NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Vanceburg, 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 Vanceburg, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 43 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 43
- 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 Vanceburg
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Vanceburg; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 2 miles away. The record near Vanceburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 5 miles away. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. Vanceburg has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 52% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The strongest of the 43 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 23, 1968; its path came within 19 miles, and it killed 6 people. Of the 43, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 18 have come since 2000. April and June have had the most tornadoes, 10 each. The most recent tornado was on April 12, 2024. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 78% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Vanceburg. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 20 times since 1993, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 96% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Vanceburg.
Compare Vanceburg's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Vanceburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 2 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 Vanceburg: 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 Vanceburg
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s7
- 2000s6(1 EF3+)
- 1990s8
- 1980s6
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 1968 | F4 | 19 mi | 78.7 mi | 6 / 364 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 23 mi | 15.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 10, 2003 | F3 | 4 mi | 25 mi | 0 / 17 |
| May 7, 1967 | F3 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 20 mi | 11.07 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Jun 16, 1982 | F2 | 5 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 16, 1982 | F2 | 13 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 9, 1981 | F2 | 19 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jul 12, 1980 | F2 | 21 mi | 29.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 1964 | F2 | 20 mi | 49.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 12, 2024 | EF1 | 19 mi | 0.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 21 mi | 7.87 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 43, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Vanceburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 20 hail reports within 10 miles of Vanceburg since 1993, made on 19 separate days. Of these, 8 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently May 27, 2017. The most recent report is from April 14, 2025. May has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Vanceburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Warnock 2, KY, 20 miles east of Vanceburg at 910 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 24°F. July is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 48.2 inches over 92 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 21 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 119 nights a year. Snowfall averages 20.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 48.2 inches is more than at 20 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (22%). Tollesboro, 9 miles west, has its own station (Maysville Wwtp, KY): 48.4 inches a year, 0.2 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 24 | 3.4 | 7 | 5.5 |
| Feb | 46 | 26 | 3.4 | 8 | 6.7 |
| Mar | 56 | 32 | 5.0 | 9 | 4.0 |
| Apr | 69 | 41 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.6 |
| May | 76 | 50 | 5.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 59 | 4.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 63 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 62 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 55 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 42 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 33 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 47 | 28 | 4.1 | 8 | 3.3 |
| Year | 66 | 43 | 48.2 | 92 | 20.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Warnock 2, KY (910 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 Vanceburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 93 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Vanceburg: 56 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 flash floods and 18 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $351,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on October 13, 1999. May has had the most flash floods, 5 of 19. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 96 have had fewer than Vanceburg.
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 Vanceburg's ZIP code 41179 have filed 85 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1997: 10 claims (12% of all) and $85,000. The year with the most claims was 2010, with 36. 16% 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, 97 have fewer than Vanceburg.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1997 | 10 | $85,000 |
Lewis County, which includes Vanceburg, 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 Vanceburg
- Tollesboro, KY9 mi
- Garrison, KY13 mi
- Wallingford, KY15 mi
- Manchester, OH17 mi
- Olive Hill, KY20 mi
- Flemingsburg, KY20 mi
- West Union, OH20 mi
- Maysville, KY22 mi
- Hillsboro, KY22 mi
- West Portsmouth, OH23 mi
- Morehead, KY24 mi
- South Shore, KY25 mi
All Kentucky cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Vanceburg with another place →