NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Monteagle, 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 Monteagle, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 90 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 90
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
110 deaths in all
What the records show for Monteagle
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Monteagle; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 74 miles away. The record near Monteagle begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1970s, with 2 systems. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Monteagle has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 90 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 21 miles. Of the 90, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 53 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on August 20, 2025. Monteagle has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 58% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 35 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Monteagle.
Compare Monteagle's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Monteagle
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Monteagle: 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 Monteagle
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s30(3 EF3+)
- 2000s10
- 1990s19
- 1980s5
- 1970s5(3 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s5(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 21 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 20 mi | 83.3 mi | 16 / 190 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 15 mi | 27.5 mi | 11 / 121 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 24 mi | 40.16 mi | 4 / 12 |
| Feb 13, 1952 | F4 | 14 mi | 12.7 mi | 3 / 44 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 21 mi | 20.24 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 8 mi | 7.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 13, 1952 | F3 | in town | 5.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF2 | 16 mi | 16.1 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 20 mi | 8.7 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Nov 6, 2018 | EF2 | 7 mi | 29.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 29, 2016 | EF2 | 22 mi | 8.15 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 90, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Monteagle
The Storm Prediction Center has 35 hail reports within 10 miles of Monteagle since 1962, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on April 3, 2007. The most recent report is from March 27, 2021. April has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Monteagle
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Monteagle, TN, 1 mile southwest of Monteagle at 1,850 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 26°F. December is the wettest at 6.8 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 4.1 inches; the year adds up to 67.1 inches over 97 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 83 nights a year. Snowfall averages 5.4 inches a year, most of it in February. That 67.1 inches is more than at 121 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (99%). Sewanee, 6 miles southwest, has its own station (Sewanee, TN): 64.1 inches a year, 3.0 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 26 | 5.7 | 8 | 1.5 |
| Feb | 49 | 30 | 5.8 | 8 | 1.9 |
| Mar | 57 | 37 | 6.3 | 10 | 0.8 |
| Apr | 67 | 45 | 6.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 74 | 54 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 61 | 5.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 65 | 6.4 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 64 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 58 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 47 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 37 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 48 | 30 | 6.8 | 9 | 1.1 |
| Year | 66 | 46 | 67.1 | 97 | 5.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Monteagle, TN (1,850 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 Monteagle
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 108 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Monteagle: 95 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods, 5 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $3.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 5, 2025. March has had the most flash floods, 3 of 7. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 40 have had fewer than Monteagle.
December 28, 2018: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Monteagle — 1 killed.
NWS: “Hikers sheltering in a cave overnight attempted to cross two branches of flooding Cave Cove Creek via a log during heavy rain to try to return to their vehicle. One female was swept away and drowned.”
February 23, 2019: flood 5 miles from the centre of Monteagle — $3.5 million damage.
NWS: “Cave Cove Road flooded. 5 million dollars in flooding damages to infrastructure and roads across Marion County for the overall event.”
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
Marion County, which includes Monteagle, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 6 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Marion County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $16.4 million a year, the 44th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.7 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 Monteagle
- Sewanee, TN6 mi
- Tracy City, TN6 mi
- Cowan, TN11 mi
- Decherd, TN11 mi
- Hillsboro, TN13 mi
- South Pittsburg, TN15 mi
- Estill Springs, TN17 mi
- Jasper, TN17 mi
- Winchester, TN18 mi
- Whitwell, TN19 mi
- Bridgeport, AL21 mi
- Manchester, TN23 mi
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