Storm risk in Sullivan County, Tennessee

FEMA's overall hazard score for Sullivan County is 71.47 (Relatively Low), 898th of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 35.97 (Relatively Low), strong wind 86.90 (Relatively High) and tornado 47.23 (Relatively Low). Expected hail loss is $3.25 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 14 hail reports in Sullivan County from 2014 to June 2026.

FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. NOAA hail reports 2014 to June 2026.

Sullivan County: expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings for hail, strong wind and tornado, on a log scale, against all U.S. counties and the counties of TN$0.1$1$10$100$1,000Hail: $3.25 per $1 million, 2,562nd of 3,126 rated counties$3.25Hail2,562nd of 3,126 countiesStrong wind: $12 per $1 million, 2,056th of 3,121 rated counties$12Strong wind2,056th of 3,121 countiesTornado: $38 per $1 million, 2,516th of 3,144 rated counties$38Tornado2,516th of 3,144 counties
  • Sullivan County, coloured by its FEMA rating
  • all U.S. counties
  • each county in the state
  • U.S. median
  • state median

Expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings, log scale. Dot colour is FEMA’s rating band. The tornado lane counts everything exposed, not only buildings.

How FEMA rates Sullivan County

HazardRatingScore (0 to 100)Rank in U.S.Rank in TN
OverallRelatively Low 71.47898 of 3,14425 of 95
HailRelatively Low 35.972,014 of 3,12637 of 95
Strong windRelatively High 86.90413 of 3,12612 of 95
TornadoRelatively Low 47.231,660 of 3,12680 of 95

Expected yearly loss, in dollars

HazardThis county, total a yearPer $1M of buildingsState median countyU.S. median countyRank per $1M, U.S.Rank per $1M, state
Hail$90,464$3.25 $12$22 2,562 of 3,12681 of 95
Strong wind$338,398$12 $34$20 2,056 of 3,12174 of 95
Tornado$1,066,797$38 $403$199 2,516 of 3,14495 of 95

Rank 1 is the highest. Overall, hail and wind losses count buildings; the tornado row counts everything FEMA exposes, so it overstates building damage. Expected annual loss is an average over many years for the whole county, not a forecast for one roof.

What stands out in Sullivan County

  • FEMA expects hail in Sullivan County to cost $3.25 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.15 times the U.S. median and 0.26 times the TN county median, ranked 2,562nd of 3,126 counties nationally and 81st of 95 in Tennessee.
  • FEMA expects strong wind in Sullivan County to cost $12 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.60 times the U.S. median and 0.35 times the TN county median, ranked 2,056th of 3,121 counties nationally and 74th of 95 in Tennessee.
  • FEMA expects tornado in Sullivan County to cost $38 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.19 times the U.S. median and 0.10 times the TN county median, ranked 2,516th of 3,144 counties nationally and 95th of 95 in Tennessee.
  • NOAA has only 14 hail reports for Sullivan County in 12 years, too few for a trend; FEMA's 116 counted hail events cover a longer record.
  • Applying FEMA's estimate to a $190,800 home, the average yearly loss in Sullivan County is about $0.62 for hail and $2.32 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $4.26 and $3.89.
  • If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Sullivan County meets about 16.7 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
  • Built in 1976, the median home in Sullivan County is 50 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 82.5% of its 75,917 homes are at least 26 years old.
  • March to June holds 10 of the 14 hail reports in Sullivan County (71 percent); the quietest month is January, with 0 reports.

What hail and wind cost a home here in an average year

Enter a home value. The calculator applies Sullivan County’s own loss rate: the county’s expected yearly loss divided by the value of its buildings. It starts at the Census median home value for the county.

$0.62hail, a year; $4.26 at the U.S. median county rate
$2.32strong wind, a year; $3.89 at the U.S. median county rate
$59hail and wind together over 20 years, at today’s rate

Formula: home value × Sullivan County yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $90,464 ÷ $27,853,468,434 = 0.0000032. Wind: $338,398 ÷ $27,853,468,434 = 0.0000121. This is FEMA’s estimate of average damage to buildings and does not account for your deductible. Tornado is left out because FEMA’s tornado loss counts people and other exposure, not only buildings.

Read this as a yardstick. The rate is an average over every building in the county, from sheds to office towers, and over many years. Real losses come in rare, large storms; a roof with no damage in 19 years can need full replacement in the 20th. The figure is not a quote and not a prediction for one address.

