NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Tunnel Hill, GA
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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Tunnel Hill, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 87 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 87
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
66 deaths in all
What the records show for Tunnel Hill
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Tunnel Hill; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 26 miles away. The record near Tunnel Hill begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 74 miles away. The 1900s and the 2020s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 9 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 91% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Tunnel Hill. The highest rating among the 87 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 14 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on April 27, 2011, killed 20 people. Of the 87, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 38 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 38. The most recent tornado was on May 25, 2025. Tunnel Hill has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 53% of the 405 Georgia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 86 times since 1955, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Tunnel Hill has more hail reports within 10 miles than 71% of the 405 Georgia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Tunnel Hill
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Tunnel Hill: 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 Tunnel Hill
By decade
- 2020s7(1 EF3+)
- 2010s30(4 EF3+)
- 2000s1
- 1990s21(2 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s12(3 EF3+)
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 6 mi | 48 mi | 20 / 335 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 14 mi | 46.98 mi | 14 / 50 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 17 mi | 29.5 mi | 9 / 67 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 24 mi | 21.2 mi | 3 / 50 |
| Apr 12, 2020 | EF3 | 12 mi | 19.34 mi | 2 / 18 |
| Nov 30, 2016 | EF3 | 25 mi | 4.6 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 18 mi | 18.1 mi | 1 / 100 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 20 mi | 41 mi | 0 / 44 |
| Mar 29, 1997 | F3 | 22 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 50 |
| Mar 29, 1997 | F3 | 15 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 44 |
| Apr 15, 1965 | F3 | 24 mi | 10.4 mi | 0 / 50 |
| Apr 12, 2020 | EF2 | 12 mi | 8.88 mi | 8 / 24 |
The strongest 12 of 87, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Tunnel Hill
The Storm Prediction Center has 86 hail reports within 10 miles of Tunnel Hill since 1955, made on 71 separate days. Of these, 35 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 7, 1985. The most recent report is from April 10, 2025. May has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Tunnel Hill
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Chickamauga Pk Larc, GA, 14 miles west of Tunnel Hill at 782 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 29°F. January is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.7 inches; the year adds up to 56.5 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 51 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 84 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.7 inches a year, most of it in December. That 56.5 inches is more than at 91 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (84%). Rocky Face, 7 miles south, has its own station (Chickamauga 2 SW, GA): 57.0 inches a year, 0.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 29 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Feb | 56 | 32 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Mar | 64 | 37 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 73 | 45 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 54 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 63 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 66 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 66 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 59 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 47 | 3.7 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 35 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 31 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Year | 72 | 47 | 56.5 | 78 | 0.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Chickamauga Pk Larc, GA (782 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 Tunnel Hill
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 255 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Tunnel Hill: 217 thunderstorm wind reports, 26 flash floods, 7 lightning strikes, 3 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $4.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on June 28, 2008. March has had the most flash floods, 9 of 26. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 338 have had fewer than Tunnel Hill.
July 4, 2018: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Tunnel Hill — 1 killed.
June 26, 2018: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Tunnel Hill — 3 injured, $15,000 damage.
July 13, 2003: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Tunnel Hill — 1 injured, $25,000 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
Whitfield County, which includes Tunnel Hill, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 hurricanes, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Whitfield County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $37.9 million a year, the 18th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.8 million (36%), 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 Tunnel Hill
- Rocky Face, GA7 mi
- Ringgold, GA7 mi
- Cohutta, GA7 mi
- Dalton, GA7 mi
- Apison, TN11 mi
- Rock Spring, GA11 mi
- Fort Oglethorpe, GA14 mi
- Rossville, GA15 mi
- Ooltewah, TN16 mi
- Crandall, GA16 mi
- Chickamauga, GA17 mi
- Chatsworth, GA17 mi
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