NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sewanee, 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 Sewanee, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 98 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 98
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
107 deaths in all
What the records show for Sewanee
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sewanee; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 75 miles away. The record near Sewanee begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1970s, with 2 systems. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Sewanee has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 98 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 16 miles. Of the 98, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 60 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on August 20, 2025. Sewanee has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 67% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 35 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sewanee.
Compare Sewanee's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sewanee
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sewanee: 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 Sewanee
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s35(3 EF3+)
- 2000s11
- 1990s19
- 1980s7
- 1970s5(3 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s4(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 16 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 19 mi | 83.3 mi | 16 / 190 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 13 mi | 27.5 mi | 11 / 121 |
| Feb 13, 1952 | F4 | 10 mi | 12.7 mi | 3 / 44 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 21 mi | 20.24 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 24 mi | 26.76 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 6 mi | 7.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 13, 1952 | F3 | 6 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF2 | 14 mi | 16.1 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 24 mi | 8.7 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Nov 6, 2018 | EF2 | 8 mi | 29.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 21 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 98, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sewanee
The Storm Prediction Center has 35 hail reports within 10 miles of Sewanee since 1962, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 14 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 2, 2012. The most recent report is from April 10, 2025. June has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sewanee
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sewanee, TN, in Sewanee at 1,928 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 29°F. April and December are the wettest at 6.4 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 4.2 inches; the year adds up to 64.1 inches over 96 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 68 nights a year. That 64.1 inches is more than at 119 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (98%). Monteagle, 6 miles northeast, has its own station (Monteagle, TN): 67.1 inches a year, 3.0 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 29 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Feb | 49 | 32 | 5.2 | 9 |
| Mar | 58 | 40 | 5.4 | 8 |
| Apr | 67 | 48 | 6.4 | 8 |
| May | 74 | 56 | 4.9 | 9 |
| Jun | 81 | 63 | 5.8 | 9 |
| Jul | 84 | 66 | 5.6 | 10 |
| Aug | 84 | 66 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Sep | 78 | 60 | 5.1 | 5 |
| Oct | 68 | 50 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Nov | 58 | 40 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Dec | 48 | 33 | 6.4 | 9 |
| Year | 66 | 48 | 64.1 | 96 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sewanee, TN (1,928 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 Sewanee
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 136 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sewanee: 120 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods and 5 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $3.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on June 21, 2000. March has had the most flash floods, 6 of 11. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 117 have had fewer than Sewanee.
December 28, 2018: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Sewanee — 1 killed.
February 23, 2019: flood 7 miles from the centre of Sewanee — $3.5 million 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
Franklin County, which includes Sewanee, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 winter storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Franklin County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $19.6 million a year, the 35th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.5 million (44%), 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 Sewanee
- Monteagle, TN6 mi
- Cowan, TN6 mi
- Decherd, TN7 mi
- Tracy City, TN11 mi
- Winchester, TN13 mi
- Estill Springs, TN13 mi
- Hillsboro, TN14 mi
- South Pittsburg, TN15 mi
- Jasper, TN19 mi
- Bridgeport, AL20 mi
- Tullahoma, TN21 mi
- Stevenson, AL22 mi
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