NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Big Sandy, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Big Sandy, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 84 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 84
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Big Sandy
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Big Sandy; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 3 miles away. The record near Big Sandy begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 66 miles away. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site, 94% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Big Sandy. The strongest of the 84 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 7, 1971; its path came within 23 miles, and it killed 3 people. The deadliest, an F3 on January 19, 1988, killed 3 people. Of the 84, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 58 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on April 5, 2025. Big Sandy has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 48% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 24 times since 1989, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 95% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Big Sandy.
Compare Big Sandy's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Big Sandy
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Big Sandy: 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 Big Sandy
By decade
- 2020s14(1 EF3+)
- 2010s10
- 2000s34(2 EF3+)
- 1990s8(1 EF3+)
- 1980s10(2 EF3+)
- 1970s4(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 1971 | F4 | 23 mi | 50.9 mi | 3 / 137 |
| Jan 19, 1988 | F3 | 20 mi | 22 mi | 3 / 24 |
| Nov 26, 2001 | F3 | 10 mi | 5 mi | 2 / 12 |
| Jan 22, 1999 | F3 | 3 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF3 | 18 mi | 122.62 mi | 0 / 38 |
| May 27, 2000 | F3 | 6 mi | 17.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1984 | F3 | 11 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 36 |
| Mar 21, 1952 | F3 | 15 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 19 |
| Mar 2, 2020 | EF2 | 11 mi | 18.72 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Mar 2, 2020 | EF2 | 17 mi | 14.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 2011 | EF2 | 24 mi | 13.29 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF2 | 2 mi | 6.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 84, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Big Sandy
The Storm Prediction Center has 24 hail reports within 10 miles of Big Sandy since 1989, made on 16 separate days. Of these, 16 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 8, 2025, the most recent report. June has the most reports, 6.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Big Sandy
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Big Sandy, TN, 3 miles southwest of Big Sandy at 365 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 29°F. May is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 51.9 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 52 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 80 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.1 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%). Camden, 14 miles south, has its own station (Camden, TN): 51.6 inches a year, 0.3 less 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 | 47 | 29 | 4.0 | 6 | 1.8 |
| Feb | 52 | 33 | 4.7 | 7 | 1.0 |
| Mar | 62 | 39 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 72 | 47 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.3 |
| May | 79 | 57 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 66 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 69 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 68 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 60 | 3.3 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 48 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 38 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 50 | 32 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.6 |
| Year | 70 | 49 | 51.9 | 80 | 4.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Big Sandy, TN (365 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 Big Sandy
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 88 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Big Sandy: 71 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 2 floods, 2 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $4.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on April 30, 2002. April has had the most flash floods, 6 of 12. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 139 have had fewer than Big Sandy.
June 18, 2025: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Big Sandy — 1 injured.
April 27, 2013: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Big Sandy — $4.0 million damage.
NWS: “Repeated development of thunderstorms across Houston County resulted in 5 to 7 inches of rain falling during the evening hours on April 27. Major flash flooding resulted from the heavy rainfall, with several homes and businesses damaged along with numerous roadways flooded.”
May 2, 2010: flood 2 miles from the centre of Big Sandy — $301,000 damage.
NWS: “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.”
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
Benton County, which includes Big Sandy, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 3 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 Benton County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.7 million a year, the 65th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.0 million (20%), 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.