NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rockwood, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Rockwood, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 41 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 41
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
25 deaths in all
What the records show for Rockwood
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rockwood; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 69 miles away. The record near Rockwood begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 23 miles away. The 1970s and the 2020s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 7 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Rockwood has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 71% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 41 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on November 10, 2002, killed 7 people. Of the 41, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 23 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on May 30, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 77% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rockwood. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 29 times since 1958, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 87% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Rockwood.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rockwood
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 24 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 61 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 Rockwood: 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 Rockwood
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s6(1 EF3+)
- 2000s8(2 EF3+)
- 1990s6(2 EF3+)
- 1980s2
- 1970s5
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 16 mi | 40.16 mi | 4 / 12 |
| May 2, 1953 | F4 | 23 mi | 4.2 mi | 4 / 8 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 13 mi | 8.3 mi | 7 / 28 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 12 mi | 12.2 mi | 4 / 18 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 16 mi | 30 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Apr 15, 1965 | F3 | 15 mi | 6.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 18, 1995 | F3 | 19 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Feb 6, 2025 | EF2 | 20 mi | 21.92 mi | 2 / 3 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 22 mi | 11.13 mi | 2 / 7 |
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF2 | 20 mi | 10.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1984 | F2 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 23 mi | 16.2 mi | 0 / 28 |
The strongest 12 of 41, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rockwood
The Storm Prediction Center has 29 hail reports within 10 miles of Rockwood since 1958, made on 22 separate days. Of these, 15 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently July 14, 2015. The most recent report is from September 4, 2025. April has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rockwood
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rockwood 2, TN, 2 miles south of Rockwood at 767 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 28°F. July and December are the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 60.5 inches over 89 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 33 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 92 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.0 inches a year, most of it in February. That 60.5 inches is more than at 111 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (91%). Harriman, 11 miles northeast, has its own station (Kingston, TN): 59.0 inches a year, 1.5 less than here, and the same July average high, 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 28 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.7 |
| Feb | 51 | 30 | 5.4 | 8 | 1.2 |
| Mar | 61 | 36 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 70 | 44 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 53 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 62 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 66 | 6.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 58 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 46 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 35 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 50 | 30 | 6.0 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Year | 69 | 46 | 60.5 | 89 | 2.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rockwood 2, TN (767 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 Rockwood
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 127 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rockwood: 109 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 flash floods, 7 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $12.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on November 10, 2002. July has had the most flash floods, 4 of 9. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 73 have had fewer than Rockwood.
July 6, 2018: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Rockwood — 1 killed.
July 6, 2018: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Rockwood — 1 injured.
February 23, 2019: flood 5 miles from the centre of Rockwood — $10.5 million damage.
NWS: “The flooding of numerous structures and roads was reported across the county. 5 million in total damages to property and infrastructure throughout the 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Rockwood's ZIP code 37854 have filed 13 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1990, and were paid $121,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 38% 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, 18 have fewer than Rockwood.
Roane County, which includes Rockwood, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 5 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 Roane County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $21.8 million a year, the 32nd highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.1 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 Rockwood
- Harriman, TN11 mi
- Kingston, TN11 mi
- Ten Mile, TN12 mi
- Spring City, TN14 mi
- Wartburg, TN17 mi
- Philadelphia, TN19 mi
- Lancing, TN19 mi
- Crossville, TN21 mi
- Sweetwater, TN22 mi
- Oliver Springs, TN23 mi
- Niota, TN23 mi
- Loudon, TN23 mi
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