Whitley County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Kentucky Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Whitley County is about the same as Kentucky average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Whitley County is lower than Kentucky average and is lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #32
| Whitley County | 0.13 |
| Kentucky | 0.24 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Whitley County | 0.0000 |
| Kentucky | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #79
| Whitley County | 103.13 |
| Kentucky | 136.89 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 14,107 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Whitley County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 1 | Cold: | 46 | Dense Fog: | 27 | Drought: | 28 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 1,700 | Hail: | 2,948 | Heat: | 36 | Heavy Snow: | 140 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 31 | Landslide: | 2 | Strong Wind: | 74 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 8,433 | Tropical Storm: | 1 | Wildfire: | 5 | Winter Storm: | 88 | Winter Weather: | 104 |
| Other: | 443 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Whitley County.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 2 historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Whitley County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 19.3 | 1976-01-19 | 4 | 5 | 36.88 | -83.83 |
| 48.8 | 1984-02-14 | 3.6 | 10 | 36.13 | -83.74 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 48 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Whitley County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 6.0 | 1967-03-12 | 3 | 36°45'N / 84°20'W | 36°40'N / 84°08'W | 12.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 5 | 250K | 0 | Whitley |
| 6.5 | 1967-03-12 | 3 | 36°40'N / 84°07'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Whitley | |
| 10.7 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 36°51'N / 84°18'W | 36°52'N / 84°17'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Whitley | ||
| 13.1 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 36°48'N / 84°26'W | 36°51'N / 84°18'W | 8.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Mccreary |
| 15.6 | 1967-03-12 | 3 | 36°49'N / 84°31'W | 36°45'N / 84°20'W | 11.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mccreary |
| 15.9 | 1973-05-10 | 2 | 36°40'N / 84°26'W | 36°40'N / 84°23'W | 2.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 5 | 25K | 0 | Mccreary |
| 21.7 | 1980-04-08 | 2 | 36°43'N / 84°28'W | 36°34'N / 84°33'W | 11.20 Miles | 200 Yards | 2 | 9 | 250K | 0 | Mccreary |
| 22.7 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 36°58'N / 84°07'W | 37°11'N / 83°57'W | 17.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 22 | 2.5M | 0 | Laurel |
| 25.1 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 36°29'N / 84°36'W | 36°35'N / 84°24'W | 13.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 21 | 250K | 0 | Scott |
| 25.5 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 37°02'N / 84°24'W | 37°09'N / 84°17'W | 10.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 6 | 30 | 2.5M | 0 | Pulaski |
| 25.5 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 36°53'N / 84°36'W | 36°56'N / 84°32'W | 5.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 5 | 2.5M | 0 | Pulaski |
| 26.1 | 1973-06-29 | 3 | 37°08'N / 84°05'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Laurel | |
| 26.1 | 2001-06-02 | 2 | 37°08'N / 84°05'W | 37°08'N / 84°05'W | 7.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 10 | 17.1M | 0K | Laurel |
| Brief Description: A strong F2 tornado with wind estimates between 135 and 155 miles per hour ripped through downtown London during the evening hours. The Carnaby Square shopping center was hard hit. The tornado was reported by eye witnesses to have been nearly stationary in the parking lot for nearly 4 minutes. During this time several automobiles including a large moving van were overtured. A 20 by 30 foot chunk of 4 inch thick blacktop from the parking lot was torn up and thrown approximately 100 feet. Merchandise from one of the stores was later found 25 miles to the east. The tornado lifted before crossing U.S. Highway 25. The tornado touched down again along Bellinger Street between 6:15 and 6:20 pm where several homes received major damage. One duplex lost its entire roof as a mother and her two sons took shelter on the second floor. A mobile home used for storage was demolished. One block over on Morgan Street several brick and framed homes lost their entire roofs. A framed home placed on a block foundation was blown 15 feet away from the foundation. The storm lifted as if approached the Rolling Acres Subdivision. Witnesses reported seeing two