NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sneedville, 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 Sneedville, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 28 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 28
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Sneedville
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sneedville; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 63 miles away. The record near Sneedville begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 71 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 Sneedville. The strongest of the 28 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on May 9, 1988; its path came within 24 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 28, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 22 have come since 2000. April and May have had the most tornadoes, 8 each. The most recent tornado was on February 6, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 91% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sneedville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 16 times since 1996, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 99% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sneedville.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sneedville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 57 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 Sneedville: 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 Sneedville
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s8
- 2000s9
- 1980s2(1 EF3+)
- 1970s3
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 1988 | F3 | 24 mi | 5 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 23 mi | 2.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 20 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 6, 1980 | F2 | in town | 11.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 5, 1955 | F2 | 20 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Feb 6, 2025 | EF1 | 15 mi | 3.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 24, 2024 | EF1 | 5 mi | 5.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 17 mi | 0.15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 3, 2013 | EF1 | 20 mi | 1.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF1 | 14 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF1 | 14 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 28, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sneedville
The Storm Prediction Center has 16 hail reports within 10 miles of Sneedville since 1996, made on 14 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 9, 2011. The most recent report is from May 19, 2022. May has the most reports, 6.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sneedville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rogersville 1 NE, TN, 15 miles southeast of Sneedville at 1,355 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 26°F. July and December are the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 48.8 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 87 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 48.8 inches is more than at 13 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (11%). Rose Hill, VA, 11 miles northwest, has its own station (Baxter, KY): 52.3 inches a year, 3.5 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 | 45 | 26 | 4.6 | 7 | 3.2 |
| Feb | 50 | 29 | 4.2 | 6 | 2.1 |
| Mar | 59 | 35 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 69 | 44 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 53 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 64 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 58 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 45 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 35 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 48 | 29 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Year | 67 | 45 | 48.8 | 76 | 6.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rogersville 1 NE, TN (1,355 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 Sneedville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 105 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sneedville: 97 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods and 3 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $819,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 14, 2005. February 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 Sneedville.
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
Hancock County, which includes Sneedville, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 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 Hancock County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $3.1 million a year, the 93rd highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.2 million (72%), 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 Sneedville
- Rose Hill, VA11 mi
- Mooresburg, TN12 mi
- Jonesville, VA12 mi
- Bean Station, TN15 mi
- Ewing, VA16 mi
- Rogersville, TN16 mi
- Tazewell, TN17 mi
- Whitesburg, TN18 mi
- Russellville, TN19 mi
- Pennington Gap, VA19 mi
- Bulls Gap, TN20 mi
- Morristown, TN22 mi
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