NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Powell, 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 Powell, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 40 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 40
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Powell
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Powell; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 57 miles away. The record near Powell begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 16 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 Powell. The highest rating among the 40 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on November 10, 2002, came within 23 miles. Of the 40, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 23 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 78% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Powell. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 142 times since 1959, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Powell has more hail reports within 10 miles than 95% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
Compare Powell's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Powell
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 52 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 Powell: 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 Powell
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s14
- 2000s6(1 EF3+)
- 1990s7(2 EF3+)
- 1980s1
- 1970s6
- 1960s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 23 mi | 8.3 mi | 7 / 28 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 19 mi | 30 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 2 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF2 | 8 mi | 3.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 11 mi | 5.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 15, 1965 | F2 | 7 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Mar 25, 1955 | F2 | 15 mi | 16.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 1953 | F2 | 2 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F1 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 2 / 21 |
| May 20, 2025 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 3, 2023 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 40, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Powell
The Storm Prediction Center has 142 hail reports within 10 miles of Powell since 1959, made on 98 separate days. Of these, 100 were 1 inch across or larger, and 11 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 21, 1998. The most recent report is from September 4, 2025. April and May have the most reports, 38 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Powell
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Oak Ridge Asos, TN, 11 miles west of Powell at 910 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 30°F. February is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 55.6 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 44 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 68 nights a year. That 55.6 inches is more than at 59 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (48%). Knoxville, 6 miles south, has its own station (Knoxville Exp Stn, TN): 55.8 inches a year, 0.2 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 30 | 5.1 | 8 |
| Feb | 53 | 33 | 5.6 | 8 |
| Mar | 62 | 40 | 5.1 | 9 |
| Apr | 72 | 48 | 5.2 | 8 |
| May | 80 | 57 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Jun | 86 | 65 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Jul | 89 | 69 | 5.5 | 9 |
| Aug | 88 | 68 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Sep | 83 | 61 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Oct | 72 | 49 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Nov | 60 | 38 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Dec | 51 | 33 | 5.4 | 8 |
| Year | 70 | 49 | 55.6 | 88 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Oak Ridge Asos, 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 Powell
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 488 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Powell: 409 thunderstorm wind reports, 61 flash floods, 14 floods and 4 heavy rain events. They killed 4 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $38.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 115 mph, on May 7, 1999. July has had the most flash floods, 23 of 61. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 328 have had fewer than Powell.
November 9, 2000: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Powell — 2 killed, $3,000 damage.
February 23, 2019: flood 9 miles from the centre of Powell — 1 killed, $32.5 million damage.
July 8, 2016: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Powell — 1 killed.
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 Powell's ZIP code 37849 have filed 40 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1988, and were paid $354,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. Of the 155 Tennessee cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 95 have fewer than Powell.
Knox County, which includes Powell, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 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 Knox County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $131.4 million a year, the 5th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $60.8 million (46%), 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.