NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Watertown, 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 Watertown, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 119 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 119
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
45 deaths in all
What the records show for Watertown
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Watertown; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 75 miles away. The record near Watertown begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm 14 miles away. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site, 55% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Watertown. The highest rating among the 119 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 10, 2009, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on February 5, 2008, killed 22 people. Of the 119, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 70 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on April 3, 2025. Watertown has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 88% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 37 times since 1968, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 74% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Watertown.
Compare Watertown's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Watertown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Watertown: 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 Watertown
By decade
- 2020s21(1 EF3+)
- 2010s31
- 2000s18(5 EF3+)
- 1990s18(2 EF3+)
- 1980s9
- 1970s10(3 EF3+)
- 1960s6
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF4 | 15 mi | 23.25 mi | 2 / 58 |
| Jan 24, 1997 | F4 | 23 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 23 mi | 50.32 mi | 22 / 63 |
| Apr 7, 2006 | F3 | 25 mi | 22.7 mi | 7 / 128 |
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF3 | 4 mi | 60.13 mi | 5 / 220 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 17 mi | 42.1 mi | 1 / 60 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 13 mi | 14.6 mi | 1 / 23 |
| May 11, 2003 | F3 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 25 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 31 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 9 mi | 15.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 7 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 26, 1959 | F3 | 14 mi | 19.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 119, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Watertown
The Storm Prediction Center has 37 hail reports within 10 miles of Watertown since 1968, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 21 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 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Watertown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lebanon, TN, 14 miles northwest of Watertown at 525 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 28°F. May is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 54.5 inches over 84 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 91 nights a year. That 54.5 inches is more than at 40 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (33%). Alexandria, 7 miles east, has its own station (Carthage, TN): 52.5 inches a year, 2.0 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 28 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Feb | 52 | 30 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Mar | 61 | 38 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Apr | 71 | 46 | 4.9 | 7 |
| May | 79 | 56 | 5.6 | 8 |
| Jun | 87 | 65 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Aug | 90 | 67 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Sep | 84 | 60 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Oct | 73 | 47 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Nov | 61 | 37 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Dec | 51 | 31 | 5.2 | 8 |
| Year | 70 | 48 | 54.5 | 84 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lebanon, TN (525 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 Watertown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 154 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Watertown: 131 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 5 heavy rain events, 3 lightning strikes and 2 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $1.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on March 1, 2017. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 13. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 159 have had fewer than Watertown.
February 6, 2008: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Watertown — 11 injured, $5,000 damage.
June 9, 1996: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Watertown — $600,000 damage.
May 7, 2003: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Watertown — $250,000 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 Watertown's ZIP code 37184 have filed 36 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $455,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late spring storms in 2010: 12 claims (33% of all) and $226,000. 39% 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, 84 have fewer than Watertown.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late spring storms2010 | 12 | $226,000 |
Wilson County, which includes Watertown, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 4 tornadoes, 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 Wilson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $60.5 million a year, the 10th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $31.1 million (51%), 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 Watertown
- Alexandria, TN7 mi
- Gordonsville, TN10 mi
- Lebanon, TN12 mi
- Lascassas, TN13 mi
- Carthage, TN16 mi
- Woodbury, TN20 mi
- Readyville, TN21 mi
- Mount Juliet, TN21 mi
- Castalian Springs, TN21 mi
- Hartsville, TN22 mi
- Smithville, TN22 mi
- Murfreesboro, TN23 mi
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