NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Gatlinburg, 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 Gatlinburg, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 19 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 19
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Gatlinburg
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Gatlinburg; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 22 miles away. The record near Gatlinburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1901; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 33 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 3 systems. Of the 7 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Gatlinburg has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 71% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The strongest of the 19 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on April 27, 2011; its path came within 22 miles. Of the 19, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 14 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on January 12, 2023. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 99% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Gatlinburg. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 31 times since 1959, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 85% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Gatlinburg.
Compare Gatlinburg's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Gatlinburg
Of the 7 tracks on the map, 4 were moving northeast as they passed Gatlinburg, 2 northwest and 1 north. Zeta (2020), the strongest pass, was heading northeast; its centre passed 22 miles southeast of Gatlinburg. None made landfall within 75 miles of Gatlinburg; 4 of the 7 were hurricanes at their peak, none at their closest to the city. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 2 came near Gatlinburg: 0.7 a decade, against 0.3 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Gatlinburg: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Check hail and hurricane history for any address
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Gatlinburg
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s11(1 EF3+)
- 1980s1
- 1970s3
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 22 mi | 14.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 21 mi | 16.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F2 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 6, 2022 | EF1 | 19 mi | 0.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 2013 | EF1 | 16 mi | 1.88 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 13, 2013 | EF1 | 9 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 18 mi | 7.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 7, 1980 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 7, 1975 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 25, 1955 | F1 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 12, 2023 | EF0 | 25 mi | 1.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 19, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Gatlinburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 31 hail reports within 10 miles of Gatlinburg since 1959, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 25 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 26, 2012. The most recent report is from September 4, 2025. June has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Gatlinburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Gatlinburg 2 SW, TN, 5 miles southwest of Gatlinburg at 1,454 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 27°F. July is the wettest at 6.3 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 58.2 inches over 110 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 104 nights a year. Snowfall averages 7.7 inches a year, most of it in January and February. That 58.2 inches is more than at 89 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (73%). Sevierville, 8 miles northwest, has its own station (Sevierville, TN): 49.0 inches a year, 9.2 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 27 | 4.8 | 10 | 2.4 |
| Feb | 51 | 29 | 4.3 | 10 | 2.4 |
| Mar | 59 | 35 | 5.6 | 10 | 1.3 |
| Apr | 69 | 42 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 51 | 5.5 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 59 | 6.0 | 11 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 63 | 6.3 | 11 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 62 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 56 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 44 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 34 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 50 | 29 | 4.9 | 10 | 1.4 |
| Year | 67 | 44 | 58.2 | 110 | 7.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Gatlinburg 2 SW, TN (1,454 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 Gatlinburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 132 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Gatlinburg: 96 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods, 12 floods and 2 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on March 25, 2023. July has had the most flash floods, 7 of 22. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 251 have had fewer than Gatlinburg.
July 12, 2022: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Gatlinburg — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Flash flooding in Greenbriar Campground with multiple people stranded. About 20 parked vehicles washed downstream.”
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 Gatlinburg's ZIP code 37738 have filed 81 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1994, with 35. 5% 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, 117 have fewer than Gatlinburg.
Sevier County, which includes Gatlinburg, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 4 fires, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Sevier 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; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $32.1 million a year, the 20th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.6 million (64%), 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.