Columbia

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Flood insurance figures are for Maury County, the county that contains Columbia.

Claims by ZIP code

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).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges in Maury County, the county that contains Columbia.

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

The drought index is for Maury County, the county that contains Columbia.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Mapped landslides

Landslides mapped in Maury County.

Mapped by NASA (1).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. May 8, 2024Tornado$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This EF-3 tornado touched down along the Duck River east of Columbia and moved northeast causing tree damage and minor structure damage on Mount Olivet Road. Multiple homes received damage along Cothran Road and Cranford Hollow Road before the tornado moved north of Highway 412. More intense damage began to occur on Old Highway 99 and Blackburn Lane where large sections of roofs were removed and hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted. The tornado reached its maximum strength along Blackburn Road and Lasea Road where large transmission power trusses were collapsed, a house was destroyed with only small interior walls still standing, and a mobile home was swept away. The tornado…

2. Jan 17, 1999Thunderstorm Wind$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   About 350 homes and 25 businesses received damage from the straight line winds in Columbia. A large tree fell on a house. 30 to 40 homes and businesses received serious damage. At Columbia's Shady Brook Mall huge panes of glass at the entrance were blown in, and there was extensive roof damage. 40 mature trees were uprooted at the Graymere Country Club. There was $400,000 worth of damage to the Pepsi Cola plant alone.

3. Apr 16, 1998Tornado$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The heaviest damage was in the Culleola-Tice Town area. An 18 wheeler was blown over. Many homes were damaged, trees and power lines were down. Several trailers were destroyed or damaged.

4. Jan 23, 2002Flash Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Water was over some roads and threatening residences. Several auto accidents reported due to flooding.20 homes, 10 trailers, 27 businesses received damage. 50 people were evacuated. 25 bridges and 30 roads were closed. 50 hay bales were destroyed. $2,000,000 worth of damage was estimated by Maury County EMA.

5. May 2, 2010Flood$1.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous streets were reported flooded in Columbia. Also, numerous homes, numerous businesses, numerous non comercial buildings, along with several county, state, and federal roads across the county received damage due to the flood.

6. May 3, 2020Thunderstorm Wind$718,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous trees and power lines were blown down with power outages across Maury County, including across Columbia where one tree fell onto a house on Mockingbird Lane.

7. Mar 3, 2023High Wind, Maury$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An AWOS station at Columbia Airport measured a peak non-thunderstorm wind gust of 68 mph. Several hours of severe non-thunderstorm winds resulted in numerous damage reports, including downed and uprooted trees, downed powerlines, and roof and other property damage across all of Maury County. Damages are estimated.

8. Mar 30, 2025Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF-2 tornado touched down in western Maury County, just northeast of Hampshire near U.S. Highway 412. It was here that timber damage occurred as well as damage to at least one barn on Old State Road and Roy Thompson Road. The tornado crossed into an inaccessible wooded area thereafter then emerged onto Rippey Lake Road, causing additional damage to trees. The tornado then caused significant damage to a home, removing almost the entire roof section and collapsing most walls. The tornado weakened as it moved southeast, causing additional timber damage on South Bridges Road before dissipating on Ashwood Road. Damages are a rough estimate.

9. Mar 27, 2021Flash Flood$335,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Significant flash flooding affected far northern Maury County. A woman attempting to clear debris blocking a drainage culvert on her property at 6415 Leipers Creek Road was swept through the culvert and drowned. Several roads were flooded and closed, including Fairview Road at Les Robinson Road west of Spring Hill, and Duplex Road between Highway 31 and Miles Johnson Parkway in Spring Hill. Flood waters also reportedly covered the parking lot of Walmart in Spring Hill on Highway 31.

10. Feb 21, 1997Thunderstorm Wind$300,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A microburst hit the Porters Chapel area. The winds destroyed 3 barns and a house. 3 cows were also killed.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

109°F2 times, most recently Jun 30, 2012

All-time low

−20°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

81°FJul 13, 1954

Coldest day

4°FJan 21, 1985

Wettest day

5.95 inMay 2, 2010

Snowiest day

15.0 inJan 1, 1964

Hottest year

2024mean 61.2°F

Coldest year

1976mean 56.0°F

Wettest year

202068.27 in

Driest year

196331.17 in

Snowiest season

23.0 in1963-64

Station Columbia 3 Wnw (USC00401957), 650 ft elevation, 2.5 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 27, 2026; 97.4% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Declarations for Maury County.

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).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00401957.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.