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Knox; Bell; Harlan; Morgan; Johnson; Wolfe; Magoffin; Floyd; Lee; Breathitt; Knott; Owsley; Perry; Clay; Leslie; Letcher; Martin; Pike
Bell County, Kentucky severe weather history spans 374 recorded events between 1980 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,362 nationally and #23 in Kentucky.
374
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
17
Direct injuries
$31.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Bell County, Kentucky severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bell County, Kentucky severe weather history averages 8.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 135 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 14 events fall before 1990 and 360 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Bell County, Kentucky record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $25.5M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Bell County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 186 | 0 | $619K | 60 | 1980–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 61 | 0 | $178K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Hail | 60 | 0 | $15K | 2.75 | 1986–2025 |
| Flood | 33 | 0 | $5.2M | 0 | 2009–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 21 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2002–2023 |
| Tornado | 6 | 1 | $25.5M | F3 | 1988–2010 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2011 |
| Debris Flow | 3 | 0 | $4K | 0 | 2020–2022 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Bell County, Kentucky severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
7 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-05-09 | EF3 | 1 | 15 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-10-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-05-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-06-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-06-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-06-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bell County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 1988 | Tornado | 1 | 15 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 28, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Jul 6, 1987 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Local media reported devastating flooding throughout Bell County, including damage to approximately 90 homes. This includes Pineville, where the Cumberland River crested to its second highest stage in history, forcing officials to close the city's floodgates. The community of Fourmile was hard hit, while the Dorton Branch community saw several people without homes as flood waters of nearly a foot deep impacted them. Several homes and businesses, including Faith Missionary Baptist Church, sustained damage. Middlesboro was also heavily impacted as numerous businesses and homes were inundated. At least three water rescues were made by public safety officials between Pineville and Middlesboro.
Parts of Old Pineville Pike, Cumberland Ave, and 25th St were severely flooded in Middlesboro. By midmorning, the Cumberland Gap Tunnel was closed and parts of Hwy 25E were impassable. The Binghamton area of Middlesboro was also under water, with many residents having to use boats to navigate the flooded streets.
EF-1 tornado. Numerous trees were blown down and some structures were damaged near the mall, along 12th street, and along 19th street. The roof of the mall was damaged. The roof was blown off of Hickmans Building Supply and large sheets of metal were lifted, carried, and dropped 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile away. Two cinder block buildings were demolished at a lumber yard and two large steel doors were blown off of another business. A large sycamore tree that was blown down at the corner of 29th and Cumberland took down power lines as it fell.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
23,509
Population (ACS)
$89K
Median home value
29
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| 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 |
| Nov 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE HELENE | DR |
| May 9, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bell County, Kentucky?
374 events are on record between 1980 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $31.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bell County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 186 recorded events — 49.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bell County?
7 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bell County?
29 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bell County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bell County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bell County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 68 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bell 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
- Bath County 322
- Boone County 380
- Barren County 340
- Bourbon County 213
- Ballard County 310
- Boyd County 271
Cite this page
“Bell County, Kentucky.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kentucky/bell-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.