funnel clouds at this time as the storm continued moving east. Damage was confined to large trees and some shingle damage on roofs of homes. The storm again dropped a tornado as it approached a ball park just northwest of the intersection of Kentucky Highway 192 and 80. Three of the four teams in the park took refuge in the concession stand and the fourth team remained in the dugout where parents covered the children while laying on the ground. One mid sized truck was tossed from the parking lot approximately 150 feet. Fencing from both ball diamonds was blown away. The last major damage occurred at a mobile home sales lot near the intersection of Kentucky Highway 192 and the Daniel Boone Parkway. Eight mobile homes weighing 8 to 12 tons were totaled. Emergency management officials reported that there were 10 minor injuries with the most serious being a broken arm. Eighteen residences were destroyed, 21 received major damage while 84 received minor damage. Twenty-six businesses suffered major damage. One church received major damage with another receiving minor damage. Thirty vehicles were destroyed and three 18 wheel tractor trailers were overturned. | |||||||||||
| 26.9 | 1988-05-09 | 3 | 36°36'N / 83°45'W | 36°36'N / 83°39'W | 5.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 1 | 15 | 25.0M | 0 | Bell |
| 27.3 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 36°40'N / 84°44'W | 36°45'N / 84°32'W | 12.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Mccreary |
| 27.3 | 1998-04-16 | 2 | 36°38'N / 84°45'W | 36°42'N / 84°30'W | 15.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 30K | 0 | Mccreary |
| Brief Description: The path of the tornado was intermittent. It first touched down in extreme southeast Wayne County, and then moved northeast across McCreary County. The tornado downed numerous trees in both Wayne and McCreary Counties. In Wayne County the tornado damaged a barn and several outbuildings, and overturned a vehicle. Before lifting the tornado hit Smithtown in McCreary County and damaged several mobile homes, houses and outbuildings. | |||||||||||
| 27.6 | 1984-05-06 | 2 | 37°08'N / 84°05'W | 37°10'N / 84°01'W | 5.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 8 | 2.5M | 0 | Laurel |
| 27.8 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 36°36'N / 84°46'W | 36°48'N / 84°31'W | 19.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 11 | 25K | 0 | Mccreary |
| 28.4 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 36°47'N / 84°42'W | 36°53'N / 84°36'W | 8.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 2 | 40 | 2.5M | 0 | Wayne |
| 32.0 | 2009-05-08 | 2 | 36°21'N / 84°25'W | 5.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 90K | 0K | Scott | |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An EF2 tornado with a maximum wind speed of 135 miles an hour occurred around five miles southeast of Huntsville. The tornado initially touched down just west of the Fairview community with a maximum wind speed of 90 mph (EF-1) and a width of 100 yards. The tornado continued along an east path and increased in size and intensity to an EF-2 with a maximum wind speed at 135 mph and a width of 200 yards. Several large hardwood trees were snapped off near trunk level and a free standing cell phone tower was collapsed and twisted by the tornado winds. Extensive damage occurred in a concentrated path at least 80 yards in length at the 135 mph EF-2 level. The tornado continued east and finally weakened to an EF-1 with a maximum wind speed of 100 mph as it dissipated at the foothill of Gray Mountain. At least seven homes suffered minor to moderate wind damage along the 4.5 mile path of the tornado. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A highly organized mesoscale convective vorticity maximum with strong low to mid tropospheric flow coupled with moderate instability resulted in the development of discrete supercellular thunderstorms. These storms produced a long-lived tornado across Northeast Tennessee late in the afternoon and another long duration tornado across Southwest Virginia later in the evening. | |||||||||||
| 32.0 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 37°09'N / 84°17'W | 37°17'N / 84°11'W | 10.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Laurel |
| 32.7 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 37°11'N / 83°57'W | 37°13'N / 83°55'W | 2.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Clay |
| 32.8 | 2010-05-02 | 2 | 36°53'N / 84°43'W | 0 | 0 | 50K | 0K | Wayne | |||
