NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Monterey, 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 Monterey, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 88 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 88
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
54 deaths in all
What the records show for Monterey
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Monterey; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 39 miles away. The record near Monterey begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Monterey has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 88 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on March 3, 2020, came within 16 miles. Of the 88, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 51 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on February 6, 2025. Monterey has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 54% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 26 times since 1975, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 92% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Monterey.
Compare Monterey's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Monterey
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 26 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 Monterey: 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 Monterey
By decade
- 2020s22(1 EF3+)
- 2010s17
- 2000s12(1 EF3+)
- 1990s9(2 EF3+)
- 1980s2
- 1970s16(3 EF3+)
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF4 | 16 mi | 8.39 mi | 19 / 87 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 4 mi | 28.4 mi | 10 / 51 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 12 mi | 18.8 mi | 7 / 150 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 18 mi | 12.2 mi | 4 / 18 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 17 mi | 9.4 mi | 3 / 120 |
| Apr 15, 1965 | F3 | 20 mi | 6.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 18, 1995 | F3 | 17 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 11 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Feb 6, 2025 | EF2 | 12 mi | 21.92 mi | 2 / 3 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 8 mi | 11.13 mi | 2 / 7 |
| Apr 24, 1975 | F2 | 6 mi | 1.5 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Mar 15, 1973 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 88, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Monterey
The Storm Prediction Center has 26 hail reports within 10 miles of Monterey since 1975, made on 24 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently March 23, 2012. The most recent report is from March 27, 2021. April has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Monterey
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Monterey, TN, 2 miles northwest of Monterey at 1,860 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 27°F. December is the wettest at 6.7 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 64.3 inches over 98 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 83 nights a year. Snowfall averages 16.0 inches a year, most of it in February. That 64.3 inches is more than at 120 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (98%). Clarkrange, 14 miles east, has its own station (Allardt, TN): 59.9 inches a year, 4.4 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 27 | 5.7 | 9 | 4.8 |
| Feb | 47 | 30 | 5.8 | 9 | 5.0 |
| Mar | 56 | 37 | 6.0 | 10 | 2.8 |
| Apr | 67 | 46 | 5.8 | 9 | 0.3 |
| May | 75 | 56 | 5.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 63 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 67 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 66 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 59 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 48 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 56 | 38 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 47 | 31 | 6.7 | 9 | 2.9 |
| Year | 65 | 47 | 64.3 | 98 | 16.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Monterey, TN (1,860 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 Monterey
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 71 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Monterey: 53 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 3 lightning strikes, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $6.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 4, 2014. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 13. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 159 have had fewer than Monterey.
July 2, 2015: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Monterey — 1 killed, $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Major flash flooding affected much of Cumberland County from the evening hours on July 2 into the morning hours on July 3. |Some roads were washed away and destroyed, including George Branch Drive at Dripping Springs Road.”
November 18, 2017: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Monterey — 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “A tree and power lines were blown down that blocked the road at 1903 Hanging Limb Highway. A driver was injured when he drove into the tree.”
May 31, 2018: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Monterey — 1 injured.
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
Putnam County, which includes Monterey, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 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 Putnam County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for 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 $24.4 million a year, the 26th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.8 million (36%), 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 Monterey
- Clarkrange, TN14 mi
- Cookeville, TN15 mi
- Crossville, TN16 mi
- Livingston, TN17 mi
- Sparta, TN18 mi
- Deer Lodge, TN23 mi
- Baxter, TN23 mi
- Monroe, TN24 mi
- Jamestown, TN25 mi
- Gainesboro, TN28 mi
- Byrdstown, TN31 mi
- Spencer, TN32 mi
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