NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sunbright, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Sunbright, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 46 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 46
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
20 deaths in all
What the records show for Sunbright
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sunbright; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 7 miles away. The record near Sunbright begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. The busiest decade was the 1970s, with 2 systems. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Sunbright has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 71% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The strongest of the 46 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 15 miles, and it killed 7 people. The deadliest, an F3 on November 10, 2002, killed 7 people. Of the 46, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 27 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 75% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sunbright. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 36 times since 1961, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 76% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sunbright.
Compare Sunbright's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sunbright
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 24 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sunbright: 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 Sunbright
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s5
- 2000s9(1 EF3+)
- 1990s4
- 1980s2
- 1970s6(3 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 15 mi | 18.8 mi | 7 / 150 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 17 mi | 8.3 mi | 7 / 28 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 15 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 21 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | in town | 12.2 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Feb 6, 2025 | EF2 | 7 mi | 21.92 mi | 2 / 3 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 17 mi | 11.13 mi | 2 / 7 |
| Apr 8, 1980 | F2 | 22 mi | 11.2 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Apr 8, 2021 | EF2 | 18 mi | 1.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 2021 | EF2 | 16 mi | 1.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF2 | 15 mi | 10.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 15 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 21 mi | 27.4 mi | 0 / 11 |
The strongest 12 of 46, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sunbright
The Storm Prediction Center has 36 hail reports within 10 miles of Sunbright since 1961, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 15, 1961. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. April has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sunbright
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lancing 6 NW, TN, 9 miles southwest of Sunbright at 1,520 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 26°F. April is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 56.4 inches over 90 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 14 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 107 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 56.4 inches is more than at 69 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (57%). Robbins, 6 miles northeast, has its own station (Oneida, TN): 58.2 inches a year, 1.8 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 | 26 | 4.8 | 8 | 2.2 |
| Feb | 50 | 28 | 4.6 | 7 | 2.1 |
| Mar | 59 | 35 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 69 | 42 | 5.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 51 | 4.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 59 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 63 | 5.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 62 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 54 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 43 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 34 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 50 | 29 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Year | 68 | 44 | 56.4 | 90 | 4.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lancing 6 NW, TN (1,520 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 Sunbright
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 130 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sunbright: 116 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods and 3 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $2.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 15, 2003. 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 Sunbright.
May 15, 2003: thunderstorm wind in Sunbright — 4 injured, $100,000 damage.
March 28, 2021: flood 8 miles from the centre of Sunbright — $1.7 million damage.
February 28, 2011: flood in Sunbright — $146,000 damage.
NWS: “A trained spotter reported water over the White Oak Creek Bridge on Highway 27 in Sunbright. Highway 27 was closed from flooding.”
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
Morgan County, which includes Sunbright, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 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 Morgan County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.5 million a year, the 77th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.7 million (42%), 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.