NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Campton, 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 Campton, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 30 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 30
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
15 deaths in all
What the records show for Campton
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Campton; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 51 miles away. The record near Campton begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 26 miles away. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. Campton has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 52% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 30 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on March 2, 2012, came within 14 miles. Of the 30, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 14 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2023. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 86% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Campton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 62 times since 1968, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Campton has more hail reports within 10 miles than 65% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Campton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 51 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 Campton: 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 Campton
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s6(2 EF3+)
- 2000s7
- 1990s9
- 1980s2
- 1970s4
- 1960s1(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 14 mi | 84.99 mi | 10 / 118 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 13 mi | 49.04 mi | 2 / 37 |
| Jun 9, 1961 | F3 | 14 mi | 2.6 mi | 1 / 63 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 14 mi | 6.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1995 | F2 | 24 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 30, 1978 | F2 | 15 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 1, 1977 | F2 | 24 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 3, 1977 | F2 | 19 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 22, 2003 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.5 mi | 2 / 7 |
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF1 | 8 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F1 | 20 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 30, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Campton
The Storm Prediction Center has 62 hail reports within 10 miles of Campton since 1968, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on March 2, 2012. The most recent report is from April 14, 2025. May has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Campton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Beattyville 4N, KY, 12 miles southwest of Campton 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%). Jackson, 16 miles southeast, has its own station (Jackson, KY): 52.1 inches a year, 1.2 more than here, and a July average high of 85°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 Campton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 288 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Campton: 231 thunderstorm wind reports, 38 flash floods, 15 floods, 3 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on August 22, 2003. July has had the most flash floods, 8 of 38. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 219 have had fewer than Campton.
April 3, 2015: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Campton — 1 killed, 1 injured.
August 19, 2021: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Campton — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Multiple pictures and reports of flash flooding were posted on social media from along Hwy-15 in the Bethany area. Water had surrounded and entered in numerous homes and businesses in the area.”
August 19, 2021: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Campton — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Flash flooding impacted the community of Bethany, including Bethany Christian School. Multiple social media reports with pictures came in of flood waters inside of the school.”
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
Wolfe County, which includes Campton, has been named in 34 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 27 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 8 floods, 4 snowstorms, 3 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on April 24, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wolfe County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $3.8 million a year, the 115th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.9 million (77%), 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 Campton
- Beattyville, KY14 mi
- Jackson, KY16 mi
- Frenchburg, KY17 mi
- Stanton, KY18 mi
- Booneville, KY21 mi
- West Liberty, KY21 mi
- Salyersville, KY24 mi
- Clay City, KY24 mi
- Jeffersonville, KY25 mi
- Irvine, KY25 mi
- Salt Lick, KY26 mi
- Tyner, KY30 mi
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