NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Beattyville, 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 Beattyville, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 35 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 35
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
17 deaths in all
What the records show for Beattyville
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Beattyville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 55 miles away. The record near Beattyville begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 22 miles away. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. Beattyville has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 52% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 35 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 2, 2012, came within 23 miles. Of the 35, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 20 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on February 6, 2025. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 81% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Beattyville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 60 times since 1958, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Beattyville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 63% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Beattyville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Beattyville: 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 Beattyville
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s6(2 EF3+)
- 2000s13(1 EF3+)
- 1990s6
- 1980s3
- 1970s4
- 1960s1(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 23 mi | 84.99 mi | 10 / 118 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 25 mi | 49.04 mi | 2 / 37 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF3 | 25 mi | 21.12 mi | 2 / 15 |
| Jun 9, 1961 | F3 | 7 mi | 2.6 mi | 1 / 63 |
| May 18, 1995 | F2 | 22 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 16, 1982 | F2 | 25 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 30, 1978 | F2 | 20 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 1, 1977 | F2 | 10 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 3, 1977 | F2 | 12 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 1954 | F2 | 14 mi | 16.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 22, 2003 | F1 | 9 mi | 0.5 mi | 2 / 7 |
| Feb 6, 2025 | EF1 | 16 mi | 1.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 35, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Beattyville
The Storm Prediction Center has 60 hail reports within 10 miles of Beattyville since 1958, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 24, 1958. The most recent report is from June 25, 2023. May has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Beattyville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Beattyville 4N, KY, 4 miles north of Beattyville at 1,080 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 24°F. July is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 50.9 inches over 96 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 98 nights a year. Snowfall averages 16.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 50.9 inches is more than at 47 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (51%). Booneville, 10 miles south, has its own station (Heidelberg, KY): 49.7 inches a year, 1.2 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 24 | 3.9 | 7 | 4.7 |
| Feb | 47 | 27 | 3.8 | 8 | 5.4 |
| Mar | 57 | 34 | 4.7 | 8 | 2.7 |
| Apr | 68 | 44 | 4.9 | 10 | 0.1 |
| May | 75 | 53 | 5.1 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 61 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 65 | 6.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 64 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 57 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 45 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 35 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 46 | 29 | 4.5 | 8 | 3.0 |
| Year | 66 | 45 | 50.9 | 96 | 16.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Beattyville 4N, KY (1,080 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 Beattyville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 308 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Beattyville: 239 thunderstorm wind reports, 34 flash floods, 18 heavy rain events and 17 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $1.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on May 8, 2003. May has had the most flash floods, 9 of 34. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 198 have had fewer than Beattyville.
April 3, 2015: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Beattyville — 1 killed, $1,000 damage.
NWS: “A vehicle attempted to drive through flash flood waters from a creek along KY Hwy 52 near the Estill and Lee county line. The vehicle was eventually swept downstream with the driver trapped inside.”
June 20, 2011: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Beattyville — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “A bridge was washed out on Paw Paw Creek Road south of Beattyville. In fact, several roads in Lee county were damaged due to flash flooding on June 20th.”
June 20, 2011: flash flood in Beattyville — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Significant damage occurred to roads in the Brushy Creek, Wide Creek, Paw Paw, and Primrose Lane areas in the June 20th flash floods. Kentucky Hwy 52S was also heavily damaged in the Sharp Rock area when the hillside below the road collapsed and slid away.”
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 Beattyville's ZIP code 41311 have filed 34 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2021, with 12. 59% 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, 66 have fewer than Beattyville.
Lee County, which includes Beattyville, has been named in 42 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 35 of them major disasters (by incident: 20 severe storms, 9 floods, 4 snowstorms, 3 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on May 29, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lee County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $3.1 million a year, the 118th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.0 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 Beattyville
- Booneville, KY10 mi
- Campton, KY14 mi
- Tyner, KY17 mi
- Irvine, KY17 mi
- Stanton, KY19 mi
- Jackson, KY20 mi
- Mc Kee, KY20 mi
- Clay City, KY22 mi
- Waco, KY25 mi
- Annville, KY25 mi
- Frenchburg, KY25 mi
- Jeffersonville, KY28 mi
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