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An EF2 tornado touched down 1 mile south of Betsey in the Meadow Creek area. The tornado had a path length of 1/4 of a mile and a path width of 100 yards. The estimated wind speeds associated with the tornado were 110 to 120 mph. The tornado downed numerous trees. The twister also blew part of the roof off of a brick home, causing the corner of an outside wall to collapse. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A multiple lines and clusters of intense showers and strong to severe thunderstorms brought a variety of severe weather to eastern Kentucky on May 2nd and 3rd. During the late morning and late afternoon hours of May 2nd, multiple thunderstorms formed ahead of an approaching frontal boundary. These storms eventually merged into a line that stretched across the entire forecast area late in the day on the 2nd. During the overnight hours a large area of intense showers and thunderstorms dumped anywhere from 2 to over 7 inches of rainfall. Flooding was the primary issue during the overnight and early morning hours of May 3rd. Some areas felt the affects of the flooding as late in the week as May 7th. | |||||||||||
| 33.7 | 1998-04-16 | 2 | 36°37'N / 84°46'W | 36°39'N / 84°42'W | 3.60 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 15K | 0 | Wayne |
| Brief Description: The path of the tornado was intermittent. It first touched down in extreme southeast Wayne County, and then moved northeast across McCreary County. The tornado downed numerous trees in both Wayne and McCreary Counties. In Wayne County the tornado damaged a barn and several outbuildings, and overturned a vehicle. Before lifting the tornado hit Smithtown in McCreary County and damaged several mobile homes, houses and outbuildings. | |||||||||||
| 34.8 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 36°38'N / 84°47'W | 36°40'N / 84°44'W | 3.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Wayne |
| 35.6 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 36°58'N / 84°45'W | 37°00'N / 84°42'W | 3.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 5 | 0K | 0 | Pulaski |
| 36.9 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 37°17'N / 84°11'W | 37°18'N / 84°10'W | 1.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 1 | 10 | 2.5M | 0 | Rockcastle |
| 37.7 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 36°17'N / 84°37'W | 36°22'N / 84°30'W | 8.60 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 5 | 0K | 0 | Scott |
| 38.1 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 37°01'N / 84°52'W | 37°15'N / 84°26'W | 28.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Russell |
| 38.4 | 2009-05-08 | 2 | 36°27'N / 83°34'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Claiborne | |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An EF-2 tornado with maximum wind speed of 110 miles an hour occurred around five miles southwest of Tazewell. The tornado initially touched down along Cole Road and quickly produced 110 mph winds. It lifted the roof off of a home on Cole Road moved east across the road and moved east across the road and destroyed two large wooden barns carrying debris up to a half mile away. Several trees were also snapped off at mid trunk level. The tornado continued in a 2.2 mile path and dissipated near Neely Road. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A highly organized mesoscale convective vorticity maximum with strong low to mid tropospheric flow coupled with moderate instability resulted in the development of discrete supercellular thunderstorms. These storms produced a long-lived tornado across Northeast Tennessee late in the afternoon and another long duration tornado across Southwest Virginia later in the evening. | |||||||||||
| 38.5 | 2002-11-10 | 2 | 36°12'N / 84°12'W | 36°12'N / 84°05'W | 5.50 Miles | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 213K | 0 | Anderson |
| Brief Description: An F2 tornado produced a damage path 75 yards wide for a distance of 5.5 miles from near Briceville to Medford. The Medford community received the brunt of the damage, which was concentrated along Highway 25W, Leinart Road, Bryant Circle and Old and New Clear Branch roads. In all, 32 homes were damaged while 3 were totally destroyed. In addition, 9 mobile homes were damaged. | |||||||||||
| 39.7 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 36°31'N / 84°52'W | 36°36'N / 84°46'W | 7.90 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Fentress |
| 40.8 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 36°51'N / 84°58'W | 36°58'N / 84°45'W | 14.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Wayne |
| 42.5 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 36°49'N / 85°02'W | 36°56'N / 84°46'W | 16.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 2 | 17 | 0K | 0 | Wayne |
| 42.7 | 1954-06-01 | 2 | 37°17'N / 84°07'W | 37°27'N / 83°54'W | 16.40 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Laurel |
| 43.1 | 1965-04-25 | 2 | 37°12'N / 84°39'W | 37°16'N / 84°39'W | 4.60 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Pulaski |