Sullivan County in plain numbers

  • Sullivan County scores 71.47 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively Low): 898th of 3,144 rated counties and 25th of 95 in Tennessee.
  • Hail scores 35.97 (Relatively Low). FEMA expects $90,464 of hail damage to buildings in Sullivan County a year, which is $3.25 per $1 million of buildings, 0.15 times the U.S. median.
  • Strong wind scores 86.90 (Relatively High) with $338,398 of expected yearly building loss in Sullivan County: $12 per $1 million of buildings, 0.60 times the U.S. median.
  • Tornado scores 47.23 (Relatively Low) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $1,066,797, counting everything exposed, or $38 per $1 million of buildings in Sullivan County.
  • FEMA's own event record for Sullivan County averages 3.03 hail events and 3.25 strong-wind events a year.
  • NOAA logged 14 hail reports in Sullivan County between 2014 and June 2026, on 10 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 2.75 inches.
  • In Sullivan County, FEMA counts buildings worth 27.85 billion dollars and 158,067 residents.
  • Social vulnerability is Relatively Moderate in Sullivan County.
  • Community resilience there is Relatively Moderate, for 158,067 residents.
  • 1 city in Sullivan County is covered on this site: Kingsport. 8 Census ZIP areas have more than half of their land in the county.
  • Our guide range for a 2,000 sq ft asphalt roof in Kingsport is $6,090 to $13,485.
  • Sullivan County ranks 166 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 93 for wind and 180 for tornado.
  • In Sullivan County, May is the busiest month with 7 of the 14 reports (50 percent), against 0 reports in November.
  • Sullivan County's worst year was 2022, with 3 hail days at 1 inch or more and 6 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 0.83 such days a year, one about every 14.4 months.
  • The median home in Sullivan County was built in 1976; 55.5% of its 75,917 housing units date from before 1980, 82.5% from before 2000 and 6.8% from 2010 on.
  • Census puts the median home value in Sullivan County at $190,800, and 72.9% of homes are lived in by their owners.
  • 4,078 single-family building permits were issued in Sullivan County from 2014 to 2025, about 53.7 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2025.
  • NOAA lists 1 tornado track in Sullivan County since 2014; the strongest was an EF1 on July 27, 2014 near Rock Spgs, 0.5 miles long.
  • The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Sullivan County is 81 mph on July 27, 2014 at Springdale.
  • The nearest county with a page here is Washington County, 21 miles from the centre of Sullivan County; its hail score is 37.95.
  • Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 13 roofing contractor establishments in Sullivan County in 2023, one for every 5,840 homes.

The hail record of Sullivan County, year by year

NOAA logged 14 reports in Sullivan County; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 10 days. With so few reports the yearly bars below are small numbers, and a single storm moves them.

Sullivan County: NOAA hail reports per year, 2014 to June 2026, with the number of days that had hail of 1 inch or more01234562014: 2 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2.75 inch142015: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch152016: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch162017: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch172018: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch182019: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch192020: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch202021: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch212022: 6 reports, 3 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.5 inch222023: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch232024: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch242025: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch252026: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch26*
  • reports
  • days with hail of 1 inch or more
  • * 2026 runs to June only
Sullivan County: NOAA hail reports by calendar month, 2014 to June 2026January: 0 reports0JanFebruary: 0 reports0FebMarch: 2 reports2MarApril: 0 reports0AprMay: 7 reports7MayJune: 1 reports1JunJuly: 2 reports2JulAugust: 0 reports0AugSeptember: 2 reports2SepOctober: 0 reports0OctNovember: 0 reports0NovDecember: 0 reports0Dec

Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: May, 7 reports.

The same numbers as a table (years with at least one report)
YearReportsDays, 1 inch or moreDays, 1.75 inch or moreLargest stoneDamage reported
20142112.75 in–
20171101 in–
20181101 in–
20201101 in–
20211101 in–
20226301.5 in–
20231101 in–
20241101 in–

Biggest hail days in Sullivan County

DateLargest stoneReports that dayDamage reportedNear
July 27, 20142.75 in2none recordedSpringdale
May 19, 20221.5 in4none recordedLynn Garden
May 6, 20221.25 in1none recordedBridwell Hgts
May 12, 20171 in1none recordedHarr
March 17, 20181 in1none recordedRock Spgs

Where large hail was reported

FEMA scores the county as a whole. NOAA’s reports show where inside Sullivan County the big stones fell.

Reported hail locations, Sullivan County

1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1.25 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.75 in hail2.75 in hail Kingsport
  • 121 to 1.74 in
  • 11.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
  • 12.75 in and up, baseball

Largest plotted stone: 2.75 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.

14 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.

Sources: NOAA, Census county outline

Wind and tornado records for Sullivan County

Fastest gusts in Sullivan County

DateGustNear
July 27, 201481 mphSpringdale
March 29, 202064 mphHoward Hill
March 29, 202064 mphCedar Grove
April 28, 201463 mphKingsport

Strongest tornado tracks in Sullivan County

DateScaleLengthInjured / killedNear
July 27, 2014EF10.5 mi0 / 0Rock Spgs

1 tornado track in all since 2014; the strongest 1 are listed.

