NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Tiptonville, 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 Tiptonville, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 105 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 105
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
71 deaths in all
What the records show for Tiptonville
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Tiptonville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre passed 65 miles away. The record near Tiptonville begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 17 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Tiptonville has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 105 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on December 10, 2021, came within 12 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on December 10, 2021, killed 57 people. Of the 105, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 59 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on November 18, 2025. Tiptonville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 77% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 39 times since 1973, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 72% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Tiptonville.
Compare Tiptonville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Tiptonville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 65 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 Tiptonville: 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 Tiptonville
By decade
- 2020s19(3 EF3+)
- 2010s27
- 2000s13(1 EF3+)
- 1990s13
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1970s11(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s11(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 21 mi | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 12 mi | 81.17 mi | 8 / 14 |
| Apr 22, 1981 | F4 | 22 mi | 63 mi | 1 / 32 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | 24 mi | 77 mi | 2 / 177 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 23 mi | 19.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1973 | F3 | 25 mi | 36 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 22, 1955 | F3 | 11 mi | 12.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 20, 1955 | F3 | 18 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Nov 13, 1951 | F3 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 24, 1973 | F2 | 10 mi | 57.3 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Feb 24, 2018 | EF2 | 25 mi | 41.93 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 24 mi | 19.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 105, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Tiptonville
The Storm Prediction Center has 39 hail reports within 10 miles of Tiptonville since 1973, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 19 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on April 2, 2006. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April and May have the most reports, 12 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Tiptonville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is New Madrid, MO, 5 miles north of Tiptonville at 302 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 28°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 49.4 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 56 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 72 nights a year. That 49.4 inches is more than at 16 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (13%). Portageville, MO, 12 miles southwest, has its own station (Portageville, MO): 48.9 inches a year, 0.5 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 28 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Feb | 49 | 31 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Mar | 58 | 39 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Apr | 69 | 49 | 5.1 | 8 |
| May | 79 | 59 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 87 | 67 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Jul | 90 | 71 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Aug | 89 | 68 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Sep | 82 | 60 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Oct | 72 | 49 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Nov | 58 | 38 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Dec | 47 | 31 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Year | 69 | 49 | 49.4 | 71 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at New Madrid, MO (302 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 Tiptonville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 111 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Tiptonville: 58 thunderstorm wind reports, 43 floods, 8 flash floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 22, and the NWS estimated $6.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 25, 2011. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 57 have had fewer than Tiptonville.
May 30, 2004: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Tiptonville — 22 injured, $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Twenty five camper trailers and three campsites were destroyed injuring several people. Some of the camper trailers were blown into the Tennessee River.”
May 1, 2011: flood 7 miles from the centre of Tiptonville — $3.0 million damage.
July 1, 2019: flood 6 miles from the centre of Tiptonville — $1.0 million 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 Tiptonville's ZIP code 38079 have filed 25 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $293,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Mid-spring storms in 2011: 10 claims (40% of all) and $228,000. 40% 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, 65 have fewer than Tiptonville.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-spring storms2011 | 10 | $228,000 |
Fulton County, which includes Tiptonville, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 5 floods, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on April 24, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Fulton County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, 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 65th highest of 120 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.5 million (16%), 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 Tiptonville
- New Madrid, MO6 mi
- Portageville, MO12 mi
- Hickman, KY17 mi
- East Prairie, MO18 mi
- Ridgely, TN20 mi
- Troy, TN21 mi
- Hayti, MO23 mi
- Union City, TN25 mi
- Caruthersville, MO25 mi
- Malden, MO26 mi
- Sikeston, MO26 mi
- Charleston, MO30 mi
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