NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Kingston, 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 Kingston, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 47 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 47
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
22 deaths in all
What the records show for Kingston
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Kingston; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 61 miles away. The record near Kingston begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 14 miles away. The 1970s and the 2020s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 7 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Kingston has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 71% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 47 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on November 10, 2002, killed 7 people. Of the 47, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 28 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on May 30, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 74% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Kingston. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 51 times since 1981, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 52% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Kingston.
Compare Kingston's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Kingston
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 24 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Kingston: 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 Kingston
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s18(2 EF3+)
- 2000s4(2 EF3+)
- 1990s6(2 EF3+)
- 1980s3
- 1970s5
- 1960s3
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 23 mi | 40.16 mi | 4 / 12 |
| May 2, 1953 | F4 | 25 mi | 4.2 mi | 4 / 8 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 14 mi | 8.3 mi | 7 / 28 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 23 mi | 12.2 mi | 4 / 18 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 5 mi | 30 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Mar 23, 2011 | EF3 | 20 mi | 5.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 19 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Feb 6, 2025 | EF2 | 24 mi | 21.92 mi | 2 / 3 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF2 | 20 mi | 3.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 30, 2016 | EF2 | 23 mi | 11.33 mi | 0 / 20 |
| May 7, 1984 | F2 | 12 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 47, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Kingston
The Storm Prediction Center has 51 hail reports within 10 miles of Kingston since 1981, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 25 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 7 days, most recently March 21, 2017. The most recent report is from September 4, 2025. April has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Kingston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Kingston, TN, 2 miles northwest of Kingston at 814 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 28°F. December is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 59.0 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 37 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 78 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 59.0 inches is more than at 96 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (79%). Rockwood, 11 miles west, has its own station (Rockwood 2, TN): 60.5 inches a year, 1.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 28 | 5.5 | 8 | 1.1 |
| Feb | 51 | 30 | 6.0 | 8 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 61 | 37 | 5.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 70 | 46 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 56 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 64 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 68 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 67 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 61 | 4.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 48 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 37 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 49 | 32 | 6.1 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Year | 69 | 48 | 59.0 | 87 | 1.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Kingston, TN (814 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 Kingston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 250 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Kingston: 233 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 4 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $2.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on November 10, 2002. July has had the most flash floods, 3 of 11. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 117 have had fewer than Kingston.
July 6, 2018: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Kingston — 1 killed.
NWS: “Individual was struck by lightning after mowing lawn.”
May 14, 2005: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Kingston — 2 injured, $3,000 damage.
July 6, 2018: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Kingston — 1 injured.
NWS: “A man was struck by lightning and killed while he was walking home after mowing a lawn.”
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
Roane County, which includes Kingston, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 5 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 Roane County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $21.8 million a year, the 32nd highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.1 million (47%), 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 Kingston
- Harriman, TN6 mi
- Rockwood, TN11 mi
- Philadelphia, TN11 mi
- Loudon, TN13 mi
- Lenoir City, TN14 mi
- Ten Mile, TN14 mi
- Oliver Springs, TN16 mi
- Sweetwater, TN17 mi
- Oak Ridge, TN17 mi
- Wartburg, TN18 mi
- Niota, TN21 mi
- Spring City, TN21 mi
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