NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cumberland, 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 Cumberland, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Hugo in 1989. Since 1950, 17 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 17
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Cumberland
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cumberland; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 69 miles away. The record near Cumberland begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Hugo in 1989. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. Cumberland has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 52% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 17 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1 or EF1, reached 11 times; the most recent, on May 16, 2023, came within 17 miles. Of the 17, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 12 have come since 2000. April and May have had the most tornadoes, 5 each. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 92% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Cumberland. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 16 times since 1999, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 99% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Cumberland.
Compare Cumberland's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cumberland
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 42 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 Cumberland: 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 Cumberland
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s3
- 2000s6
- 1990s1
- 1980s2
- 1970s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 18 mi | 0.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 17 mi | 0.15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF1 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF1 | 20 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2008 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 4, 2008 | EF1 | 14 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 26, 2004 | F1 | 24 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1983 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1983 | F1 | 14 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1957 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF0 | 20 mi | 0.37 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 17, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cumberland
The Storm Prediction Center has 16 hail reports within 10 miles of Cumberland since 1999, made on 13 separate days. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently February 6, 2025. The most recent report is from February 6, 2025. May has the most reports, 4.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cumberland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Skyline 1 SE, KY, 8 miles north of Cumberland at 1,083 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 26°F. July is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 49.9 inches over 101 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 100 nights a year. Snowfall averages 16.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 49.9 inches is more than at 40 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (43%). Appalachia, VA, 12 miles east, has its own station (Big Stone Gap, VA): 56.1 inches a year, 6.2 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 26 | 3.7 | 8 | 5.3 |
| Feb | 49 | 29 | 3.9 | 8 | 4.2 |
| Mar | 59 | 33 | 4.8 | 10 | 3.1 |
| Apr | 70 | 42 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.1 |
| May | 77 | 52 | 4.8 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 60 | 4.4 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 64 | 5.7 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 64 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 57 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 46 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 59 | 34 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 49 | 29 | 4.5 | 9 | 3.6 |
| Year | 67 | 45 | 49.9 | 101 | 16.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Skyline 1 SE, KY (1,083 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 Cumberland
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 65 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cumberland: 47 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 floods, 6 heavy rain events and 5 flash floods. They killed 3 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $5.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 9, 2003. July has had the most flash floods, 2 of 5. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 1 have had fewer than Cumberland.
July 28, 2022: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Cumberland — 3 killed.
February 6, 2020: flood in Cumberland — $5.0 million damage.
NWS: “A local newspaper and citizens reported a couple of mobile homes being swept into the Cumberland River outside of Harlan as the river overspilled its banks. Approximately 70 homes were reported to have been impacted by flood waters across the county.”
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 Cumberland's ZIP code 40823 have filed 38 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $167,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1984: 16 claims (42% of all) and $39,000. 50% 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, 71 have fewer than Cumberland.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1984 | 16 | $39,000 |
Harlan County, which includes Cumberland, has been named in 33 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 24 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 9 floods, 4 snowstorms, 3 fires). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on February 24, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Harlan County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $17.7 million a year, the 34th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.7 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 Cumberland
- Appalachia, VA12 mi
- Evarts, KY12 mi
- Whitesburg, KY14 mi
- Big Stone Gap, VA15 mi
- Viper, KY15 mi
- Pennington Gap, VA15 mi
- Norton, VA20 mi
- Harlan, KY20 mi
- Jonesville, VA22 mi
- Duffield, VA22 mi
- Hazard, KY24 mi
- Wise, VA24 mi
All Kentucky cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Cumberland with another place →