NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Whitesburg, 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 Whitesburg, Tennessee since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 29 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 29
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Whitesburg
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Whitesburg; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 46 miles away. The record near Whitesburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 67 miles away. The busiest decade was the 2020s, with 2 systems. Of the 4 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site, 81% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Whitesburg. The strongest of the 29 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF3 on April 27, 2011; its path came within 25 miles, and it killed 6 people. Of the 29, none 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 February 6, 2025. Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 89% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Whitesburg. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1969, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 339 Tennessee cities, 55% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Whitesburg.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Whitesburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 73 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 Whitesburg: 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 Whitesburg
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s9(1 EF3+)
- 2000s2
- 1990s2
- 1980s2
- 1970s7
- 1960s2
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 25 mi | 15.8 mi | 6 / 33 |
| Mar 12, 1967 | F2 | 16 mi | 16 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Mar 11, 1963 | F2 | 18 mi | 6.2 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 25 mi | 8.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 6, 1980 | F2 | 11 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F2 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Mar 5, 1955 | F2 | 20 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Feb 6, 2025 | EF1 | 16 mi | 3.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 24, 2024 | EF1 | 18 mi | 5.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 21 mi | 7.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF1 | 14 mi | 9.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 2007 | EF1 | 25 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 7 |
The strongest 12 of 29, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Whitesburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Whitesburg since 1969, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 18, 1995. The most recent report is from May 8, 2024. June has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Whitesburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Morristown Radio Wcrk, TN, 12 miles southwest of Whitesburg at 1,344 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 27°F. March is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 48.2 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 22 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 84 nights a year. Snowfall averages 8.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 48.2 inches is more than at 10 of the 122 Tennessee stations used on this site (8%). Bulls Gap, 5 miles east, has its own station (Rogersville 1 NE, TN): 48.8 inches a year, 0.6 more than here, and the same July average high, 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 27 | 4.1 | 8 | 2.1 |
| Feb | 51 | 30 | 4.5 | 8 | 2.9 |
| Mar | 60 | 36 | 4.9 | 8 | 2.0 |
| Apr | 69 | 45 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 55 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 63 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 67 | 4.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 65 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 59 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 47 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 36 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 49 | 31 | 4.6 | 8 | 1.6 |
| Year | 68 | 47 | 48.2 | 87 | 8.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Morristown Radio Wcrk, TN (1,344 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 Whitesburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 215 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Whitesburg: 192 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 floods and 9 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $14.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 8, 2024. Of the 339 Tennessee cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 73 have had fewer than Whitesburg.
September 28, 2024: flood 6 miles from the centre of Whitesburg — $11.0 million damage.
February 23, 2019: flood 4 miles from the centre of Whitesburg — $1.2 million damage.
February 23, 2019: flood 7 miles from the centre of Whitesburg — $550,000 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
Hamblen County, which includes Whitesburg, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 2 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hamblen County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.1 million a year, the 60th highest of 95 Tennessee counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.2 million (51%), 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 Whitesburg
- Russellville, TN4 mi
- Bulls Gap, TN5 mi
- Mooresburg, TN7 mi
- Morristown, TN10 mi
- Midway, TN10 mi
- Bean Station, TN11 mi
- Mosheim, TN12 mi
- Rogersville, TN13 mi
- White Pine, TN15 mi
- Talbott, TN17 mi
- Sneedville, TN18 mi
- Greeneville, TN19 mi
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