NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Limestone, 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 Limestone, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 26 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 26
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Limestone
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Limestone; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 51 miles away. The record near Limestone begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 30 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Limestone has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 26 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 7 miles. Of the 26, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 14 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on August 7, 2023. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Limestone. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 24 times since 1970, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 95% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Limestone.
Compare Limestone's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Limestone
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 66 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 Limestone: 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 Limestone
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s11(2 EF3+)
- 2000s2
- 1990s2
- 1980s2(1 EF3+)
- 1970s4
- 1960s2
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 7 mi | 15.8 mi | 6 / 33 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 6 mi | 13.6 mi | 2 / 70 |
| Jul 10, 1980 | F3 | 15 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Mar 12, 1967 | F2 | 3 mi | 16 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 5 mi | 8.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1967 | F2 | 5 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1957 | F2 | 3 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 5, 1955 | F2 | 20 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF1 | 19 mi | 6.23 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF1 | 15 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF1 | 13 mi | 0.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF1 | 11 mi | 3 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 Limestone
The Storm Prediction Center has 24 hail reports within 10 miles of Limestone since 1970, made on 21 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 6 days, most recently April 29, 2017. The most recent report is from May 8, 2024. April has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Limestone
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Erwin 1 W, TN, 13 miles southeast of Limestone at 1,720 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 25°F. July is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 47.0 inches over 93 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 98 nights a year. Snowfall averages 9.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.0 inches is more than at 4 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (3%). Chuckey, 4 miles southwest, has its own station (Greeneville Exp Stn, TN): 46.5 inches a year, 0.5 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 | 47 | 25 | 3.5 | 7 | 3.4 |
| Feb | 51 | 27 | 3.3 | 7 | 2.5 |
| Mar | 59 | 33 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.9 |
| Apr | 68 | 41 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 50 | 4.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 58 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 5.5 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 61 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 55 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 43 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 33 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 50 | 28 | 3.6 | 8 | 2.4 |
| Year | 68 | 43 | 47.0 | 93 | 9.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Erwin 1 W, TN (1,720 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 Limestone
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 106 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Limestone: 92 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods and 1 flood. They killed 4 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $39.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on August 14, 2023. July has had the most flash floods, 4 of 13. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 159 have had fewer than Limestone.
September 27, 2024: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Limestone — 4 killed, $39.0 million damage.
August 16, 2016: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Limestone — 4 injured.
NWS: “A tree fell on a car traveling on Old Ducktown Road, resulting in injury to the vehicle's occupants.”
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
Washington County, which includes Limestone, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 3 winter storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Washington County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.6 million a year, the 29th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $14.1 million (62%), 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.