NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pigeon Forge, 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 Pigeon Forge, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 35 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 35
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Pigeon Forge
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Pigeon Forge; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 28 miles away. The record near Pigeon Forge begins with an unnamed storm in 1901; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 30 miles away. The 1900s and the 2020s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 6 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Pigeon Forge has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The strongest of the 35 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on April 27, 2011; its path came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on April 3, 1974, killed 2 people. Of the 35, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 24 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on January 12, 2023. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 82% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Pigeon Forge. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 53 times since 1959, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Pigeon Forge has more hail reports within 10 miles than 51% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
Compare Pigeon Forge's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pigeon Forge
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Pigeon Forge: 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 Pigeon Forge
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s19(1 EF3+)
- 2000s2
- 1990s3(1 EF3+)
- 1980s1
- 1970s6
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 18 mi | 14.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 25 mi | 30 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 18 mi | 16.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F2 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F1 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 2 / 21 |
| May 6, 2022 | EF1 | 24 mi | 0.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 2013 | EF1 | 22 mi | 1.88 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 13, 2013 | EF1 | 13 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 2013 | EF1 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 19 mi | 7.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 35, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pigeon Forge
The Storm Prediction Center has 53 hail reports within 10 miles of Pigeon Forge since 1959, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 36 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 26, 2012. The most recent report is from September 4, 2025. April has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pigeon Forge
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Gatlinburg 2 SW, TN, 7 miles south of Pigeon Forge at 1,454 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 27°F. July is the wettest at 6.3 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 58.2 inches over 110 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 104 nights a year. Snowfall averages 7.7 inches a year, most of it in January and February. That 58.2 inches is more than at 89 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (73%). Sevierville, 4 miles northeast, has its own station (Sevierville, TN): 49.0 inches a year, 9.2 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 27 | 4.8 | 10 | 2.4 |
| Feb | 51 | 29 | 4.3 | 10 | 2.4 |
| Mar | 59 | 35 | 5.6 | 10 | 1.3 |
| Apr | 69 | 42 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 51 | 5.5 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 59 | 6.0 | 11 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 63 | 6.3 | 11 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 62 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 56 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 44 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 34 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 50 | 29 | 4.9 | 10 | 1.4 |
| Year | 67 | 44 | 58.2 | 110 | 7.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Gatlinburg 2 SW, TN (1,454 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 Pigeon Forge
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 201 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pigeon Forge: 160 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 flash floods, 16 floods and 2 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on March 25, 2023. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 262 have had fewer than Pigeon Forge.
July 5, 2012: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Pigeon Forge — $1.0 million damage.
July 12, 2022: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Pigeon Forge — $250,000 damage.
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Pigeon Forge's ZIP code 37863 have filed 223 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $2.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Heavy rains in 2003: 35 claims (16% of all) and $367,000. 16% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 155 Tennessee cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 137 have fewer than Pigeon Forge.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy rains2003 | 35 | $367,000 |
Sevier County, which includes Pigeon Forge, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 4 fires, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Sevier County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $32.1 million a year, the 20th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.6 million (64%), 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 Pigeon Forge
- Sevierville, TN4 mi
- Gatlinburg, TN6 mi
- Seymour, TN11 mi
- Kodak, TN13 mi
- Townsend, TN14 mi
- Walland, TN15 mi
- Dandridge, TN17 mi
- Cosby, TN18 mi
- Strawberry Plains, TN18 mi
- New Market, TN21 mi
- Rockford, TN21 mi
- Jefferson City, TN22 mi
All Tennessee cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Pigeon Forge with another place →