NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Surgoinsville, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Surgoinsville, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 30 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 30
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Surgoinsville
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Surgoinsville; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. The record near Surgoinsville begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 51 miles away. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site, 81% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Surgoinsville. The highest rating among the 30 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 6 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on March 12, 1967, killed 1 person. Of the 30, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 16 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on September 24, 2024. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 87% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Surgoinsville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 25 times since 1996, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 94% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Surgoinsville.
Compare Surgoinsville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Surgoinsville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 71 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 Surgoinsville: 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 Surgoinsville
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s5
- 2000s7
- 1990s2
- 1980s1
- 1970s7
- 1960s2
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 12, 1967 | F2 | 20 mi | 16 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 17 mi | 8.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 6, 1980 | F2 | 22 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1967 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1957 | F2 | 21 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 5, 1955 | F2 | 2 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Sep 24, 2024 | EF1 | 12 mi | 5.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 13 mi | 0.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 15 mi | 0.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF1 | 16 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF1 | 16 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 30, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Surgoinsville
The Storm Prediction Center has 25 hail reports within 10 miles of Surgoinsville since 1996, made on 20 separate days. Of these, 15 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 19, 2022. The most recent report is from June 17, 2025. May has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Surgoinsville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rogersville 1 NE, TN, 11 miles southwest of Surgoinsville 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%). Church Hill, 7 miles east, has its own station (Kingsport, TN): 45.2 inches a year, 3.6 less than here, and a July average high of 87°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 Surgoinsville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 117 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Surgoinsville: 103 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods and 7 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $732,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 14, 2005. February has had the most flash floods, 3 of 7. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 40 have had fewer than Surgoinsville.
March 28, 2021: flood 4 miles from the centre of Surgoinsville — 1 killed, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “Vehicle attempted to drive through floodwaters of Big Creek near the intersection of Housewright Hollow Road and Hickman Hollow Road. Vehicle was swept into Big Creek.”
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
Hawkins County, which includes Surgoinsville, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hawkins County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $13.7 million a year, the 52nd highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.8 million (57%), 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 Surgoinsville
- Church Hill, TN7 mi
- Rogersville, TN10 mi
- Mount Carmel, TN10 mi
- Duffield, VA13 mi
- Fall Branch, TN14 mi
- Gate City, VA16 mi
- Weber City, VA17 mi
- Kingsport, TN17 mi
- Pennington Gap, VA20 mi
- Bulls Gap, TN21 mi
- Afton, TN21 mi
- Jonesville, VA22 mi
All Tennessee cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Surgoinsville with another place →