NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rocky Top, 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 Rocky Top, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 34 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 34
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Rocky Top
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rocky Top; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 70 miles away. The record near Rocky Top begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 17 miles away. The busiest decade was the 2020s, with 2 systems. Of the 6 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Rocky Top has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 34 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on July 27, 2014, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on November 10, 2002, killed 7 people. Of the 34, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 21 have come since 2000. April and May have had the most tornadoes, 10 each. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 83% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rocky Top. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 53 times since 1959, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Rocky Top has more hail reports within 10 miles than 51% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
Compare Rocky Top's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rocky Top
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 38 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 Rocky Top: 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 Rocky Top
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s7(1 EF3+)
- 2000s9(1 EF3+)
- 1990s5(1 EF3+)
- 1980s1
- 1970s4(1 EF3+)
- 1960s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 21 mi | 8.3 mi | 7 / 28 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF3 | 20 mi | 4.66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 11 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 22 mi | 12.2 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF2 | 20 mi | 3.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 2021 | EF2 | 16 mi | 1.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 2021 | EF2 | 16 mi | 1.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 18 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F2 | 2 mi | 5.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 1965 | F2 | 21 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Mar 25, 1955 | F2 | 5 mi | 16.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 1953 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 34, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rocky Top
The Storm Prediction Center has 53 hail reports within 10 miles of Rocky Top since 1959, made on 47 separate days. Of these, 32 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 18, 1995. The most recent report is from March 15, 2025. April has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rocky Top
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Norris, TN, 5 miles east of Rocky Top at 1,110 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 25°F. April is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 57.9 inches over 92 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 101 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 57.9 inches is more than at 87 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (71%). Clinton, 8 miles south, has its own station (Oak Ridge Asos, TN): 55.6 inches a year, 2.3 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 25 | 5.1 | 8 | 1.1 |
| Feb | 50 | 28 | 5.4 | 8 | 1.5 |
| Mar | 60 | 33 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 70 | 41 | 5.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 51 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 59 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 63 | 5.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 63 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 56 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 44 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 34 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 48 | 29 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Year | 67 | 44 | 57.9 | 92 | 3.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Norris, TN (1,110 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 Rocky Top
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 202 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rocky Top: 186 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods and 5 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $8.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 2, 2006. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 117 have had fewer than Rocky Top.
June 7, 2019: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Rocky Top — $6.4 million damage.
February 23, 2019: flood 5 miles from the centre of Rocky Top — $600,000 damage.
July 5, 2009: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Rocky Top — $100,000 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 Rocky Top's ZIP code 37769 have filed 15 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1990, and were paid $76,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 27% 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, 29 have fewer than Rocky Top.
Anderson County, which includes Rocky Top, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 4 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 Anderson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; 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 $29.5 million a year, the 22nd highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.3 million (55%), 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 Rocky Top
- Caryville, TN6 mi
- Jacksboro, TN7 mi
- Andersonville, TN8 mi
- Clinton, TN8 mi
- Heiskell, TN9 mi
- La Follette, TN12 mi
- Powell, TN14 mi
- Pioneer, TN16 mi
- Oliver Springs, TN17 mi
- Oak Ridge, TN17 mi
- Huntsville, TN18 mi
- Maynardville, TN18 mi
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