NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Townsend, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Townsend, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 36 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 36
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Townsend
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Townsend; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 27 miles away. The record near Townsend begins with an unnamed storm in 1901; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 17 miles away. The busiest decade was the 2020s, with 2 systems. Of the 5 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site, 55% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Townsend. The strongest of the 36 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on April 27, 2011; its path came within 5 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on April 3, 1974, killed 2 people. Of the 36, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 25 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on January 12, 2023. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 81% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Townsend. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 20 times since 1990, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 97% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Townsend.
Compare Townsend's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Townsend
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 24 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Townsend: 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 Townsend
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s20(2 EF3+)
- 2000s3
- 1990s3(1 EF3+)
- 1980s1
- 1970s6
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 5 mi | 14.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 14 mi | 30 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Mar 23, 2011 | EF3 | 21 mi | 5.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 23 mi | 24.1 mi | 2 / 11 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 24 mi | 14.31 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 5 mi | 16.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 2010 | EF2 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 15, 1965 | F2 | 22 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 6, 2022 | EF1 | 24 mi | 0.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 2013 | EF1 | 25 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 36, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Townsend
The Storm Prediction Center has 20 hail reports within 10 miles of Townsend since 1990, made on 18 separate days. Of these, 14 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on June 14, 2012. The most recent report is from April 10, 2025. June has the most reports, 4.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Townsend
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Townsend 5S, TN, 5 miles south of Townsend at 1,893 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 26°F. July is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 60.4 inches over 102 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 5 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 101 nights a year. Snowfall averages 9.4 inches a year, most of it in February. That 60.4 inches is more than at 109 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (89%). Seymour, 12 miles north, has its own station (Sevierville, TN): 49.0 inches a year, 11.4 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 26 | 5.6 | 8 | 3.2 |
| Feb | 51 | 29 | 4.9 | 9 | 3.5 |
| Mar | 59 | 35 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.9 |
| Apr | 69 | 43 | 5.2 | 9 | 0.2 |
| May | 74 | 51 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 59 | 5.5 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 63 | 6.1 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 56 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 44 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 34 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 50 | 29 | 5.6 | 9 | 1.3 |
| Year | 66 | 44 | 60.4 | 102 | 9.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Townsend 5S, TN (1,893 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 Townsend
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 119 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Townsend: 105 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 floods and 6 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $818,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on March 25, 2023. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 31 have had fewer than Townsend.
July 5, 2012: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Townsend — 4 injured.
NWS: “One person was killed and four were injured when trees were blown down at the Abrams Creek Campground.”
July 5, 2012: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Townsend — 3 injured.
NWS: “One person was killed and three were injured when trees were blown down in the Cades Cove area.”
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
Blount County, which includes Townsend, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 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 Blount County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $36.6 million a year, the 15th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.4 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 Townsend
- Walland, TN5 mi
- Seymour, TN12 mi
- Maryville, TN13 mi
- Pigeon Forge, TN14 mi
- Alcoa, TN14 mi
- Rockford, TN15 mi
- Gatlinburg, TN16 mi
- Sevierville, TN17 mi
- Louisville, TN18 mi
- Friendsville, TN21 mi
- Kodak, TN22 mi
- Robbinsville, NC23 mi
All Tennessee cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Townsend with another place →