NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Madisonville, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Madisonville, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 59 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 59
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
35 deaths in all
What the records show for Madisonville
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Madisonville; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 38 miles away. The record near Madisonville begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 18 miles away. The busiest decade was the 2020s, with 2 systems. Of the 5 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site, 55% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Madisonville. The highest rating among the 59 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on April 27, 2011, killed 20 people. Of the 59, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 36 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on May 30, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 68% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Madisonville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 69 times since 1980, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Madisonville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 72% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
Compare Madisonville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Madisonville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 24 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 67 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 Madisonville: 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 Madisonville
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s30(4 EF3+)
- 2000s3
- 1990s7(3 EF3+)
- 1980s3(1 EF3+)
- 1970s9(3 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 17 mi | 48 mi | 20 / 335 |
| May 2, 1953 | F4 | 20 mi | 4.2 mi | 4 / 8 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 17 mi | 14.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 17 mi | 21.2 mi | 3 / 50 |
| Apr 15, 1994 | F3 | 9 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 21 mi | 30 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 25 mi | 18.1 mi | 1 / 100 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 15 mi | 41 mi | 0 / 44 |
| Mar 23, 2011 | EF3 | 13 mi | 5.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 9 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Feb 6, 1986 | F3 | 21 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 8, 1974 | F3 | 16 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 59, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Madisonville
The Storm Prediction Center has 69 hail reports within 10 miles of Madisonville since 1980, made on 50 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 8, 2025, the most recent report. May has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Madisonville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tellico Plains, TN, 10 miles south of Madisonville at 910 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 28°F. July is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 55.3 inches over 91 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 55 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 87 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 55.3 inches is more than at 57 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (47%). Sweetwater, 9 miles northwest, has its own station (Decatur 7NE, TN): 57.6 inches a year, 2.3 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 28 | 4.6 | 7 | 1.0 |
| Feb | 55 | 31 | 4.9 | 9 | 1.3 |
| Mar | 64 | 37 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 73 | 44 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 54 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 63 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 66 | 5.3 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 65 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 57 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 45 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 35 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 54 | 31 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Year | 72 | 46 | 55.3 | 91 | 2.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Tellico Plains, TN (910 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 Madisonville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 283 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Madisonville: 266 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods and 6 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on July 13, 2003. August has had the most flash floods, 5 of 11. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 117 have had fewer than Madisonville.
April 25, 2010: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Madisonville — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “The emergency manager reported a barn was destroyed and a roof blown off a house at the intersection of Lakeside Road and Kincaid Road southwest of Vonore. Several other homes and businesses were also damaged in the area.”
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
Monroe County, which includes Madisonville, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 winter storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Monroe County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.8 million a year, the 48th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.7 million (49%), 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.