87
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
19 deaths in all
What the records show for Summertown
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Summertown; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 72 miles away. The record near Summertown begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm 25 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 2 systems. None of the 7 systems has come since 2000. Summertown has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 71% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The strongest of the 87 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 16, 1998; its path passed within a mile of the city centre, and it killed 3 people. The deadliest, an EF3 on March 31, 2023, killed 9 people. Of the 87, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 49 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Summertown has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 52% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 36 times since 1992, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 76% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Summertown.
Compare Summertown's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Summertown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Summertown: 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 Summertown
By decade
- 2020s14(2 EF3+)
- 2010s17(1 EF3+)
- 2000s18(2 EF3+)
- 1990s18(2 EF3+)
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 1998 | F5 | in town | 69.4 mi | 3 / 36 |
| May 18, 1995 | F4 | 11 mi | 29 mi | 3 / 32 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 6 mi | 86.01 mi | 9 / 23 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF3 | 22 mi | 11.53 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF3 | 1 mi | 48.38 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 11, 2008 | EF3 | 11 mi | 4.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 2008 | EF3 | 10 mi | 10.34 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 16, 1985 | F3 | 18 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F3 | 13 mi | 32.3 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Feb 17, 1956 | F3 | 20 mi | 10.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 23, 2015 | EF2 | 21 mi | 14.92 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Mar 22, 1991 | F2 | 15 mi | 5 mi | 1 / 14 |
The strongest 12 of 87, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Summertown
The Storm Prediction Center has 36 hail reports within 10 miles of Summertown since 1992, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 2, 2012. The most recent report is from May 20, 2025. April has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Summertown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mt Pleasant 1N, TN, 11 miles northeast of Summertown at 778 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 27°F. December is the wettest at 6.5 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.9 inches; the year adds up to 62.3 inches over 76 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 84 nights a year. That 62.3 inches is more than at 115 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (94%). Lawrenceburg, 12 miles south, has its own station (Pulaski Wwtp, TN): 58.7 inches a year, 3.6 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 27 | 5.3 | 6 |
| Feb | 52 | 31 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Mar | 61 | 38 | 6.0 | 8 |
| Apr | 72 | 47 | 5.4 | 7 |
| May | 80 | 58 | 6.3 | 8 |
| Jun | 88 | 67 | 5.4 | 6 |
| Jul | 91 | 69 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Aug | 90 | 66 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Sep | 84 | 59 | 5.3 | 5 |
| Oct | 73 | 47 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Nov | 61 | 36 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Dec | 51 | 30 | 6.5 | 7 |
| Year | 71 | 48 | 62.3 | 76 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mt Pleasant 1N, TN (778 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 Summertown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 149 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Summertown: 110 thunderstorm wind reports, 32 flash floods, 4 lightning strikes, 2 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 3 people and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on May 30, 2004. March has had the most flash floods, 11 of 32. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 298 have had fewer than Summertown.
December 23, 2015: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Summertown — 3 killed, $20,000 damage.
September 24, 2024: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Summertown — 3 injured, $25,000 damage.
May 31, 2001: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Summertown — 2 injured.
NWS: “S. A tree fell on the hood of a car, and threw 2 adults in the front seat into the windshield.”
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
Lawrence County, which includes Summertown, has been named in 25 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 Lawrence County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for strong wind; 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 $22.3 million a year, the 30th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.4 million (29%), 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.