NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Union City, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Union City, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 102 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 102
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
102 deaths in all
What the records show for Union City
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Union City; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre passed 44 miles away. The record near Union City begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 8 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site, 55% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Union City. The highest rating among the 102 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 5 times; the most recent, on December 10, 2021, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on December 10, 2021, killed 57 people. Of the 102, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 57 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on November 18, 2025. Union City has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 71% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1959, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 55% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Union City.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Union City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 28 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 44 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 Union City: 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 Union City
By decade
- 2020s25(3 EF3+)
- 2010s20
- 2000s12(3 EF3+)
- 1990s9(3 EF3+)
- 1980s5
- 1970s11
- 1960s10(1 EF3+)
- 1950s10(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 5 mi | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 13 mi | 81.17 mi | 8 / 14 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F4 | 25 mi | 4.7 mi | 2 / 10 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 22 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F4 | 21 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | 22 mi | 18 mi | 16 / 70 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F3 | 22 mi | 18.1 mi | 10 / 30 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | 25 mi | 31 mi | 6 / 44 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | 17 mi | 8 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF3 | 15 mi | 122.62 mi | 0 / 38 |
| Nov 27, 1994 | F3 | 19 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 4, 1964 | F3 | 19 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 5 |
The strongest 12 of 102, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Union City
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Union City since 1959, made on 41 separate days. Of these, 25 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on July 15, 1971. The most recent report is from November 18, 2025. April has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Union City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Union City, TN, 3 miles southeast of Union City at 350 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 27°F. May is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 53.8 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 42 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 86 nights a year. Snowfall averages 5.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 53.8 inches is more than at 33 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (27%). South Fulton, 11 miles east, has its own station (Martin U Of T Branch E, TN): 54.8 inches a year, 1.0 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 27 | 4.0 | 7 | 2.1 |
| Feb | 49 | 30 | 4.6 | 7 | 1.7 |
| Mar | 59 | 37 | 5.2 | 8 | 1.0 |
| Apr | 69 | 47 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 57 | 5.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 66 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 69 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 66 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 58 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 46 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 59 | 36 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 48 | 30 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Year | 69 | 47 | 53.8 | 79 | 5.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Union City, TN (350 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 Union City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 126 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Union City: 96 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods, 9 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $14.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on February 24, 2018. February has had the most flash floods, 5 of 20. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 236 have had fewer than Union City.
April 3, 2008: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Union City — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain produced flash flooding on a few roadways near the Everett Stewart Airport. A 24 year old man drowned when he ran off of Martin Highway into a swollen creek.”
February 16, 2025: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Union City — $5.0 million damage.
NWS: “Significant flooding occurred in Rives, TN due to a levee overtopping. The entire town was flooded.”
May 4, 2021: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Union City — $2.5 million damage.
NWS: “Straight-line winds knocked down trees and power lines along US Highway 51. A warehouse suffered roof and wall 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 Union City's ZIP code 38261 have filed 61 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.9 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 2% 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, 108 have fewer than Union City.
Obion County, which includes Union City, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Obion County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $34.9 million a year, the 17th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.5 million (10%), 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).
Union City in the notable storm records: The December 10, 2021 EF4 Tornado in Tennessee, near Mayfield, KY
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Union City
- Troy, TN8 mi
- South Fulton, TN11 mi
- Hickman, KY11 mi
- Fulton, KY12 mi
- Martin, TN14 mi
- Kenton, TN16 mi
- Clinton, KY18 mi
- Sharon, TN19 mi
- Wingo, KY23 mi
- Dresden, TN23 mi
- Newbern, TN24 mi
- Dyer, TN25 mi
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