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Martin County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 211 recorded events between 1986 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,379 nationally and #86 in Kentucky.
211
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$2.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Martin County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Martin County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 5.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 84 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 1 events fall before 1990 and 210 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $2.0M in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Martin County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 116 | 0 | $495K | 65 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 44 | 0 | $5K | 1.75 | 1986–2015 |
| Flash Flood | 31 | 0 | $238K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 19 | 0 | $22K | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $2.0M | EF2 | 2012–2012 |
Decade by decade
Martin County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
1 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 0 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-03-02 | EF3 | 2 | 37 | 49.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Martin County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 5, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | INEZ | 0 | 3 | $15K |
| Oct 25, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | INEZ | 0 | 1 | $15K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The storm damage survey team from the Jackson Weather Office determined that a tornado exited Johnson County and entered Martin County at about 725 pm EST, 4 miles west of Davisport. The tornado had weakened to EF-2 strength by the time it entered Martin County. The tornado tracked east-northeast across Martin County and exited the county and state of Kentucky just east of Warfield at around 738 pm EST. A two story brick building and several huge trees were blown down in the town of Davella as the tornado passed by just to the north. The tornado then caused damage to the second story of a home in Debord at 732 pm EST. The tornado also caused significant damage in eastern Martin county near the communities of Beauty and Lovely around 738 pm EST. ||The tornado was on the ground for a total of 48 miles in the state of Kentucky and 49 miles total.
Slow moving thunderstorms brought a tremendous amount of rain to the area. A bridge was washed out on County Route 2032 at Little Rockcastle Road. A residence in the area also received damage. A residence was flooded on State Route 3 along Rockcastle Creek. Three bridges were also under water in this area. Another bridge was washed out on County Route 1224 on Rockhouse Road. County Route 908, Little Black Log Road, was closed due to high water. Water flowing over State Route 40 closed roads at Black Log and Tomahawk. Water was over the road up to 2 feet deep, these roads were closed for approximately 6 hours.
Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across all of Martin County. Inez was particularly hard hit, with trees and power lines blown down across the city, including at the following locations: Main Street, Route 908 and Turkey Creek Road, New Route 3, Route 645, Old Middlefork Road, Wickerfield Road, Buffalo Horn Road, Rockcastle Road, and Little Rockcastle Road. A tree fell onto and severely damaged a trailer at the Robinson Trailer Park in Inez. A man became trapped in his home in due to downed power lines surrounding the residence, and was still trapped as of that evening. All of the storm damage occurred roughly between 140 pm and 215 pm EDT. However, as of 6:30 pm EDT, power was still out across most of the county.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
11,027
Population (ACS)
$87K
Median home value
37
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Apr 24, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Apr 3, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | EM |
| Feb 24, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Feb 16, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | EM |
| Apr 10, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Inez 103
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Martin County, Kentucky?
211 events are on record between 1986 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $2.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Martin County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 116 recorded events — 55.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Martin County?
1 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 0 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Martin County?
37 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Martin County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Martin County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Martin County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 50 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Martin County, Kentucky severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Marshall County 375
- Mason County 236
- Marion County 214
- Meade County 278
- Magoffin County 305
- Menifee County 225
Cite this page
“Martin County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/martin-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.