NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sparta, 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 Sparta, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 84 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 84
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
45 deaths in all
What the records show for Sparta
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sparta; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 56 miles away. The record near Sparta begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Sparta has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 84 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 3, 2020, came within 16 miles. Of the 84, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 51 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Sparta has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 48% of the 339 Tennessee cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 43 times since 1958, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 63% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sparta.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sparta
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sparta: 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 Sparta
By decade
- 2020s18(1 EF3+)
- 2010s16
- 2000s17(1 EF3+)
- 1990s9(2 EF3+)
- 1980s4
- 1970s12(2 EF3+)
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF4 | 16 mi | 8.39 mi | 19 / 87 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 9 mi | 28.4 mi | 10 / 51 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 20 mi | 12.2 mi | 4 / 18 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 24 mi | 14.6 mi | 1 / 23 |
| Apr 15, 1965 | F3 | 21 mi | 6.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 18, 1995 | F3 | 17 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 11 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 22 mi | 11.13 mi | 2 / 7 |
| Apr 24, 1975 | F2 | 16 mi | 1.5 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Mar 15, 1973 | F2 | 3 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Feb 6, 2025 | EF2 | 24 mi | 4.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 25 mi | 6.94 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 84, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sparta
The Storm Prediction Center has 43 hail reports within 10 miles of Sparta since 1958, made on 30 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 19, 2011. The most recent report is from May 6, 2024. May has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sparta
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sparta Wastewater Plant, TN, 3 miles southwest of Sparta at 905 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 28°F. December is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 58.6 inches over 90 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 40 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 83 nights a year. Snowfall averages 5.0 inches a year, most of it in February. That 58.6 inches is more than at 91 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (75%). Cookeville, 17 miles north, has its own station (Cookeville, TN): 60.3 inches a year, 1.7 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 28 | 5.1 | 8 | 1.5 |
| Feb | 52 | 30 | 5.1 | 8 | 2.5 |
| Mar | 61 | 37 | 5.6 | 9 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 70 | 45 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 55 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 63 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 67 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 59 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 46 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 36 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 51 | 31 | 6.0 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Year | 69 | 47 | 58.6 | 90 | 5.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sparta Wastewater Plant, TN (905 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 Sparta
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 148 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sparta: 129 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 6 floods and 2 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on March 29, 2020. May has had the most flash floods, 3 of 11. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 117 have had fewer than Sparta.
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
White County, which includes Sparta, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 3 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 White County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.0 million a year, the 64th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.4 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 Sparta
- Cookeville, TN17 mi
- Baxter, TN17 mi
- Rock Island, TN17 mi
- Spencer, TN17 mi
- Monterey, TN18 mi
- Smithville, TN20 mi
- Crossville, TN22 mi
- Mcminnville, TN26 mi
- Pikeville, TN26 mi
- Gainesboro, TN31 mi
- Livingston, TN31 mi
- Clarkrange, TN31 mi
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