NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Inez, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Inez, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 8 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 8
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
What the records show for Inez
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Inez; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 63 miles away. The record near Inez begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 68 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. None of the 8 systems has come since 2000. Inez is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 8 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 2, 2012, came within 13 miles. Of the 8, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on August 7, 2023. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Inez. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 63 times since 1982, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Inez has more hail reports within 10 miles than 66% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Inez
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 63 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 Inez: 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 Inez
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s5(2 EF3+)
- 1990s1
- 1970s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 13 mi | 84.99 mi | 10 / 118 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 4 mi | 49.04 mi | 2 / 37 |
| Jul 4, 2016 | EF2 | 17 mi | 2.63 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF1 | 19 mi | 6.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 7, 2014 | EF1 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F1 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 29, 1972 | F1 | 23 mi | 20.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 2013 | EF0 | 10 mi | 0.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 8 of 8, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Inez
The Storm Prediction Center has 63 hail reports within 10 miles of Inez since 1982, made on 43 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 29, 2014. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. April has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Inez
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Dunlow 1 SW, WV, 9 miles northeast of Inez at 1,113 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 26°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 49.2 inches over 100 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 95 nights a year. Snowfall averages 17.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 49.2 inches is more than at 33 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (35%). Paintsville, 14 miles west, has its own station (Paintsville 1E, KY): 46.2 inches a year, 3.0 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 | 43 | 26 | 3.9 | 9 | 4.8 |
| Feb | 47 | 28 | 3.7 | 9 | 4.4 |
| Mar | 56 | 34 | 4.5 | 10 | 3.8 |
| Apr | 68 | 44 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.2 |
| May | 75 | 53 | 4.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 61 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 65 | 4.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 63 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 57 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 45 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 56 | 36 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Dec | 46 | 30 | 4.3 | 9 | 3.4 |
| Year | 65 | 45 | 49.2 | 100 | 17.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Dunlow 1 SW, WV (1,113 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 Inez
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 188 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Inez: 136 thunderstorm wind reports, 29 floods and 23 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $2.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 10, 2003. April has had the most flash floods, 8 of 23. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 138 have had fewer than Inez.
January 5, 1997: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Inez — 3 injured, $15,000 damage.
October 24, 2001: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Inez — 1 injured, $15,000 damage.
NWS: “Strong winds blew a tree down onto a car along Kentucky Route 40. The driver of the car received minor injuries.”
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Inez — $750,000 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 Inez's ZIP code 41224 have filed 181 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $2.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Heavy rains in 2004: 32 claims (18% of all) and $634,000, then Flooding in 1984 with 19 and Not a named storm in 1978 with 15. 44% 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, 118 have fewer than Inez.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy rains2004 | 32 | $634,000 |
| Flooding1984 | 19 | $140,000 |
| Not a named storm1978 | 15 | $50,000 |
Martin County, which includes Inez, has been named in 37 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 27 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 9 floods, 3 fires, 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 Martin County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.8 million a year, the 76th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.6 million (86%), 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 Inez
- Kermit, WV8 mi
- Paintsville, KY14 mi
- Louisa, KY15 mi
- Fort Gay, WV16 mi
- Hagerhill, KY17 mi
- Williamson, WV18 mi
- Belfry, KY18 mi
- Staffordsville, KY18 mi
- Prestonsburg, KY19 mi
- Delbarton, WV24 mi
- Martin, KY24 mi
- Raccoon, KY25 mi
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