NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rutledge, 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 Rutledge, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 30 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 30
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Rutledge
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rutledge; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. The record near Rutledge begins with an unnamed storm in 1901; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 48 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 Rutledge. The highest rating among the 30 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 8, 2009, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on April 3, 1974, killed 2 people. Of the 30, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 21 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 11. The most recent tornado was on February 6, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 87% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rutledge. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 53 times since 1958, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Rutledge has more hail reports within 10 miles than 51% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
Compare Rutledge's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rutledge
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 71 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 Rutledge: 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 Rutledge
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s12
- 2000s5
- 1990s1
- 1980s2
- 1970s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 15 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 6, 1980 | F2 | 20 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F1 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 2 / 21 |
| Feb 6, 2025 | EF1 | 8 mi | 3.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 2013 | EF1 | 10 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 3, 2013 | EF1 | 14 mi | 1.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF1 | 24 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF1 | 23 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 24 mi | 7.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF1 | 10 mi | 9.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 26, 2007 | EF1 | 14 mi | 4.6 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 3, 2007 | EF1 | 10 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 7 |
The strongest 12 of 30, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rutledge
The Storm Prediction Center has 53 hail reports within 10 miles of Rutledge since 1958, made on 44 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on April 28, 1959. The most recent report is from February 6, 2025. April has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rutledge
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Morristown WFO, TN, 8 miles southeast of Rutledge at 1,320 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 29°F. July is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 47.5 inches over 86 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 64 nights a year. Snowfall averages 10.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.5 inches is more than at 8 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (7%). Washburn, 7 miles northwest, has its own station (Tazewell, TN): 54.6 inches a year, 7.1 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 29 | 4.4 | 8 | 3.5 |
| Feb | 50 | 32 | 4.5 | 8 | 3.3 |
| Mar | 59 | 40 | 4.4 | 8 | 1.2 |
| Apr | 69 | 48 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 56 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 64 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 68 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 67 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 61 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 50 | 2.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 39 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 49 | 33 | 4.4 | 8 | 1.9 |
| Year | 68 | 49 | 47.5 | 86 | 10.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Morristown WFO, TN (1,320 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 Rutledge
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 222 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rutledge: 209 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 floods and 5 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $4.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on June 22, 1998. June has had the most flash floods, 2 of 5. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 18 have had fewer than Rutledge.
July 6, 2016: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Rutledge — 1 injured.
February 28, 2011: flood 9 miles from the centre of Rutledge — $2.2 million damage.
February 23, 2019: flood 9 miles from the centre of Rutledge — $700,000 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
Grainger County, which includes Rutledge, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 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 Grainger County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.2 million a year, the 85th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.9 million (56%), 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 Rutledge
- Washburn, TN7 mi
- Talbott, TN9 mi
- Jefferson City, TN9 mi
- Blaine, TN11 mi
- New Market, TN11 mi
- Bean Station, TN12 mi
- Morristown, TN12 mi
- Luttrell, TN13 mi
- New Tazewell, TN14 mi
- Tazewell, TN15 mi
- White Pine, TN16 mi
- Mascot, TN17 mi
All Tennessee cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Rutledge with another place →