NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Jenkins, 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 Jenkins, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Hugo in 1989. Since 1950, 9 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 9
- 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 Jenkins
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Jenkins; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 48 miles away. The record near Jenkins 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. Jenkins has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 52% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 9 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 8, 2009, came within 10 miles. Of the 9, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on April 9, 2011. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Jenkins. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 57 times since 1994, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Jenkins has more hail reports within 10 miles than 58% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Jenkins
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 44 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 Jenkins: 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 Jenkins
By decade
- 2010s2
- 2000s3
- 1990s1
- 1980s1
- 1970s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 10 mi | 1.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1995 | F2 | 21 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 2011 | EF1 | 14 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 4, 2008 | EF1 | 25 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 3, 1983 | F1 | 10 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F1 | 12 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1957 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF0 | 18 mi | 0.37 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF0 | 8 mi | 0.58 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 9 of 9, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Jenkins
The Storm Prediction Center has 57 hail reports within 10 miles of Jenkins since 1994, made on 44 separate days. Of these, 34 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 9, 2011. The most recent report is from February 6, 2025. April has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Jenkins
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Clintwood 1W, VA, 8 miles southeast of Jenkins 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%). Whitesburg, 12 miles west, has its own station (Skyline 1 SE, KY): 49.9 inches a year, 0.7 more than here, and a July average high of 86°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 Jenkins
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 158 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Jenkins: 103 thunderstorm wind reports, 31 flash floods, 18 floods and 6 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 13, 2013. July has had the most flash floods, 9 of 31. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 188 have had fewer than Jenkins.
February 6, 2020: flood 2 miles from the centre of Jenkins — $350,000 damage.
NWS: “A local radio station reported nearly 3 dozen roads impacted by flood waters across Letcher County, including several locations in Whitesburg and Jenkins. Mudslides were also caused by the previous heavy rainfall.”
February 10, 2018: flood 4 miles from the centre of Jenkins — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Water from flooding along Crooked Branch got into Dyers Chapel near Clinchco, and covered some equipment at a nearby well services business. Several drivers had to be rescued after driving into high water near Haysi.”
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 Jenkins's ZIP code 41537 have filed 41 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1984, and were paid $1.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late July Flooding in 2022: 18 claims (44% of all) and $1.0 million, then February Kentucky Flooding in 2025 with 15. 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, 73 have fewer than Jenkins.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late July Flooding2022 | 18 | $1.0 million |
| February Kentucky Flooding2025 | 15 | $366,000 |
Letcher County, which includes Jenkins, has been named in 40 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 33 of them major disasters (by incident: 16 severe storms, 14 floods, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). 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 Letcher County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $16.9 million a year, the 37th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $14.8 million (88%), 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 Jenkins
- Pound, VA6 mi
- Virgie, KY9 mi
- Clintwood, VA10 mi
- Whitesburg, KY12 mi
- Elkhorn City, KY15 mi
- Wise, VA15 mi
- Norton, VA17 mi
- Haysi, VA18 mi
- Coeburn, VA19 mi
- Pikeville, KY21 mi
- Appalachia, VA21 mi
- Harold, KY22 mi
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