NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Evarts, 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 Evarts, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 20 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 20
- 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 Evarts
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Evarts; the strongest was Audrey in 1957, a tropical storm with 43 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. The record near Evarts begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 71 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. Evarts has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 52% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The strongest of the 20 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on July 6, 1980; its path came within 20 miles. Of the 20, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 15 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on September 24, 2024. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 91% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Evarts. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1961, with stones up to 5 inches. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 56% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Evarts.
Compare Evarts's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Evarts
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 74 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 | 40 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 Evarts: 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 Evarts
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s3
- 2000s8
- 1990s1
- 1980s2
- 1970s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 6, 1980 | F2 | 20 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 24, 2024 | EF1 | 22 mi | 5.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 24 mi | 0.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 17 mi | 0.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 10 mi | 0.15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF1 | 9 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF1 | 15 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF1 | 23 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 11, 2008 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 4, 2008 | EF1 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 31, 2004 | F1 | 25 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2004 | F1 | 15 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 20, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Evarts
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Evarts since 1961, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 32 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 5 inches, fell on April 23, 1968. The most recent report is from April 14, 2025. May has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Evarts
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Baxter, KY, 9 miles west of Evarts at 1,164 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 26°F. March and December are the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 52.3 inches over 95 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 101 nights a year. That 52.3 inches is more than at 67 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (72%). Pennington Gap, VA, 11 miles southeast, has its own station (Pennington Gap, VA): 49.8 inches a year, 2.5 less than here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 26 | 4.1 | 8 |
| Feb | 49 | 29 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Mar | 58 | 34 | 5.0 | 10 |
| Apr | 68 | 42 | 4.9 | 8 |
| May | 76 | 52 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Jun | 82 | 61 | 4.7 | 9 |
| Jul | 85 | 65 | 4.8 | 10 |
| Aug | 85 | 64 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Sep | 80 | 57 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Oct | 70 | 45 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Nov | 58 | 34 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Dec | 49 | 29 | 5.0 | 9 |
| Year | 67 | 45 | 52.3 | 95 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Baxter, KY (1,164 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 Evarts
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 122 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Evarts: 97 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 floods and 11 flash floods. They killed 2 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $2.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 28, 2014. April has had the most flash floods, 5 of 11. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 27 have had fewer than Evarts.
February 21, 1997: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Evarts — 2 killed, $10,000 damage.
April 28, 2014: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Evarts — 3 injured.
April 17, 2013: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Evarts — $1.0 million damage.
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 Evarts's ZIP code 40828 have filed 28 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1984, and were paid $168,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2002, with 13. 18% 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, 57 have fewer than Evarts.
Harlan County, which includes Evarts, 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 Evarts
- Harlan, KY8 mi
- Pennington Gap, VA11 mi
- Cumberland, KY12 mi
- Jonesville, VA12 mi
- Wallins Creek, KY13 mi
- Rose Hill, VA18 mi
- Viper, KY20 mi
- Appalachia, VA22 mi
- Big Stone Gap, VA23 mi
- Ewing, VA24 mi
- Duffield, VA24 mi
- Sneedville, TN24 mi
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