NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Harrogate, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Harrogate, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 30 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 30
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Harrogate
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Harrogate; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 55 miles away. The record near Harrogate begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Harrogate has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 30 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 27, 2014, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 9, 1988, killed 1 person. Of the 30, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 21 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 11. The most recent tornado was on February 6, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 87% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Harrogate. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1972, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 55% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Harrogate.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Harrogate
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 39 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 Harrogate: 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 Harrogate
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s7(1 EF3+)
- 2000s12
- 1990s4
- 1980s2(1 EF3+)
- 1970s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 1988 | F3 | 2 mi | 5 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF3 | 19 mi | 4.66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 2 mi | 2.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 9 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 6, 1980 | F2 | 20 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 6, 2025 | EF1 | 18 mi | 3.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 3, 2013 | EF1 | 11 mi | 1.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF1 | 7 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF1 | 5 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 26, 2010 | EF1 | 6 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF1 | 19 mi | 9.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 26, 2007 | EF1 | 9 mi | 4.6 mi | 0 / 7 |
The strongest 12 of 30, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Harrogate
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Harrogate since 1972, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 29 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on July 1, 1990. The most recent report is from September 4, 2025. April has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Harrogate
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tazewell, TN, 9 miles south of Harrogate at 1,365 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 23°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 115 nights a year. Snowfall averages 7.9 inches a year, most of it in February. That 54.6 inches is more than at 41 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (34%). Pineville, KY, 13 miles northwest, has its own station (Barbourville, KY): 53.9 inches a year, 0.7 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 23 | 4.7 | 8 | 2.6 |
| Feb | 48 | 26 | 5.1 | 8 | 3.0 |
| Mar | 57 | 32 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.6 |
| Apr | 68 | 40 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 75 | 50 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 59 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 63 | 5.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 62 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 55 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 41 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 57 | 31 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 47 | 26 | 5.3 | 9 | 1.4 |
| Year | 66 | 42 | 54.6 | 93 | 7.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Tazewell, TN (1,365 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 Harrogate
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 227 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Harrogate: 173 thunderstorm wind reports, 29 flash floods, 13 heavy rain events and 12 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 14, 2005. July has had the most flash floods, 8 of 29. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 287 have had fewer than Harrogate.
June 20, 2011: flood 8 miles from the centre of Harrogate — $1.0 million damage.
April 3, 2007: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Harrogate — $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
Claiborne County, which includes Harrogate, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 4 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 Claiborne County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.2 million a year, the 63rd highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.3 million (52%), 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 Harrogate
- Cumberland Gap, TN4 mi
- Middlesboro, KY7 mi
- Ewing, VA8 mi
- Tazewell, TN9 mi
- New Tazewell, TN12 mi
- Pineville, KY13 mi
- Rose Hill, VA16 mi
- Speedwell, TN16 mi
- Washburn, TN19 mi
- Sharps Chapel, TN20 mi
- Wallins Creek, KY20 mi
- Sneedville, TN22 mi
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