NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Kingsport, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Kingsport, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 29 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 29
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Kingsport
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Kingsport; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 45 miles away. The record near Kingsport begins with an unnamed storm in 1932; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 44 miles away. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site, 81% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Kingsport. The highest rating among the 29 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 23 miles. Of the 29, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 16 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 11. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2023. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 89% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Kingsport. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 97 times since 1971, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Kingsport has more hail reports within 10 miles than 87% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Kingsport
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Kingsport: 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 Kingsport
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s9(1 EF3+)
- 2000s6
- 1990s2
- 1980s2(1 EF3+)
- 1970s3
- 1960s3
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 23 mi | 13.6 mi | 2 / 70 |
| Jul 10, 1980 | F3 | 25 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Mar 12, 1967 | F2 | 21 mi | 16 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 12 mi | 8.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1967 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1962 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1957 | F2 | 14 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 5, 1955 | F2 | 15 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 19 mi | 0.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF1 | 5 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF1 | 17 mi | 0.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF1 | 17 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 29, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Kingsport
The Storm Prediction Center has 97 hail reports within 10 miles of Kingsport since 1971, made on 62 separate days. Of these, 67 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently July 27, 2014. The most recent report is from September 24, 2024. May has the most reports, 38.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Kingsport
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Kingsport, TN, in Kingsport at 1,284 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 27°F. July is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 45.2 inches over 90 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 28 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 83 nights a year. Snowfall averages 5.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 45.2 inches is more than at 1 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (1%). Blountville, 9 miles east, has its own station (Bristol Tri City Airport, TN): 44.0 inches a year, 1.2 less 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 | 46 | 27 | 3.9 | 8 | 1.7 |
| Feb | 51 | 30 | 4.1 | 8 | 1.6 |
| Mar | 60 | 36 | 4.1 | 9 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 71 | 45 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 54 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 62 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 66 | 5.1 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 65 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 58 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 46 | 2.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 36 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 50 | 30 | 4.0 | 8 | 1.0 |
| Year | 69 | 46 | 45.2 | 90 | 5.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Kingsport, TN (1,284 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 Kingsport
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 258 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Kingsport: 226 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 flash floods and 13 floods. They killed 3 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $4.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 26, 2004. July has had the most flash floods, 7 of 19. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 231 have had fewer than Kingsport.
August 17, 2010: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Kingsport — 1 killed.
May 26, 2018: flood 7 miles from the centre of Kingsport — 1 killed.
NWS: “Toddler wandered into a swollen creek near the home and drowned.”
September 25, 2022: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Kingsport — 1 killed.
NWS: “Multiple large trees were blown down. A tree that was blown over hit a vehicle traveling on Shady View Road near Kingsport, killing a woman.”
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 Kingsport's 3 ZIP codes have filed 134 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $1.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2013, with 21. 4% 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, 126 have fewer than Kingsport.
Sullivan County, which includes Kingsport, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 winter storms, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Sullivan County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for tornadoes and hail; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $28.5 million a year, the 23rd highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.2 million (71%), 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 Kingsport
- Weber City, VA6 mi
- Mount Carmel, TN7 mi
- Gate City, VA8 mi
- Blountville, TN9 mi
- Church Hill, TN10 mi
- Fall Branch, TN10 mi
- Piney Flats, TN13 mi
- Johnson City, TN16 mi
- Nickelsville, VA16 mi
- Jonesborough, TN16 mi
- Surgoinsville, TN17 mi
- Bluff City, TN17 mi
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