NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Jackson, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Jackson, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 16 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 16
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Jackson
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Jackson; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 66 miles away. The record near Jackson begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 40 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. None of the 7 systems has come since 2000. Jackson has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 74% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The strongest of the 16 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF3 on March 2, 2012; its path came within 12 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 16, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 10 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2023. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 93% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Jackson. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 76 times since 1983, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Jackson has more hail reports within 10 miles than 78% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
Compare Jackson's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Jackson
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 66 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 Jackson: 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 Jackson
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s4(1 EF3+)
- 2000s5
- 1990s4
- 1980s1
- 1970s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 12 mi | 49.04 mi | 2 / 37 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 24 mi | 6.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1995 | F2 | 11 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 1, 1977 | F2 | 23 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 22, 2003 | F1 | 11 mi | 0.5 mi | 2 / 7 |
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 15 mi | 0.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF1 | 15 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F1 | 23 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F1 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 27, 1987 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF0 | 23 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 2005 | F0 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 16, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Jackson
The Storm Prediction Center has 76 hail reports within 10 miles of Jackson since 1983, made on 50 separate days. Of these, 37 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 16, 2025, the most recent report. May has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Jackson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jackson, KY, 4 miles northeast of Jackson at 1,364 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 27°F. June is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 52.1 inches over 95 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 14 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 78 nights a year. Snowfall averages 23.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 52.1 inches is more than at 64 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (69%). Campton, 16 miles northwest, has its own station (Beattyville 4N, KY): 50.9 inches a year, 1.2 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 27 | 4.0 | 8 | 7.4 |
| Feb | 49 | 31 | 4.1 | 9 | 6.7 |
| Mar | 58 | 38 | 4.7 | 9 | 4.0 |
| Apr | 69 | 47 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.4 |
| May | 76 | 56 | 5.2 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 63 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 67 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 65 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 59 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 49 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 57 | 39 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 48 | 32 | 4.5 | 9 | 4.1 |
| Year | 67 | 48 | 52.1 | 95 | 23.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Jackson, KY (1,364 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 Jackson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 371 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Jackson: 255 thunderstorm wind reports, 49 flash floods, 37 floods and 30 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on May 8, 2003. May has had the most flash floods, 15 of 49. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 244 have had fewer than Jackson.
July 30, 2008: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Jackson — 1 injured, $1,000 damage.
NWS: “A tree was blown down and onto a car resulting in minor injuries to the passenger.”
May 9, 2009: flood 7 miles from the centre of Jackson — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Flood water was up to the top of the lockers in Rousseau Elementary School. Water was also in homes near the school as well as a grocery store.”
April 30, 2005: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Jackson — $300,000 damage.
NWS: “Flash flooding destroyed several roads. Peg Fork, Walnut Fork, and Hunting Creek were hardest hit.”
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 Jackson's ZIP code 41339 have filed 165 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $5.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late July Flooding in 2022: 55 claims (33% of all) and $3.6 million, then February Kentucky Flooding in 2025 with 18 and Flooding in 1984 with 18. 64% 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, 116 have fewer than Jackson.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late July Flooding2022 | 55 | $3.6 million |
| February Kentucky Flooding2025 | 18 | $276,000 |
| Flooding1984 | 18 | $101,000 |
Breathitt County, which includes Jackson, has been named in 49 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 40 of them major disasters (by incident: 21 severe storms, 14 floods, 3 ice storms, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on May 23, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Breathitt County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.8 million a year, the 40th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.3 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 Jackson
- Campton, KY16 mi
- Booneville, KY19 mi
- Hazard, KY20 mi
- Beattyville, KY20 mi
- Salyersville, KY20 mi
- West Liberty, KY28 mi
- Viper, KY28 mi
- Tyner, KY30 mi
- Frenchburg, KY32 mi
- Martin, KY32 mi
- Stanton, KY33 mi
- Hagerhill, KY33 mi
All Kentucky cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Jackson with another place →