NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Friendsville, 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 Friendsville, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 58 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 58
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Friendsville
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Friendsville; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 43 miles away. The record near Friendsville begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 2 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 Friendsville. The strongest of the 58 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on April 27, 2011; its path came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on February 21, 1993, killed 1 person. Of the 58, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 37 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on May 30, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 70% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Friendsville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 140 times since 1957, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Friendsville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 94% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
Compare Friendsville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Friendsville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 24 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 63 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 Friendsville: 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 Friendsville
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s29(2 EF3+)
- 2000s4
- 1990s7(2 EF3+)
- 1980s3
- 1970s7
- 1960s2
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 15 mi | 14.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | in town | 30 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Mar 23, 2011 | EF3 | 6 mi | 5.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 19 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF2 | 12 mi | 3.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 22 mi | 14.31 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 15 mi | 16.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 23 mi | 10.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 25, 2010 | EF2 | 10 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1984 | F2 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 7 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 58, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Friendsville
The Storm Prediction Center has 140 hail reports within 10 miles of Friendsville since 1957, made on 94 separate days. Of these, 92 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 7, 2008. The most recent report is from October 21, 2025. May has the most reports, 47.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Friendsville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lenoir City, TN, 8 miles west of Friendsville at 785 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 28°F. December is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 55.2 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 43 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 76 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 55.2 inches is more than at 55 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (45%). Maryville, 8 miles east, has its own station (Knoxville Mcghee Tyson Airport, TN): 51.9 inches a year, 3.3 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 28 | 5.0 | 8 | 1.6 |
| Feb | 53 | 31 | 5.2 | 8 | 1.3 |
| Mar | 62 | 37 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.6 |
| Apr | 71 | 46 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 55 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 64 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 68 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 67 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 60 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 48 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 37 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 52 | 31 | 5.9 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Year | 71 | 48 | 55.2 | 88 | 4.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lenoir City, TN (785 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 Friendsville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 290 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Friendsville: 274 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods and 8 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 26, 2004. 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 Friendsville.
June 10, 2005: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Friendsville — 1 killed.
March 3, 2023: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Friendsville — 1 injured.
April 20, 1996: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Friendsville — $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
Blount County, which includes Friendsville, 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.