NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hot Springs, NC
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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Hot Springs, North Carolina since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 26 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 26
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Hot Springs
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hot Springs; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 65 miles away. The record near Hot Springs begins with an unnamed storm in 1901; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 66 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 3 systems. Of the 9 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 93% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Hot Springs. The highest rating among the 26 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 14 miles. Of the 26, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 9 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on June 13, 2013. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 89% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hot Springs. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 21 times since 1980, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 97% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hot Springs.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hot Springs
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 27 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 Hot Springs: 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 Hot Springs
By decade
- 2010s9(2 EF3+)
- 1990s4
- 1970s10
- 1960s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 14 mi | 15.8 mi | 6 / 33 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 21 mi | 13.6 mi | 2 / 70 |
| Mar 12, 1967 | F2 | 21 mi | 16 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Mar 11, 1963 | F2 | 16 mi | 6.2 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F2 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jun 13, 2013 | EF1 | 18 mi | 1.88 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 8 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 19 mi | 7.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1999 | F1 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1998 | F1 | 2 mi | 1.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 1994 | F1 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 1977 | F1 | 23 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 26, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hot Springs
The Storm Prediction Center has 21 hail reports within 10 miles of Hot Springs since 1980, made on 20 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 8, 2025. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hot Springs
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hot Springs, NC, 5 miles north of Hot Springs at 1,345 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 29°F. June is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 46.7 inches over 92 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 29 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 82 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 46.7 inches is more than at 25 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (18%). Del Rio, TN, 10 miles northwest, has its own station (Waterville 2, NC): 53.9 inches a year, 7.2 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 29 | 3.7 | 8 | 1.6 |
| Feb | 52 | 31 | 3.3 | 8 | 2.6 |
| Mar | 60 | 37 | 4.0 | 9 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 71 | 44 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 54 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 62 | 5.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 65 | 4.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 65 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 59 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 47 | 2.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 36 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 52 | 32 | 3.9 | 8 | 1.2 |
| Year | 69 | 47 | 46.7 | 92 | 6.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hot Springs, NC (1,345 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 Hot Springs
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 59 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hot Springs: 52 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods, 1 flood, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $2.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on April 27, 2011.
June 4, 2010: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Hot Springs — 1 killed.
July 3, 2013: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Hot Springs — $2.5 million damage.
NWS: “Numerous roads were reportedly closed across the county due to flooding, including Highway 70/25. Some roads were heavily damaged by flooding and landslides.”
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 Hot Springs's ZIP code 28743 have filed 14 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2003, and were paid $1.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2024, with 10. 79% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 263 North Carolina cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 30 have fewer than Hot Springs.
Madison County, which includes Hot Springs, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 hurricanes, 3 floods, 3 severe storms, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Madison County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.1 million a year, the 90th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.1 million (66%), 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 Hot Springs
- Del Rio, TN10 mi
- Marshall, NC10 mi
- Leicester, NC14 mi
- Alexander, NC15 mi
- Parrottsville, TN16 mi
- Clyde, NC17 mi
- Mars Hill, NC19 mi
- Weaverville, NC19 mi
- Newport, TN21 mi
- Cosby, TN21 mi
- Waynesville, NC23 mi
- Greeneville, TN23 mi
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