Bell County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Bell County: 1.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Claims by ZIP code

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).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by KY GS (367), NASA (5).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Mar 17, 2002Flood, Bell$26.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Cumberland River flooded between March 18th and 23rd due to relentless heavy rains. A total of 300 residents were displaced along the Cumberland River, 5 bridges were destroyed, and several vehicles were swept away.

2. Feb 6, 2020Flood$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   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.

3. Feb 16, 2003Flood, Bell$1.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   At 1730 EST, February 16, the Cumberland River crested at 1013.23 feet above sea level at Pineville. This is 11.23 feet above flood stage.

4. Jun 20, 2011Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   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.

5. Oct 26, 2010Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   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.

6. May 31, 1998Tornado$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado damaged 12 of the 16 homes in Fonde, damaged 2 churches, and downed numerous trees. Two mobile homes were destroyed, and the steeple of the Fonde Baptist Church toppled off and punctured the roof before falling to the ground.

7. Feb 10, 2018Flood$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous roads were flooded in and around Pineville and Middlesboro including: Old Pineville Pike in Middlesboro, Highway's 2013 and 1534 in Pineville, Highway 221 at mile marker 9 in Stoney Fork and the intersection of 17th Street and Cumberland Ave in Middlesboro. A water rescue had to be performed 4 miles west northwest of Pineville at Magnet Hollow on Kentucky Highway 92 after a motorist drove into a flooded roadway. There was several feet of water across portions of Old Bell High Road near Pineville. Flooding also caused a mudslide on Kentucky Highway 74 near Middlesboro. The road was closed for around 2 weeks to clear the mudslide and repair the road.

8. Apr 3, 2007Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous trees and powerlines down throughout the county. Roof and siding damage to a few homes in the Dorton Branch area.

9. Jul 3, 2019Thunderstorm Wind$55,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Local media reported numerous large trees downed in Pineville, resulting in damage to several personal and official vehicles as well as damage to a few homes. A local business lost its roof as a result of the high winds. Due to the damage, city officials cancelled the Fourth of July Festival that was planned for the evening.

10. Jan 29, 2008Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Trees were blown down in Pineville and throughout the county by wind gusts estimated at 67 mph.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

103°F2 times, most recently Jul 1, 2012

All-time low

−24°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

73°F4 times, most recently Jul 20, 2025

Coldest day

−2°FJan 21, 1985

Wettest day

6.32 inApr 17, 1998

Snowiest day

10.0 in2 times, most recently Feb 12, 1985

Hottest year

2024mean 57.6°F

Coldest year

1976mean 50.9°F

Wettest year

201172.14 in

Driest year

198837.04 in

Snowiest season

40.2 in1977-78

Station Tazewell (USC00408868), 1,365 ft elevation, 16.9 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1966 to October 22, 2026; 99.4% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

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).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

Neighbouring counties

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00408868.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.