NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bristol, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bristol, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 28 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 28
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Bristol
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bristol; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 25 miles away. The record near Bristol begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 36 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Bristol has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 28 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 14 miles. Of the 28, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 17 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on May 12, 2017. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 91% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bristol. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 59 times since 1967, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Bristol has more hail reports within 10 miles than 63% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bristol
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bristol: 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 Bristol
By decade
- 2010s12(1 EF3+)
- 2000s5
- 1990s4
- 1980s1
- 1970s3(1 EF3+)
- 1960s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 14 mi | 19.63 mi | 3 / 50 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F3 | 24 mi | 8.4 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 15 mi | 12 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1962 | F2 | 3 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 13 mi | 3.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF1 | 23 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 2002 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1998 | F1 | 10 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 16, 1989 | F1 | 14 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 1, 1977 | F1 | 5 mi | 16.2 mi | 0 / 10 |
The strongest 12 of 28, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bristol
The Storm Prediction Center has 59 hail reports within 10 miles of Bristol since 1967, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 27, 2011. The most recent report is from May 6, 2022. April and May have the most reports, 17 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bristol
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Abingdon 3S, VA, 14 miles northeast of Bristol at 1,925 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 24°F. July is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 47.4 inches over 99 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 7 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 108 nights a year. That 47.4 inches is more than at 7 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (6%). Bluff City, 7 miles southwest, has its own station (Elizabethton, TN): 48.2 inches a year, 0.8 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 24 | 3.8 | 9 |
| Feb | 48 | 27 | 3.9 | 9 |
| Mar | 57 | 33 | 4.5 | 10 |
| Apr | 68 | 41 | 4.4 | 9 |
| May | 75 | 50 | 4.4 | 10 |
| Jun | 82 | 59 | 4.3 | 9 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 4.7 | 9 |
| Aug | 84 | 61 | 3.8 | 8 |
| Sep | 79 | 55 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Oct | 69 | 43 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Nov | 57 | 33 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Dec | 48 | 27 | 4.2 | 9 |
| Year | 66 | 43 | 47.4 | 99 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Abingdon 3S, VA (1,925 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 Bristol
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 205 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bristol: 172 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods, 13 floods, 2 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 12, 2004. August has had the most flash floods, 5 of 16. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 201 have had fewer than Bristol.
August 7, 1996: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Bristol — 1 killed, 1 injured, $8,000 damage.
July 23, 2002: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Bristol — 3 injured, $40,000 damage.
July 10, 2004: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Bristol — 2 injured.
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 Bristol's ZIP code 37620 have filed 38 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $230,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. Of the 155 Tennessee cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 89 have fewer than Bristol.
Sullivan County, which includes Bristol, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 winter storms, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Sullivan County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for tornadoes and hail; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $28.5 million a year, the 23rd highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.2 million (71%), 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 Bristol
- Bristol, VA4 mi
- Bluff City, TN7 mi
- Blountville, TN11 mi
- Piney Flats, TN13 mi
- Abingdon, VA14 mi
- Elizabethton, TN14 mi
- Nickelsville, VA19 mi
- Butler, TN19 mi
- Johnson City, TN19 mi
- Hampton, TN20 mi
- Kingsport, TN20 mi
- Mountain City, TN21 mi
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