NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Unicoi, 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 Unicoi, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 25 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 25
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Unicoi
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Unicoi; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 33 miles away. The record near Unicoi begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 19 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Unicoi has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 71% of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site. The highest rating among the 25 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 15 miles. Of the 25, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 14 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on August 14, 2023. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 97% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Unicoi. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 60 times since 1957, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Unicoi has more hail reports within 10 miles than 64% of the 339 Tennessee cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Unicoi
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Unicoi: 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 Unicoi
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s10(2 EF3+)
- 2000s2
- 1990s2
- 1980s2(1 EF3+)
- 1970s3
- 1960s3
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 15 mi | 15.8 mi | 6 / 33 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 10 mi | 13.6 mi | 2 / 70 |
| Jul 10, 1980 | F3 | 2 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 22 mi | 12 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1967 | F2 | 20 mi | 16 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 18 mi | 8.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1967 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 1965 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 8, 1957 | F2 | 15 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 14, 2023 | EF1 | 20 mi | 2.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF1 | 12 mi | 6.23 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 25, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Unicoi
The Storm Prediction Center has 60 hail reports within 10 miles of Unicoi since 1957, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 29 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 1, 1969. The most recent report is from April 6, 2022. April has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Unicoi
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Erwin 1 W, TN, 8 miles southwest of Unicoi at 1,720 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 25°F. July is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 47.0 inches over 93 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 98 nights a year. Snowfall averages 9.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.0 inches is more than at 4 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (3%). Hampton, 9 miles northeast, has its own station (Elizabethton, TN): 48.2 inches a year, 1.2 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 25 | 3.5 | 7 | 3.4 |
| Feb | 51 | 27 | 3.3 | 7 | 2.5 |
| Mar | 59 | 33 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.9 |
| Apr | 68 | 41 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 50 | 4.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 58 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 5.5 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 61 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 55 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 43 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 33 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 50 | 28 | 3.6 | 8 | 2.4 |
| Year | 68 | 43 | 47.0 | 93 | 9.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Erwin 1 W, TN (1,720 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 Unicoi
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 159 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Unicoi: 125 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 flash floods, 5 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 10 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $79.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on May 26, 2004. August has had the most flash floods, 8 of 27. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 279 have had fewer than Unicoi.
September 27, 2024: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Unicoi — 9 killed, $9.8 million damage.
February 6, 2020: flood 3 miles from the centre of Unicoi — 1 killed, $350,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous roadways were flooded or damaged across the county. Circumstantially, a motorist swerved off of Unicoi Drive around 12:30 AM on the 7th, hit a concrete bridge structure that crosses Buffalo Creek, and rolled over into the flooded creek.”
August 5, 2012: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Unicoi — 1 injured, $5.0 million damage.
NWS: “Significant Flash Flooding on Dry Creek. Several houses damaged, one house destroyed.”
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 Unicoi's ZIP code 37692 have filed 16 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2001, and were paid $84,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 6% 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, 38 have fewer than Unicoi.
Unicoi County, which includes Unicoi, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 5 severe storms, 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 Unicoi County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $4.4 million a year, the 89th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.8 million (64%), 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 Unicoi
- Erwin, TN8 mi
- Hampton, TN9 mi
- Johnson City, TN10 mi
- Jonesborough, TN12 mi
- Roan Mountain, TN12 mi
- Elizabethton, TN12 mi
- Telford, TN14 mi
- Bakersville, NC14 mi
- Piney Flats, TN16 mi
- Limestone, TN17 mi
- Bluff City, TN19 mi
- Elk Park, NC20 mi
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