NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit White Bluff, 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 White Bluff, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 93 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 93
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for White Bluff
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed White Bluff; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 40 miles away. The record near White Bluff begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm 55 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 White Bluff. The highest rating among the 93 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on December 24, 1988, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on March 3, 2020, killed 5 people. Of the 93, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 65 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on April 5, 2025. White Bluff has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 61% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 68 times since 1983, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). White Bluff has more hail reports within 10 miles than 71% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near White Bluff
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in White Bluff: 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 White Bluff
By decade
- 2020s15(1 EF3+)
- 2010s22
- 2000s28(3 EF3+)
- 1990s8(2 EF3+)
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 1970 | F4 | 24 mi | 42.6 mi | 3 / 85 |
| Dec 24, 1988 | F4 | 22 mi | 6 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF3 | 15 mi | 60.13 mi | 5 / 220 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 17 mi | 42.1 mi | 1 / 60 |
| Apr 7, 2006 | F3 | 11 mi | 18.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2003 | F3 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 20 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 9 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 1, 1974 | F2 | 21 mi | 10.9 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Dec 9, 2023 | EF2 | 3 mi | 18.37 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 9, 2023 | EF2 | 14 mi | 5.81 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF2 | 2 mi | 12.61 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 93, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in White Bluff
The Storm Prediction Center has 68 hail reports within 10 miles of White Bluff since 1983, made on 52 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on March 3, 2020. The most recent report is from April 3, 2025. April has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in White Bluff
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Kingston Springs, TN, 6 miles east of White Bluff at 517 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 27°F. May is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 50.5 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 51 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 96 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.4 inches a year, most of it in February. That 50.5 inches is more than at 17 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (14%). Burns, 6 miles southwest, has its own station (Dickson, TN): 54.0 inches a year, 3.5 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 27 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Feb | 54 | 29 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Mar | 63 | 36 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 73 | 44 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 54 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 63 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 67 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 65 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 58 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 45 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 63 | 35 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 29 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Year | 72 | 46 | 50.5 | 82 | 1.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Kingston Springs, TN (517 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 White Bluff
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 229 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of White Bluff: 191 thunderstorm wind reports, 26 flash floods, 8 heavy rain events and 4 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $4.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on March 29, 2002. August has had the most flash floods, 8 of 26. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 275 have had fewer than White Bluff.
July 13, 2004: thunderstorm wind in White Bluff — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “Winds were estimated to be around 80 mph. Two mobile homes were destroyed on a Sam Davis Road trailer park in Smyrna and another mobile home was damaged.”
February 21, 2005: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of White Bluff — $1.0 million damage.
May 3, 2020: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of White Bluff — $668,000 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
Dickson County, which includes White Bluff, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 4 tornadoes, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Dickson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.8 million a year, the 38th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.0 million (32%), 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 White Bluff
- Burns, TN6 mi
- Kingston Springs, TN6 mi
- Charlotte, TN9 mi
- Pegram, TN10 mi
- Fairview, TN11 mi
- Dickson, TN11 mi
- Bon Aqua, TN13 mi
- Ashland City, TN15 mi
- Lyles, TN17 mi
- Cumberland Furnace, TN17 mi
- Chapmansboro, TN19 mi
- Pleasant View, TN22 mi
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