NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Elkhorn City, 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 Elkhorn City, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Hugo in 1989. Since 1950, 7 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 7
- 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 Elkhorn City
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Elkhorn City; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 35 miles away. The record near Elkhorn City 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. Elkhorn City has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 52% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The strongest of the 7 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF2 on May 8, 2009; its path came within 17 miles. Of the 7, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on October 7, 2014. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 98% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Elkhorn City. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 36 times since 1965, with stones up to 2.25 inches. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 83% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Elkhorn City.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Elkhorn City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 47 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 Elkhorn City: 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 Elkhorn City
By decade
- 2010s2
- 2000s2
- 1990s1
- 1980s1
- 1970s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 17 mi | 1.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 7, 2014 | EF1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 2011 | EF1 | 15 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1983 | F1 | 25 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F1 | 2 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF0 | 9 mi | 0.58 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 1998 | F0 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 7 of 7, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Elkhorn City
The Storm Prediction Center has 36 hail reports within 10 miles of Elkhorn City since 1965, made on 30 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.25 inches, fell on April 28, 2014. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Elkhorn City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Clintwood 1W, VA, 12 miles southwest of Elkhorn City at 1,566 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 22°F. July is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and October and November the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 49.2 inches over 98 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 133 nights a year. Snowfall averages 38.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 49.2 inches is more than at 32 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (34%). Pikeville, 14 miles northwest, has its own station (Williamson, WV): 48.3 inches a year, 0.9 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 22 | 3.7 | 9 | 11.5 |
| Feb | 47 | 24 | 3.9 | 8 | 10.5 |
| Mar | 56 | 29 | 4.4 | 9 | 6.6 |
| Apr | 68 | 38 | 4.6 | 9 | 0.8 |
| May | 74 | 48 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 56 | 5.1 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 61 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 40 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 55 | 30 | 2.8 | 6 | 1.1 |
| Dec | 46 | 25 | 4.3 | 9 | 7.6 |
| Year | 64 | 40 | 49.2 | 98 | 38.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Clintwood 1W, VA (1,566 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 Elkhorn City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 179 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Elkhorn City: 136 thunderstorm wind reports, 29 flash floods, 11 floods and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 2 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on November 12, 2003. July has had the most flash floods, 17 of 29. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 178 have had fewer than Elkhorn City.
August 5, 2010: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Elkhorn City — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
May 16, 2023: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Elkhorn City — 1 killed.
April 9, 2011: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Elkhorn City — 2 injured, $8,000 damage.
NWS: “There was a trailer blown over with people inside.”
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 Elkhorn City's ZIP code 41522 have filed 42 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $635,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1984: 20 claims (48% of all) and $163,000, then February Kentucky Flooding in 2025 with 15. The year with the most claims was 2025, with 16. 83% 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, 75 have fewer than Elkhorn City.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1984 | 20 | $163,000 |
| February Kentucky Flooding2025 | 15 | $465,000 |
Pike County, which includes Elkhorn City, has been named in 47 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 37 of them major disasters (by incident: 20 severe storms, 15 floods, 4 fires, 3 snowstorms). 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 Pike County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding; Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and tornadoes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $49.7 million a year, the 7th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $44.8 million (90%), 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 Elkhorn City
- Haysi, VA8 mi
- Clintwood, VA11 mi
- Virgie, KY12 mi
- Pikeville, KY14 mi
- Jenkins, KY15 mi
- Raccoon, KY15 mi
- Vansant, VA17 mi
- Pound, VA18 mi
- Grundy, VA19 mi
- Phelps, KY19 mi
- Harold, KY20 mi
- Hurley, VA22 mi
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