NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sweetwater, 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 Sweetwater, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 64 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 64
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
38 deaths in all
What the records show for Sweetwater
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sweetwater; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 46 miles away. The record near Sweetwater begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 20 miles away. The 1970s and the 2020s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 6 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Sweetwater has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 44% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 64 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on April 27, 2011, killed 20 people. Of the 64, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 41 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on May 30, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 65% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sweetwater. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 44 times since 1980, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 62% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sweetwater.
Compare Sweetwater's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sweetwater
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 24 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 58 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 Sweetwater: 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 Sweetwater
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s35(5 EF3+)
- 2000s3
- 1990s7(3 EF3+)
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1970s8(2 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 18 mi | 48 mi | 20 / 335 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 23 mi | 40.16 mi | 4 / 12 |
| May 2, 1953 | F4 | 15 mi | 4.2 mi | 4 / 8 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 24 mi | 14.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 20 mi | 21.2 mi | 3 / 50 |
| Apr 15, 1994 | F3 | 12 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 16 mi | 30 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 20 mi | 41 mi | 0 / 44 |
| Mar 23, 2011 | EF3 | 14 mi | 5.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 12 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Feb 6, 1986 | F3 | 23 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 8, 1974 | F3 | 15 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 64, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sweetwater
The Storm Prediction Center has 44 hail reports within 10 miles of Sweetwater since 1980, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 16, 1980. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. April has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sweetwater
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Decatur 7NE, TN, 12 miles west of Sweetwater at 750 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 28°F. December is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 57.6 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 46 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 99 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.3 inches a year, most of it in February. That 57.6 inches is more than at 84 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (69%). Madisonville, 9 miles southeast, has its own station (Tellico Plains, TN): 55.3 inches a year, 2.3 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 28 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.9 |
| Feb | 53 | 30 | 5.2 | 8 | 1.7 |
| Mar | 62 | 36 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 71 | 44 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 54 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 63 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 67 | 5.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 66 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 59 | 4.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 46 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 35 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 51 | 30 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.6 |
| Year | 70 | 46 | 57.6 | 87 | 3.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Decatur 7NE, TN (750 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 Sweetwater
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 240 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sweetwater: 216 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 flash floods and 7 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on April 8, 1998. September has had the most flash floods, 4 of 17. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 212 have had fewer than Sweetwater.
April 8, 1998: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Sweetwater — $100,000 damage.
April 25, 2010: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Sweetwater — $100,000 damage.
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 Sweetwater's ZIP code 37874 have filed 11 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $87,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 9% 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, 7 have fewer than Sweetwater.
Monroe County, which includes Sweetwater, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 winter storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Monroe County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.8 million a year, the 48th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.7 million (49%), 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.