NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Tollesboro, 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 Tollesboro, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 44 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 44
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Tollesboro
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Tollesboro; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 3 miles away. The record near Tollesboro begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 4 miles away. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. Tollesboro has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 52% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The strongest of the 44 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 23, 1968; its path came within 16 miles, and it killed 6 people. Of the 44, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 18 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 77% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Tollesboro. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 23 times since 1988, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 93% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Tollesboro.
Compare Tollesboro's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Tollesboro
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 3 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 Tollesboro: 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 Tollesboro
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s7
- 2000s4(1 EF3+)
- 1990s5
- 1980s7
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6(2 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 1968 | F4 | 16 mi | 78.7 mi | 6 / 364 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 19 mi | 15.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 10, 2003 | F3 | 4 mi | 25 mi | 0 / 17 |
| May 7, 1967 | F3 | 9 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 18 mi | 11.07 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F2 | 19 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1982 | F2 | 13 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 16, 1982 | F2 | 5 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 9, 1981 | F2 | 10 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jun 15, 1964 | F2 | 13 mi | 49.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 19, 1956 | F2 | 20 mi | 21.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 2024 | EF1 | 9 mi | 0.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 44, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Tollesboro
The Storm Prediction Center has 23 hail reports within 10 miles of Tollesboro since 1988, made on 17 separate days. Of these, 10 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently May 27, 2017. The most recent report is from April 8, 2020. May has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Tollesboro
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Maysville Wwtp, KY, 16 miles northwest of Tollesboro at 515 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 23°F. May is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 48.4 inches over 87 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 108 nights a year. That 48.4 inches is more than at 26 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (28%). Vanceburg, 9 miles east, has its own station (Warnock 2, KY): 48.2 inches a year, 0.2 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 23 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Feb | 45 | 24 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Mar | 55 | 31 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Apr | 67 | 41 | 4.7 | 9 |
| May | 75 | 51 | 5.1 | 9 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Jul | 87 | 65 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Aug | 86 | 64 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Sep | 81 | 57 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 69 | 45 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Nov | 56 | 34 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Dec | 45 | 28 | 4.1 | 8 |
| Year | 66 | 44 | 48.4 | 87 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Maysville Wwtp, KY (515 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 Tollesboro
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 129 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Tollesboro: 82 thunderstorm wind reports, 33 flash floods and 14 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on March 1, 2017. July has had the most flash floods, 11 of 33. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 194 have had fewer than Tollesboro.
November 5, 2007: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Tollesboro — 2 injured, $3,000 damage.
NWS: “Two people were injured when they were blown off scaffolding during a severe thunderstorm. Extent of injuries is not known.”
July 21, 2010: flash flood in Tollesboro — $350,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous roads were washed out due to flash flooding. In addition there were multiple water rescues from homes.”
March 1, 2017: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Tollesboro — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Extensive flash flooding was reported from Tollesboro to Vanceburg. Water, several feet deep, was flowing across numerous roadways in the area.”
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
Lewis County, which includes Tollesboro, has been named in 34 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 27 of them major disasters (by incident: 19 severe storms, 4 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 Lewis County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.5 million a year, the 67th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.8 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 Tollesboro
- Vanceburg, KY9 mi
- Manchester, OH10 mi
- Wallingford, KY12 mi
- Maysville, KY12 mi
- Flemingsburg, KY13 mi
- West Union, OH17 mi
- Ewing, KY18 mi
- Hillsboro, KY19 mi
- Ripley, OH20 mi
- Garrison, KY23 mi
- Morehead, KY26 mi
- Mount Olivet, KY27 mi
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