NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Alcoa, 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 Alcoa, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 51 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 51
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Alcoa
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Alcoa; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 40 miles away. The record near Alcoa begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 10 miles away. The busiest decade was the 2020s, with 2 systems. Of the 5 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site, 55% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Alcoa. The strongest of the 51 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on April 27, 2011; its path came within 11 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on April 3, 1974, killed 2 people. Of the 51, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on August 7, 2023. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 73% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Alcoa. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 96 times since 1957, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Alcoa has more hail reports within 10 miles than 87% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
Compare Alcoa's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Alcoa
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 24 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Alcoa: 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 Alcoa
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s27(2 EF3+)
- 2000s4
- 1990s6(2 EF3+)
- 1980s3
- 1970s6
- 1960s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 11 mi | 14.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 3 mi | 30 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Mar 23, 2011 | EF3 | 11 mi | 5.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 20 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF2 | 12 mi | 3.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 24 mi | 14.31 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 11 mi | 16.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 2010 | EF2 | 15 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1984 | F2 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 3 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 15, 1965 | F2 | 8 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 6 |
The strongest 12 of 51, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Alcoa
The Storm Prediction Center has 96 hail reports within 10 miles of Alcoa since 1957, made on 73 separate days. Of these, 62 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on June 10, 1963. The most recent report is from October 21, 2025. May has the most reports, 34.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Alcoa
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Knoxville Mcghee Tyson Airport, TN, 2 miles north of Alcoa at 962 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 30°F. July is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 51.9 inches over 86 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 37 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 67 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 51.9 inches is more than at 22 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (18%). Friendsville, 8 miles west, has its own station (Lenoir City, TN): 55.2 inches a year, 3.3 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 30 | 4.8 | 8 | 1.7 |
| Feb | 53 | 33 | 4.8 | 8 | 1.4 |
| Mar | 61 | 40 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.9 |
| Apr | 71 | 48 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 57 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 65 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 69 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 68 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 61 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 49 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 38 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 51 | 33 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Year | 70 | 49 | 51.9 | 86 | 4.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Knoxville Mcghee Tyson Airport, TN (962 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 Alcoa
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 270 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Alcoa: 247 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods and 10 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 26, 2004. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 13. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 159 have had fewer than Alcoa.
July 8, 2016: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Alcoa — 1 killed.
March 3, 2023: thunderstorm wind in Alcoa — 1 injured.
NWS: “A tree was reported to have fallen on a woman in a vehicle. She was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.”
April 20, 1996: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Alcoa — $120,000 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 Alcoa's ZIP code 37701 have filed 13 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2002, and were paid $831,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. Of the 155 Tennessee cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 18 have fewer than Alcoa.
Blount County, which includes Alcoa, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 3 floods, 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 Blount County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $36.6 million a year, the 15th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.4 million (47%), 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.