NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Martin, 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 Martin, 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, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 8
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Martin
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Martin; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. The record near Martin begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 67 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. None of the 7 systems has come since 2000. Martin has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 74% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The strongest of the 8 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF3 on March 2, 2012; its path came within 14 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 8, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2023. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Martin. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 82 times since 1970, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Martin has more hail reports within 10 miles than 81% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
Compare Martin's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Martin
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 19 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 Martin: 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 Martin
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s4(1 EF3+)
- 2000s1
- 1990s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 14 mi | 49.04 mi | 2 / 37 |
| May 18, 1995 | F2 | 18 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 7, 2014 | EF1 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 2011 | EF1 | 14 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 2013 | EF0 | 24 mi | 0.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 2001 | F0 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 1998 | F0 | 23 mi | 0.1 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 Martin
The Storm Prediction Center has 82 hail reports within 10 miles of Martin since 1970, made on 45 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 8, 2025. The most recent report is from June 26, 2025. May has the most reports, 30.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Martin
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Paintsville 1E, KY, 17 miles north of Martin at 630 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 23°F. July is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 46.2 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 110 nights a year. That 46.2 inches is more than at 9 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (10%). Harold, 8 miles southeast, has its own station (Williamson, WV): 48.3 inches a year, 2.1 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 23 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Feb | 49 | 26 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Mar | 58 | 32 | 4.4 | 9 |
| Apr | 70 | 41 | 3.8 | 8 |
| May | 76 | 51 | 4.4 | 9 |
| Jun | 83 | 60 | 4.8 | 9 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 5.2 | 8 |
| Aug | 86 | 63 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Sep | 80 | 56 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Oct | 70 | 43 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Nov | 58 | 32 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Dec | 48 | 28 | 3.8 | 8 |
| Year | 67 | 43 | 46.2 | 88 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Paintsville 1E, KY (630 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 Martin
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 341 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Martin: 192 thunderstorm wind reports, 73 flash floods, 67 floods, 8 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on March 31, 2025. May has had the most flash floods, 22 of 73. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 266 have had fewer than Martin.
May 29, 2019: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Martin — 1 killed, $165,000 damage.
June 17, 2022: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Martin — 1 injured, $60,000 damage.
April 8, 1999: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Martin — 1 injured, $25,000 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 Martin's ZIP code 41649 have filed 429 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $6.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1984: 127 claims (30% of all) and $1.9 million, then Storm in 2009 with 59 and Not a named storm in 1978 with 14. 53% 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, 132 have fewer than Martin.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1984 | 127 | $1.9 million |
| Storm2009 | 59 | $1.7 million |
| Not a named storm1978 | 14 | $16,000 |
| February Kentucky Flooding2025 | 13 | $925,000 |
Floyd County, which includes Martin, has been named in 48 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 38 of them major disasters (by incident: 21 severe storms, 12 floods, 4 snowstorms, 3 fires). 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 Floyd County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $105.5 million a year, the 3rd highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $101.6 million (96%), 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.