NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Manchester, 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 Manchester, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 33 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 33
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
31 deaths in all
What the records show for Manchester
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Manchester; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 67 miles away. The record near Manchester begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Manchester has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 52% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The strongest of the 33 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on May 16, 2025; its path came within 12 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 33, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 16 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 11. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 84% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Manchester. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 44 times since 1985, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 64% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Manchester.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Manchester
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 4 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 Manchester: 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 Manchester
By decade
- 2020s3(1 EF3+)
- 2010s1
- 2000s12
- 1990s7
- 1980s4
- 1970s4(2 EF3+)
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2025 | EF4 | 12 mi | 60.08 mi | 18 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 24 mi | 22.3 mi | 7 / 40 |
| Jun 29, 1973 | F3 | 17 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 19 mi | 7.15 mi | 6 / 40 |
| Jun 2, 2001 | F2 | 17 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 18, 1995 | F2 | 17 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1984 | F2 | 14 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Oct 1, 1977 | F2 | 15 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 9 mi | 19.8 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Jun 1, 1954 | F2 | 19 mi | 16.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 6, 2025 | EF1 | 13 mi | 1.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 33, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Manchester
The Storm Prediction Center has 44 hail reports within 10 miles of Manchester since 1985, made on 33 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 27, 2014. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Manchester
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Oneida, KY, 10 miles northeast of Manchester at 760 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 25°F. July is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 51.7 inches over 90 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 26 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 103 nights a year. Snowfall averages 8.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 51.7 inches is more than at 59 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (63%). Annville, 15 miles northwest, has its own station (London Corbin Airport, KY): 51.4 inches a year, 0.3 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 25 | 3.9 | 7 | 2.4 |
| Feb | 50 | 27 | 4.1 | 8 | 2.7 |
| Mar | 60 | 33 | 4.6 | 9 | 1.2 |
| Apr | 70 | 42 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 53 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 65 | 5.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 64 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 57 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 44 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 33 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 48 | 29 | 4.8 | 8 | 2.1 |
| Year | 68 | 44 | 51.7 | 90 | 8.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Oneida, KY (760 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 Manchester
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 189 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Manchester: 148 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 flash floods, 18 floods and 4 heavy rain events. They killed 3 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on May 26, 2006. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 96 have had fewer than Manchester.
July 28, 2022: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Manchester — 3 killed.
NWS: “Multiple reports of flash flooding were received from western Clay County. |3:00 AM EST - The newspaper indicated multiple reporst of flash flooding in the Little Bullskin area near Oneida around this time.”
May 26, 2024: thunderstorm wind in Manchester — 1 injured, $11,000 damage.
NWS: “A tree fell down onto a picnic shelter at Rawlings Stinson Park in Manchester. One person sustained non-life threatening injuries in the event, and was transported to the hospital by ambulance.”
May 26, 2024: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Manchester — $201,000 damage.
NWS: “Both a tree and electric lines fell down onto a house on Lucy Lane, off KY-80 near Manchester. This caused the house to catch fire.”
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 Manchester's ZIP code 40962 have filed 41 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1989, and were paid $412,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1989, with 11. 32% 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 Manchester.
Clay County, which includes Manchester, has been named in 48 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 39 of them major disasters (by incident: 25 severe storms, 9 floods, 3 ice storms, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on May 29, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Clay County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.8 million a year, the 39th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.4 million (79%), 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 Manchester
- Annville, KY15 mi
- Tyner, KY15 mi
- London, KY17 mi
- Lily, KY19 mi
- Booneville, KY19 mi
- Gray, KY20 mi
- East Bernstadt, KY21 mi
- Barbourville, KY22 mi
- Corbin, KY24 mi
- Mc Kee, KY25 mi
- Pineville, KY29 mi
- Beattyville, KY29 mi
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