NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sandy Hook, 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 Sandy Hook, 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
- 7
- 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 Sandy Hook
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sandy Hook; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The record near Sandy Hook begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 33 miles away. None of the 7 systems has come since 2000. Sandy Hook has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 74% of 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 8 miles. Of the 16, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 9 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 4. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2024. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 93% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sandy Hook. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 39 times since 1973, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sandy Hook.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sandy Hook
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 37 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 Sandy Hook: 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 Sandy Hook
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s4(2 EF3+)
- 2000s3
- 1990s4
- 1980s1
- 1970s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 8 mi | 84.99 mi | 10 / 118 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 25 mi | 49.04 mi | 2 / 37 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 23 mi | 1.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 17 mi | 6.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1995 | F2 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 29, 1972 | F2 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF1 | 23 mi | 6.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 2009 | EF1 | 10 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2008 | EF1 | 15 mi | 1.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F1 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F1 | 16 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 1986 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 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 Sandy Hook
The Storm Prediction Center has 39 hail reports within 10 miles of Sandy Hook since 1973, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 8, 2015. The most recent report is from May 29, 2019. April has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sandy Hook
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is W Liberty 3NW, KY, 15 miles southwest of Sandy Hook at 780 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 22°F. July is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 47.0 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 30 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 141 nights a year. Snowfall averages 12.3 inches a year, most of it in February. That 47.0 inches is more than at 13 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (14%). Olive Hill, 15 miles north, has its own station (Olive Hill 5NE, KY): 50.0 inches a year, 3.0 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 22 | 3.7 | 7 | 3.7 |
| Feb | 47 | 24 | 3.2 | 7 | 4.7 |
| Mar | 57 | 30 | 4.3 | 9 | 1.4 |
| Apr | 69 | 38 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 76 | 49 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 58 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 63 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 61 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 53 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 40 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 30 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 47 | 26 | 4.2 | 8 | 2.1 |
| Year | 67 | 41 | 47.0 | 87 | 12.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at W Liberty 3NW, KY (780 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 Sandy Hook
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 123 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sandy Hook: 96 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 floods and 10 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $409,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 1, 2012. May has had the most flash floods, 6 of 10. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 18 have had fewer than Sandy Hook.
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
Elliott County, which includes Sandy Hook, has been named in 34 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1989, 27 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 severe storms, 5 floods, 3 ice storms, 3 snowstorms). 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 Elliott County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $3.3 million a year, the 117th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.3 million (71%), 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 Sandy Hook
- West Liberty, KY13 mi
- Olive Hill, KY15 mi
- Grayson, KY18 mi
- Clearfield, KY18 mi
- Morehead, KY20 mi
- Staffordsville, KY22 mi
- Rush, KY23 mi
- Salyersville, KY24 mi
- Louisa, KY25 mi
- Paintsville, KY25 mi
- Hagerhill, KY26 mi
- Salt Lick, KY28 mi
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