How old the roofs are

Census counts homes by the decade they were built. Under each bar is the number of hail days of 1 inch or more that an original roof from that decade has met, at Sullivan County’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 0.83 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.

Sullivan County: share of homes by decade built, with the hail days at 1 inch or more that an original roof from each decade has met at the county's 2014 to 2025 ratepre-1940: 6.8% of homes6.8%<1940761940s: 7.7% of homes7.7%1940s681950s: 13.2% of homes13.2%1950s591960s: 12.3% of homes12.3%1960s511970s: 15.4% of homes15.4%1970s421980s: 12.0% of homes12%1980s341990s: 15.0% of homes15%1990s262000s: 10.7% of homes10.7%2000s182010s: 6.4% of homes6.4%2010s92020+: 0.4% of homes0.4%2020+2

Bars: share of 75,917 housing units by decade built. Figures under the decade: hail days met by an original roof, at the county’s 2014 to 2025 pace. The pace of earlier years is unknown.

Median year built1976
Built before 198055.5%
Built before 200082.5%
Built since 20106.8%
Owner-occupied72.9%
Median home value$190,800
Single-family permits, 2014 to 20254,078
Permits per 1,000 homes53.7

Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) and 25 to 30 years (architectural). Source: Census ACS 2019 to 2023 and Building Permits Survey.

Roofers and past disasters in Sullivan County

Roofing firms in Sullivan County

Roofing contractor establishments, 202313
Change since 2016+5 (+62%)
Homes per roofing firm5,840
Median across counties5,189
Employees, 202392

Source for Sullivan County: Census County Business Patterns, NAICS 238160.

Nearby counties

The closest counties that have a risk page, by distance between county centres. Loss is per $1 million of buildings; the columns marked "times here" divide the neighbour's loss by Sullivan County's.

CountyMilesOverallHail lossHail, times hereWind lossWind, times hereNOAA hail reports
Washington County, TN21 Relatively Low $3.841.18$3.660.3017
Knox County, TN101 Relatively Moderate $1.520.47$2.280.1948
Putnam County, TN179 Relatively Low $4012.17$443.6335
Hamilton County, TN187 Relatively Moderate $113.52$7.240.6020
Sumner County, TN234 Relatively Moderate $4513.74$151.2251
Rutherford County, TN236 Relatively Moderate $5.611.73$5.540.4648

More Tennessee counties, nearest first

All 194 counties, with a filter by state and sorting

Cities and ZIP areas in Sullivan County

1 city in this county is on PickARoofer. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are Census shapes that approximate ZIP codes; where we have a city’s ZIPs, the share is the part of each area’s land that lies in this county. 8 such areas have more than half their land here.

CityZIP areas (share of land in the county)Pages
Kingsport 37660 (91%), 37663 (95%), 37683 (0%), 37694 (18%) Roofers

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Questions

How high is storm risk in Sullivan County?

FEMA's National Risk Index gives Sullivan County an overall score of 71.47 (Relatively Low), 898th of 3,144. Hail scores 35.97 (Relatively Low), strong wind 86.90 (Relatively High) and tornado 47.23 (Relatively Low).

In Sullivan County, how many hail reports has NOAA logged?

A report is one entry for one storm in one county, so counts follow where people live as well as where hail fell. NOAA has 14 for Sullivan County between 2014 and June 2026, on 10 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 2.75 inches.

What do hail and wind cost a home in Sullivan County each year, on average?

Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $190,800: FEMA's estimate is about $0.62 a year for hail and $2.32 for wind, before any deductible, against $4.26 and $3.89 at the U.S. median county rates. This is an average over many years and all buildings, not a prediction for one roof; one bad storm costs far more than the average year.

How does Sullivan County compare with the rest of Tennessee?

Per $1 million of buildings Sullivan County loses $3.25 to hail a year, against $12 in the median county of the state. Among 95 rated counties it is 37th for hail, 12th for strong wind and 80th for tornado.

How old are the roofs in Sullivan County?

The median home was built in 1976, 50 years ago, and 82.5% of the 75,917 housing units in Sullivan County date from before 2000. Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) or 25 to 30 years (architectural), so an original roof of either kind is past its rated life. The Census does not record when a roof was replaced.

What does expected annual loss mean?

It is FEMA's estimate of the average yearly loss from a hazard, in dollars, summed over the county. It is built for comparing counties at planning level, not for pricing one house.

Does a high rating mean my roof will be damaged?

No. The index compares counties and cannot say what will happen on your street. After a storm, a roof inspection is the only way to know.

Sources for Sullivan County: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Sullivan County; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Sullivan County; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Sullivan County. Planning-level information about Sullivan County, not an inspection and not insurance advice.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset 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).