NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hampton, 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 Hampton, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 24 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 24
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Hampton
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hampton; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 26 miles away. The record near Hampton begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 19 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Hampton has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 71% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 24 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 24 miles. Of the 24, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 15 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on August 14, 2023. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 98% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hampton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 40 times since 1957, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 71% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hampton.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hampton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 52 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 Hampton: 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 Hampton
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s11(2 EF3+)
- 2000s2
- 1990s2
- 1980s2(1 EF3+)
- 1970s2
- 1960s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 24 mi | 15.8 mi | 6 / 33 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 18 mi | 13.6 mi | 2 / 70 |
| Jul 10, 1980 | F3 | 10 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 13 mi | 12 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 23 mi | 8.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 1965 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 3, 1962 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1957 | F2 | 21 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 14, 2023 | EF1 | 13 mi | 2.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF1 | 19 mi | 6.23 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF1 | 25 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF1 | 12 mi | 0.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 24, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hampton
The Storm Prediction Center has 40 hail reports within 10 miles of Hampton since 1957, made on 35 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 26, 1995. The most recent report is from April 30, 2025. June has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hampton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Elizabethton, TN, 7 miles northwest of Hampton at 1,487 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 26°F. July is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 48.2 inches over 93 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 94 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.0 inches a year, most of it in February. That 48.2 inches is more than at 10 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (8%). Roan Mountain, 7 miles southeast, has its own station (Flat Springs 1E, NC): 49.1 inches a year, 0.9 more than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 26 | 3.8 | 8 | 1.9 |
| Feb | 50 | 28 | 3.8 | 8 | 2.1 |
| Mar | 59 | 34 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 69 | 42 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 52 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 60 | 5.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 64 | 5.9 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 62 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 56 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 44 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 33 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 50 | 29 | 3.9 | 8 | 1.8 |
| Year | 68 | 44 | 48.2 | 93 | 6.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Elizabethton, TN (1,487 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 Hampton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 122 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hampton: 100 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $64.0 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, 6 of 19. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 231 have had fewer than Hampton.
July 8, 2016: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Hampton — 2 killed.
NWS: “A married couple was killed by a falling tree at their campsite near the south shore of Watauga Lake. They were beside their tent under an awning they had arranged.”
September 27, 2024: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Hampton — $62.5 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain resulted in releases from Watauga Dam that began to flash flood garages and yards of riverside homes along Watauga Drive in Elizabethton around 10:30 am EST. Flash flooding flowing down the Doe River from the Roan Mountain vicinity began to flood homes and roads in the Valley Forge area around 11:25 am EST.”
October 23, 2017: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Hampton — $525,000 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 Hampton's ZIP code 37658 have filed 44 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1984, and were paid $347,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1998, with 16. 16% 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, 99 have fewer than Hampton.
Carter County, which includes Hampton, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 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 Carter County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.9 million a year, the 47th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.0 million (76%), 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 Hampton
- Elizabethton, TN6 mi
- Roan Mountain, TN7 mi
- Unicoi, TN9 mi
- Butler, TN12 mi
- Johnson City, TN12 mi
- Elk Park, NC14 mi
- Bluff City, TN14 mi
- Piney Flats, TN14 mi
- Bakersville, NC16 mi
- Erwin, TN17 mi
- Jonesborough, TN18 mi
- Sugar Grove, NC19 mi
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