NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bulls Gap, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bulls Gap, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 28 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 28
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Bulls Gap
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bulls Gap; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 75 miles away. The record near Bulls Gap begins with an unnamed storm in 1932; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 71 miles away. The busiest decade was the 2020s, with 2 systems. Of the 4 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site, 81% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Bulls Gap. The highest rating among the 28 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 22 miles. Of the 28, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 13 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on February 6, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 91% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bulls Gap. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1970, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 68% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bulls Gap.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bulls Gap
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bulls Gap: 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 Bulls Gap
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s9(2 EF3+)
- 2000s1
- 1990s2
- 1980s2
- 1970s6
- 1960s3
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 22 mi | 15.8 mi | 6 / 33 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 23 mi | 13.6 mi | 2 / 70 |
| Mar 12, 1967 | F2 | 13 mi | 16 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Mar 11, 1963 | F2 | 17 mi | 6.2 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 20 mi | 8.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 6, 1980 | F2 | 14 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F2 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 22, 1967 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 5, 1955 | F2 | 17 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Feb 6, 2025 | EF1 | 20 mi | 3.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 24, 2024 | EF1 | 19 mi | 5.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 22 mi | 7.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 28, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bulls Gap
The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Bulls Gap since 1970, made on 35 separate days. Of these, 29 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on April 9, 2011. The most recent report is from May 8, 2024. June has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bulls Gap
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rogersville 1 NE, TN, 11 miles northeast of Bulls Gap at 1,355 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 26°F. July and December are the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 48.8 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 87 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 48.8 inches is more than at 13 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (11%). Whitesburg, 5 miles west, has its own station (Morristown Radio Wcrk, TN): 48.2 inches a year, 0.6 less than here, and the same July average high, 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 26 | 4.6 | 7 | 3.2 |
| Feb | 50 | 29 | 4.2 | 6 | 2.1 |
| Mar | 59 | 35 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 69 | 44 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 53 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 64 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 58 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 45 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 35 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 48 | 29 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Year | 67 | 45 | 48.8 | 76 | 6.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rogersville 1 NE, TN (1,355 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 Bulls Gap
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 161 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bulls Gap: 142 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 floods and 5 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $13.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 8, 2024. February has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 18 have had fewer than Bulls Gap.
September 28, 2024: flood 8 miles from the centre of Bulls Gap — $11.0 million damage.
February 23, 2019: flood 8 miles from the centre of Bulls Gap — $1.2 million damage.
February 23, 2019: flood 5 miles from the centre of Bulls Gap — $550,000 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
Hawkins County, which includes Bulls Gap, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hawkins County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $13.7 million a year, the 52nd highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.8 million (57%), 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 Bulls Gap
- Whitesburg, TN5 mi
- Russellville, TN8 mi
- Mosheim, TN8 mi
- Midway, TN8 mi
- Rogersville, TN11 mi
- Mooresburg, TN11 mi
- Morristown, TN14 mi
- Greeneville, TN15 mi
- Bean Station, TN15 mi
- Afton, TN18 mi
- White Pine, TN18 mi
- Parrottsville, TN18 mi
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