| 43.7 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 36°37'N / 84°57'W | 36°38'N / 84°53'W | 3.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Wayne |
| 43.7 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 36°15'N / 84°40'W | 36°17'N / 84°37'W | 3.60 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 6 | 25K | 0 | Morgan |
| 44.1 | 2008-04-11 | 2 | 36°46'N / 85°00'W | 36°48'N / 84°53'W | 7.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 1 | 1.0M | 500K | Wayne |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An EF2 tornado with maximum winds near 130 mph entered Wayne County from Clinton County along Pleasant Ridge Road. The tornado maintained a continuous 7 mile track east northeast before lifting 1.5 miles southwest of Monticello near Furnace Mountain. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A slow moving cold front approached the area during the afternoon hours of April 11th. Severe thunderstorms developed along and ahead of the front. The storms first moved into Eastern Kentucky shortly before 2 PM EDT. These storms affected the areas near Monticello and Somerset. A tornado was confirmed to have touched down in Wayne County. These and other storms moved northeast across the area, causing wind damage. Numerous reports of structural damage and downed trees were reported across portions of the area. Large hail was also reported with some of the storms. Very heavy rainfall with some of the storms caused flash flooding in portions of Laurel County. | |||||||||||
| 44.2 | 1967-05-30 | 2 | 37°01'N / 84°54'W | 37°03'N / 84°50'W | 4.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Pulaski |
| 45.3 | 1972-05-14 | 2 | 36°22'N / 84°48'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25K | 0 | Fentress | |
| 45.5 | 1971-04-27 | 4 | 37°05'N / 84°54'W | 37°04'N / 84°50'W | 3.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Pulaski |
| 45.6 | 1957-11-18 | 2 | 36°16'N / 84°52'W | 36°25'N / 84°42'W | 13.90 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Fentress |
| 46.0 | 1955-03-25 | 2 | 36°01'N / 84°25'W | 36°12'N / 84°14'W | 16.30 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Jefferson |
| 48.2 | 2008-04-11 | 2 | 36°46'N / 85°02'W | 36°46'N / 85°00'W | 1.00 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 200K | 0K | Clinton |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The fourth touchdown in this family of tornadoes produced by a cyclic supercell did the most damage in Clinton County as it hit several residences in a rural subdivision along Pleasure Ridge Road. After moving through uninhabited hillside for a mile, uprooting and snapping trees in a nearly quarter-mile wide path, the tornado tore the roof of a ranch-style brick home and destroyed its nearby outbuildings. Continuing along parallel to Pleasure Ridge Road, the tornado destroyed a mobile home and barn in its path, and heavily damaged at least three other homes before exiting the county. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms moved into south central Kentucky from Tennessee, including a super cell thunderstorm that produced four separate tornadoes that damaged numerous homes in Clinton County. | |||||||||||
| 48.4 | 1993-02-21 | 3 | 36°01'N / 84°15'W | 36°06'N / 83°58'W | 10.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 3 | 5.0M | 0 | Knox |
| Brief Description: The tornado started near Oak Ridge, moved through the Bull Run Steam Plant and went through the town of Claxton. Fifty homes were damaged and six mobile homes were destroyed. Two business were destroyed and another 10 were damaged including a weapons plant. Twelve electric transmission towers were knocked down. | |||||||||||
| 48.5 | 1965-04-15 | 2 | 36°21'N / 84°55'W | 36°25'N / 84°51'W | 5.90 Miles | 327 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Fentress |
| 49.6 | 2008-04-11 | 2 | 36°45'N / 85°04'W | 36°46'N / 85°01'W | 3.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 75K | 0K | Clinton |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: As the storm continued eastward, several homes and outbuildings were heavily damaged by the third tornado touchdown produced by the supercell. In addition to the structural damage covering nearly 1 1/2 miles, scores of trees were downed as were utility lines. A witness at the end of this tornado's path reported seeing two tornadoes on the ground simultaneously, as the fourth tornado produced by this supercell touched down about 1/4 mile north of the ending point of the third twister. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms moved into south central Kentucky from Tennessee, including a super cell thunderstorm that produced four separate tornadoes that damaged numerous homes in Clinton County. | |||||||||||
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.