Bell County tornado history

7 tornadoes touched Bell County, Kentucky between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.1 a year. The strongest was rated F3 (May 9, 1988). Tornadoes here killed 1 and injured 15 people.

7tornadoes since 1950

F3strongest rating

1killed · 15 injured

5 milongest path · 1988

(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F04

(E)F12

(E)F20

(E)F31

(E)F40

(E)F50

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: May.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
May 9, 1988	F3	5 mi	500 yd	15	1
May 31, 1998	F1	1.5 mi	300 yd	0	0
Oct 26, 2010	EF1	0.7 mi	220 yd	0	0
Jun 13, 1997	F0	5 mi	30 yd	0	0
Jun 18, 2003	F0	0.5 mi	45 yd	0	0
Jun 13, 1997	F0	0.3 mi	23 yd	0	0
May 10, 1995	F0	0.1 mi	10 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Oct 26, 2010	EF1	0.7 mi	220 yd	0	0
Jun 18, 2003	F0	0.5 mi	45 yd	0	0
May 31, 1998	F1	1.5 mi	300 yd	0	0
Jun 13, 1997	F0	0.3 mi	23 yd	0	0
Jun 13, 1997	F0	5 mi	30 yd	0	0
May 10, 1995	F0	0.1 mi	10 yd	0	0
May 9, 1988	F3	5 mi	500 yd	15	1

Deadliest: May 9, 1988, F3, 1 killed.

Nearby counties

Knox County, KY3 Claiborne County, TN10 Whitley County, KY5 Harlan County, KY2 Hancock County, TN3 Leslie County, KY3 Clay County, KY6 Lee County, VA8

Questions

How many tornadoes has Bell County, Kentucky had?

7 tornadoes touched Bell County, Kentucky between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.1 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Bell County?

The strongest rating recorded was F3 on May 9, 1988, with a 5-mile path and 1 deaths.

When is tornado season in Bell County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in May (3 of 7). Tornadoes can occur in any month, so keep alerts on year-round.

Right now: live tornado warnings map · alerts for your location. Dates link to that day’s full storm reports where available (2004 onward).