NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Adolphus, KY
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Adolphus, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 107 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 107
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
61 deaths in all
What the records show for Adolphus
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Adolphus; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 38 miles away. The record near Adolphus begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 59 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Adolphus has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 52% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The strongest of the 107 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 27, 1970; its path came within 10 miles, and it killed 3 people. The deadliest, an EF3 on February 5, 2008, killed 22 people. Of the 107, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 59 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Adolphus has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 85% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 46 times since 1993, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 60% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Adolphus.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Adolphus
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Adolphus: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Adolphus
By decade
- 2020s19(1 EF3+)
- 2010s24
- 2000s16(3 EF3+)
- 1990s16(2 EF3+)
- 1980s12
- 1970s10(2 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 1970 | F4 | 10 mi | 42.6 mi | 3 / 85 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 14 mi | 50.32 mi | 22 / 63 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF3 | 25 mi | 29.26 mi | 16 / 63 |
| Apr 7, 2006 | F3 | 19 mi | 22.7 mi | 7 / 128 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF3 | 8 mi | 9.44 mi | 4 / 11 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 13 mi | 31.1 mi | 3 / 57 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 20 mi | 48 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 22 mi | 42.1 mi | 1 / 60 |
| Feb 27, 1956 | F3 | 11 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Dec 9, 2023 | EF2 | 14 mi | 34.77 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF2 | 22 mi | 6.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF2 | 13 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 107, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Adolphus
The Storm Prediction Center has 46 hail reports within 10 miles of Adolphus since 1993, made on 30 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 19, 2011. The most recent report is from June 30, 2023. June has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Adolphus
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Scottsville, KY, 6 miles north of Adolphus at 743 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 26°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and October and November the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 54.2 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 27 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 78 nights a year. Snowfall averages 7.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 54.2 inches is more than at 82 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (88%). Westmoreland, TN, 6 miles south, has its own station (Bethpage 1 S, TN): 54.9 inches a year, 0.7 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 26 | 4.1 | 7 | 3.0 |
| Feb | 50 | 29 | 4.4 | 8 | 2.4 |
| Mar | 59 | 37 | 4.8 | 8 | 1.0 |
| Apr | 70 | 45 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 62 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 65 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 64 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 57 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 46 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 36 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 48 | 30 | 4.7 | 8 | 1.1 |
| Year | 68 | 46 | 54.2 | 87 | 7.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Scottsville, KY (743 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Adolphus
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 162 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Adolphus: 125 thunderstorm wind reports, 28 flash floods and 9 floods. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $9.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on May 13, 2002. May has had the most flash floods, 10 of 28. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 171 have had fewer than Adolphus.
May 1, 2010: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Adolphus — 1 killed, $15,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rains caused flash flood on Snake Creek Road near Maple Grove Church Road. One person died when he reportedly got out of a vehicle that was overcome by flood waters and was swept away.”
May 9, 2024: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Adolphus — 1 killed.
NWS: “A 56 year old male attempted to cross the Blankenship Road bridge over Trammel Creek in southern Allen County. His vehicle was swept away and his body was found in the flood waters later on May 9th.”
August 18, 2010: flood 6 miles from the centre of Adolphus — $7.0 million damage.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Allen County, which includes Adolphus, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on May 29, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Allen County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.8 million a year, the 77th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.6 million (30%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. 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).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets 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).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Adolphus
- Westmoreland, TN6 mi
- Scottsville, KY9 mi
- Bethpage, TN11 mi
- Alvaton, KY15 mi
- Portland, TN15 mi
- Lafayette, TN16 mi
- Franklin, KY18 mi
- Hartsville, TN19 mi
- Castalian Springs, TN20 mi
- Gallatin, TN22 mi
- Cottontown, TN22 mi
- Bowling Green, KY24 mi
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