NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Barbourville, KY
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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Barbourville, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 32 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 32
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
19 deaths in all
What the records show for Barbourville
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Barbourville; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 51 miles away. The record near Barbourville begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Barbourville has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 52% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The strongest of the 32 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on May 16, 2025; its path came within 17 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 32, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 14 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 10. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 85% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Barbourville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 42 times since 1980, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 68% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Barbourville.
Compare Barbourville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Barbourville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 15 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 Barbourville: 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 Barbourville
By decade
- 2020s2(1 EF3+)
- 2010s3
- 2000s9
- 1990s8
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1970s3(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2(2 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2025 | EF4 | 17 mi | 60.08 mi | 18 / 0 |
| May 9, 1988 | F3 | 19 mi | 5 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Jun 29, 1973 | F3 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 12, 1967 | F3 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1967 | F3 | 19 mi | 23.6 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 22 mi | 2.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 2, 2001 | F2 | 22 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 6, 1984 | F2 | 22 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 22 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 15 mi | 19.8 mi | 0 / 22 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF1 | 11 mi | 0.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 2011 | EF1 | 17 mi | 1.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 32, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Barbourville
The Storm Prediction Center has 42 hail reports within 10 miles of Barbourville since 1980, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on March 31, 1993. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. April and May have the most reports, 11 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Barbourville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Barbourville, KY, 2 miles north of Barbourville at 990 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 25°F. July is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 53.9 inches over 97 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 29 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 110 nights a year. That 53.9 inches is more than at 80 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (86%). Rockholds, 10 miles west, has its own station (Williamsburg, KY): 52.1 inches a year, 1.8 less than here, and the same July average high, 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 25 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Feb | 50 | 28 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Mar | 59 | 33 | 4.9 | 9 |
| Apr | 69 | 41 | 5.1 | 9 |
| May | 77 | 51 | 4.5 | 9 |
| Jun | 84 | 60 | 5.1 | 9 |
| Jul | 87 | 65 | 5.8 | 10 |
| Aug | 86 | 64 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Sep | 81 | 56 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Oct | 71 | 44 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Nov | 58 | 33 | 3.8 | 8 |
| Dec | 49 | 28 | 5.3 | 9 |
| Year | 68 | 44 | 53.9 | 97 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Barbourville, KY (990 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 Barbourville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 184 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Barbourville: 120 thunderstorm wind reports, 31 flash floods, 24 floods, 8 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $6.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 17, 2003. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 188 have had fewer than Barbourville.
June 20, 2011: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Barbourville — 1 killed, $25,000 damage.
NWS: “A Kayjay man was killed when flood waters swept the trailer he and his mother lived in away and smashed it against a bridge downstream. The man's mother survived and was rescued some time later.”
March 15, 2012: heavy rain event 1 mile from the centre of Barbourville — 6 injured, $20,000 damage.
NWS: “The roof of the Tru-Seal factory in Barbourville due to the weight of rain water that had accumulated on the roof. Six injuries were reported.”
June 20, 2011: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Barbourville — $3.0 million damage.
NWS: “Twenty seven homes were destroyed during the June 20th flash flood in Kayjay.”
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 Barbourville's ZIP code 40906 have filed 50 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $359,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1984: 22 claims (44% of all) and $117,000. 46% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 143 Kentucky cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 80 have fewer than Barbourville.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1984 | 22 | $117,000 |
Knox County, which includes Barbourville, has been named in 39 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 30 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 severe storms, 11 floods, 4 snowstorms, 3 fires). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on May 23, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Knox County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $19.7 million a year, the 30th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.3 million (42%), 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.