NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Salyersville, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Salyersville, 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, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 16
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
What the records show for Salyersville
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Salyersville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 59 miles away. The record near Salyersville begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 46 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. None of the 8 systems has come since 2000. Salyersville is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 16 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 2, 2012, came within 16 miles. Of the 16, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 10 have come since 2000. June 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 Salyersville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 65 times since 1983, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Salyersville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 67% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Salyersville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 59 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 Salyersville: 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 Salyersville
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s6(2 EF3+)
- 2000s3
- 1990s4
- 1970s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 16 mi | 84.99 mi | 10 / 118 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | in town | 49.04 mi | 2 / 37 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 13 mi | 6.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 29, 1972 | F2 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 16, 2023 | EF1 | 5 mi | 0.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF1 | 15 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 2009 | EF1 | 16 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F1 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F1 | 12 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F1 | 25 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 1, 1974 | F1 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 9, 2013 | EF0 | 23 mi | 0.49 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 Salyersville
The Storm Prediction Center has 65 hail reports within 10 miles of Salyersville since 1983, made on 52 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on March 2, 2012. The most recent report is from April 14, 2025. May has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Salyersville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jackson, KY, 16 miles southwest of Salyersville 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%). Staffordsville, 14 miles northeast, has its own station (Paintsville 1E, KY): 46.2 inches a year, 5.9 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 | 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 Salyersville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 234 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Salyersville: 174 thunderstorm wind reports, 34 flash floods, 18 floods and 8 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 16, 2023. July has had the most flash floods, 10 of 34. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 198 have had fewer than Salyersville.
February 23, 2019: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Salyersville — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Rapidly rising water entering a nursing home in Salyersville led to its evacuation. Several other buildings and roads near and in Salyersville also experienced water inundation.”
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 Salyersville's ZIP code 41465 have filed 227 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $2.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1984: 39 claims (17% of all) and $112,000, then Heavy rains in 2004 with 35 and Not a named storm in 1978 with 16. The year with the most claims was 1981, with 47. 50% 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, 119 have fewer than Salyersville.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1984 | 39 | $112,000 |
| Heavy rains2004 | 35 | $783,000 |
| Not a named storm1978 | 16 | $130,000 |
| Storm2009 | 10 | $348,000 |
Magoffin County, which includes Salyersville, has been named in 49 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 40 of them major disasters (by incident: 21 severe storms, 13 floods, 4 snowstorms, 3 ice storms). 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 Magoffin County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.8 million a year, the 82nd highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.4 million (82%), 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 Salyersville
- Staffordsville, KY14 mi
- Hagerhill, KY14 mi
- West Liberty, KY16 mi
- Paintsville, KY18 mi
- Prestonsburg, KY19 mi
- Jackson, KY20 mi
- Martin, KY21 mi
- Campton, KY24 mi
- Sandy Hook, KY24 mi
- Harold, KY29 mi
- Inez, KY32 mi
- Hazard, KY32 mi
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