NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rockford, 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 Rockford, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 44 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 44
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Rockford
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rockford; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 41 miles away. The record near Rockford begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 14 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 Rockford. The strongest of the 44 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on April 27, 2011; its path came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on April 3, 1974, killed 2 people. Of the 44, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 26 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on August 7, 2023. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 75% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rockford. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 150 times since 1957, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Rockford has more hail reports within 10 miles than 96% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
Compare Rockford's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rockford
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 24 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 6 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 Rockford: 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 Rockford
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s20(2 EF3+)
- 2000s4
- 1990s6(2 EF3+)
- 1980s3
- 1970s6
- 1960s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 13 mi | 14.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 7 mi | 30 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Mar 23, 2011 | EF3 | 15 mi | 5.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 18 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF2 | 12 mi | 3.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 13 mi | 16.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 2010 | EF2 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1984 | F2 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 4 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 15, 1965 | F2 | 8 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 2, 1953 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 44, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rockford
The Storm Prediction Center has 150 hail reports within 10 miles of Rockford since 1957, made on 97 separate days. Of these, 100 were 1 inch across or larger, and 10 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 21, 1998. The most recent report is from October 21, 2025. May has the most reports, 48.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rockford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Knoxville Mcghee Tyson Airport, TN, 3 miles west of Rockford at 962 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 30°F. July is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 51.9 inches over 86 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 37 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 67 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 51.9 inches is more than at 22 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (18%). Walland, 9 miles southeast, has its own station (Townsend 5S, TN): 60.4 inches a year, 8.5 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 30 | 4.8 | 8 | 1.7 |
| Feb | 53 | 33 | 4.8 | 8 | 1.4 |
| Mar | 61 | 40 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.9 |
| Apr | 71 | 48 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 57 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 65 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 69 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 68 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 61 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 49 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 38 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 51 | 33 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Year | 70 | 49 | 51.9 | 86 | 4.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Knoxville Mcghee Tyson Airport, TN (962 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 Rockford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 471 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rockford: 420 thunderstorm wind reports, 36 flash floods and 15 floods. They killed 3 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $5.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on May 23, 2000. July has had the most flash floods, 12 of 36. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 311 have had fewer than Rockford.
November 9, 2000: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Rockford — 2 killed, $3,000 damage.
July 8, 2016: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Rockford — 1 killed.
March 3, 2023: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Rockford — 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
Blount County, which includes Rockford, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 winter storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Blount 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 and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $36.6 million a year, the 15th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.4 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.