NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Butler, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Butler, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 20 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 20
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Butler
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Butler; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre passed 15 miles away. The record near Butler begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 17 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Butler has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 71% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 20 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 22 miles. Of the 20, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on September 25, 2024. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 99% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Butler. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 16 times since 1957, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 99% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Butler.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Butler
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 48 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 Butler: 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 Butler
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s7(1 EF3+)
- 2000s2
- 1990s3
- 1980s2(1 EF3+)
- 1970s2
- 1960s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 22 mi | 19.63 mi | 3 / 50 |
| Jul 10, 1980 | F3 | 22 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 4 mi | 12 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 1965 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 3, 1962 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 25, 2024 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 14, 2023 | EF1 | 7 mi | 2.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 24 mi | 3.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 2002 | F1 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1998 | F1 | 7 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 20, 1996 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 20, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Butler
The Storm Prediction Center has 16 hail reports within 10 miles of Butler since 1957, made on 13 separate days. Of these, 7 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 9, 2008. The most recent report is from October 18, 2012. June has the most reports, 5.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Butler
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Flat Springs 1E, NC, 7 miles southeast of Butler at 3,330 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 24°F. June and July are the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and September and November the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 49.1 inches over 107 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs of 90°F are rare: fewer than one day a year on average. Lows fall below freezing on about 95 nights a year. Snowfall averages 48.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 49.1 inches is more than at 15 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (12%). Elk Park, NC, 11 miles south, has its own station (Beech Mountain, NC): 57.8 inches a year, 8.7 more than here, and a July average high of 69°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 24 | 4.4 | 9 | 12.6 |
| Feb | 44 | 27 | 3.7 | 10 | 11.2 |
| Mar | 52 | 33 | 4.3 | 10 | 8.6 |
| Apr | 62 | 42 | 4.6 | 9 | 0.9 |
| May | 70 | 50 | 4.4 | 11 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 75 | 58 | 5.2 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 61 | 5.2 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 60 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 54 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 44 | 3.1 | 8 | 1.0 |
| Nov | 53 | 35 | 3.0 | 6 | 3.2 |
| Dec | 46 | 28 | 4.0 | 10 | 10.7 |
| Year | 61 | 43 | 49.1 | 107 | 48.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Flat Springs 1E, NC (3,330 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 Butler
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 51 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Butler: 37 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods and 6 floods. They killed 4 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $252.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on August 14, 2023. August has had the most flash floods, 3 of 8. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 57 have had fewer than Butler.
September 27, 2024: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Butler — 2 killed, 4 injured, $250.0 million damage.
July 8, 2016: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Butler — 2 killed.
July 8, 2016: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Butler — 1 injured, $100,000 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 Butler's ZIP code 37640 have filed 12 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2003, and were paid $592,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 42% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 155 Tennessee cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 13 have fewer than Butler.
Johnson County, which includes Butler, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 4 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 Johnson County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.9 million a year, the 82nd highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.8 million (65%), 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 Butler
- Sugar Grove, NC10 mi
- Elk Park, NC11 mi
- Elizabethton, TN12 mi
- Mountain City, TN12 mi
- Hampton, TN12 mi
- Roan Mountain, TN12 mi
- Vilas, NC12 mi
- Zionville, NC13 mi
- Banner Elk, NC14 mi
- Bluff City, TN17 mi
- Bristol, TN19 mi
- Boone, NC20 mi
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