NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit South Pittsburg, 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 South Pittsburg, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 94 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 94
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
121 deaths in all
What the records show for South Pittsburg
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed South Pittsburg; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 60 miles away. The record near South Pittsburg 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. South Pittsburg has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 94 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 24 miles. Of the 94, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 68 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on August 20, 2025. South Pittsburg has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 63% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 70 times since 1976, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). South Pittsburg has more hail reports within 10 miles than 74% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near South Pittsburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 31 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 South Pittsburg: 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 South Pittsburg
By decade
- 2020s16
- 2010s41(5 EF3+)
- 2000s11(1 EF3+)
- 1990s14(1 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s1(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 24 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 24 mi | 33.66 mi | 25 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 18 mi | 46.98 mi | 14 / 50 |
| Feb 13, 1952 | F4 | 23 mi | 12.7 mi | 3 / 44 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 6 mi | 20.24 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF4 | 20 mi | 10.9 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Nov 30, 2016 | EF3 | 20 mi | 13.48 mi | 4 / 9 |
| Mar 29, 1997 | F3 | 23 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 44 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 21 mi | 7.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 15, 1965 | F3 | 24 mi | 9.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 13, 1952 | F3 | 15 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 6, 2018 | EF2 | 21 mi | 29.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 94, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in South Pittsburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 70 hail reports within 10 miles of South Pittsburg since 1976, made on 45 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently March 2, 2012. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. April has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in South Pittsburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Monteagle, TN, 14 miles northwest of South Pittsburg at 1,850 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 26°F. December is the wettest at 6.8 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 4.1 inches; the year adds up to 67.1 inches over 97 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 83 nights a year. Snowfall averages 5.4 inches a year, most of it in February. That 67.1 inches is more than at 121 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (99%). Jasper, 6 miles east, has its own station (Lookout Mountain-Point Park, TN): 58.6 inches a year, 8.5 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 26 | 5.7 | 8 | 1.5 |
| Feb | 49 | 30 | 5.8 | 8 | 1.9 |
| Mar | 57 | 37 | 6.3 | 10 | 0.8 |
| Apr | 67 | 45 | 6.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 74 | 54 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 61 | 5.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 65 | 6.4 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 64 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 58 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 47 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 37 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 48 | 30 | 6.8 | 9 | 1.1 |
| Year | 66 | 46 | 67.1 | 97 | 5.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Monteagle, TN (1,850 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 South Pittsburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 200 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of South Pittsburg: 179 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 6 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 5 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $5.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 130 mph, on November 14, 2007. July has had the most flash floods, 4 of 13. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 159 have had fewer than South Pittsburg.
February 20, 2014: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of South Pittsburg — 2 killed, 1 injured.
NWS: “Emergency manager reported several trees downed by thunderstorm wind across the county. In addition, one person was injured with structural damage to a mobile home.”
December 25, 2015: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of South Pittsburg — 1 killed, $280,000 damage.
NWS: “Roads flooded. Businesses flooded downtown as water rushed down South Pittsburg Mountain into the community.”
December 28, 2018: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of South Pittsburg — 1 killed.
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 South Pittsburg's ZIP code 37380 have filed 46 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $668,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2020, with 15. 20% 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, 102 have fewer than South Pittsburg.
Marion County, which includes South Pittsburg, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 6 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Marion County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $16.4 million a year, the 44th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.7 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 South Pittsburg
- Jasper, TN6 mi
- Bridgeport, AL7 mi
- Bryant, AL10 mi
- Stevenson, AL13 mi
- Monteagle, TN15 mi
- Sewanee, TN15 mi
- Trenton, GA15 mi
- Tracy City, TN16 mi
- Whitwell, TN17 mi
- Cowan, TN18 mi
- Flat Rock, AL18 mi
- Lookout Mountain, GA21 mi
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