NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pineville, 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 Pineville, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 27 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 27
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Pineville
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Pineville; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 55 miles away. The record near Pineville begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Pineville has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 52% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 27 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on July 27, 2014, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 9, 1988, killed 1 person. Of the 27, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 19 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on May 26, 2024. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 88% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Pineville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1986, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 56% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Pineville.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pineville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 27 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 Pineville: 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 Pineville
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s8(1 EF3+)
- 2000s9
- 1990s5
- 1980s1(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 1988 | F3 | 10 mi | 5 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF3 | 24 mi | 4.66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1967 | F3 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1967 | F3 | 23 mi | 23.6 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 12 mi | 2.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 22 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF1 | 25 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 3, 2013 | EF1 | 23 mi | 1.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF1 | 16 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF1 | 16 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 26, 2010 | EF1 | 9 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 27, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pineville
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Pineville since 1986, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 8, 2025, the most recent report. May has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pineville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Barbourville, KY, 13 miles northwest of Pineville at 990 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 25°F. July is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 53.9 inches over 97 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 29 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 110 nights a year. That 53.9 inches is more than at 80 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (86%). Middlesboro, 9 miles south, has its own station (Tazewell, TN): 54.6 inches a year, 0.7 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 25 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Feb | 50 | 28 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Mar | 59 | 33 | 4.9 | 9 |
| Apr | 69 | 41 | 5.1 | 9 |
| May | 77 | 51 | 4.5 | 9 |
| Jun | 84 | 60 | 5.1 | 9 |
| Jul | 87 | 65 | 5.8 | 10 |
| Aug | 86 | 64 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Sep | 81 | 56 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Oct | 71 | 44 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Nov | 58 | 33 | 3.8 | 8 |
| Dec | 49 | 28 | 5.3 | 9 |
| Year | 68 | 44 | 53.9 | 97 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Barbourville, KY (990 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 Pineville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 217 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pineville: 128 thunderstorm wind reports, 50 flash floods, 27 floods and 12 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $8.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on July 21, 2003. July has had the most flash floods, 18 of 50. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 247 have had fewer than Pineville.
June 20, 2011: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Pineville — 1 killed, $25,000 damage.
February 6, 2020: flood 3 miles from the centre of Pineville — $4.0 million damage.
NWS: “Local media reported devastating flooding throughout Bell County, including damage to approximately 90 homes. This includes Pineville, where the Cumberland River crested to its second highest stage in history, forcing officials to close the city's floodgates.”
June 20, 2011: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Pineville — $3.0 million 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 Pineville's ZIP code 40977 have filed 117 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $861,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1984: 38 claims (32% of all) and $106,000. 35% 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, 108 have fewer than Pineville.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1984 | 38 | $106,000 |
Bell County, which includes Pineville, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 9 floods, 3 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 Bell 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 heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.8 million a year, the 32nd highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.0 million (80%), 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 Pineville
- Middlesboro, KY9 mi
- Barbourville, KY12 mi
- Cumberland Gap, TN13 mi
- Harrogate, TN13 mi
- Ewing, VA16 mi
- Wallins Creek, KY18 mi
- Gray, KY19 mi
- Rockholds, KY19 mi
- Rose Hill, VA22 mi
- Speedwell, TN22 mi
- Tazewell, TN22 mi
- Harlan, KY23 mi
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