NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Albany, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Albany, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 56 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 56
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
61 deaths in all
What the records show for Albany
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Albany; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 69 miles away. The record near Albany begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 13 miles away. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Albany has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 74% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 56 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on May 16, 2025, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on February 5, 2008, killed 22 people. Of the 56, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 28 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 23. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 68% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Albany. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1968, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Albany.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Albany
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Albany: 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 Albany
By decade
- 2020s10(1 EF3+)
- 2010s11
- 2000s7(1 EF3+)
- 1990s10(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10(6 EF3+)
- 1960s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2025 | EF4 | 21 mi | 60.08 mi | 18 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 2 mi | 38.4 mi | 10 / 113 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 13 mi | 11 mi | 5 / 6 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 21 mi | 16.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 24 mi | 50.32 mi | 22 / 63 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 21 mi | 9.4 mi | 3 / 120 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 24 mi | 13.9 mi | 2 / 45 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 8 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 20, 1986 | F3 | 15 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 13 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 11, 2008 | EF2 | 7 mi | 8.69 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 11, 2008 | EF2 | 4 mi | 3.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 56, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Albany
The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Albany since 1968, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 11, 2008. The most recent report is from September 24, 2024. April has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Albany
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Byrdstown, TN, 10 miles south of Albany at 880 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 27°F. July and December are the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 54.6 inches over 92 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 94 nights a year. That 54.6 inches is more than at 86 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (92%). Burkesville, 15 miles west, has its own station (Summer Shade, KY): 49.7 inches a year, 4.9 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 27 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Feb | 50 | 29 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Mar | 59 | 36 | 5.0 | 9 |
| Apr | 70 | 44 | 5.2 | 9 |
| May | 76 | 54 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Jun | 82 | 63 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Jul | 85 | 67 | 5.3 | 9 |
| Aug | 84 | 64 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Sep | 80 | 57 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Oct | 70 | 45 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Nov | 59 | 36 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Dec | 49 | 30 | 5.3 | 9 |
| Year | 67 | 46 | 54.6 | 92 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Byrdstown, TN (880 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 Albany
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 133 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Albany: 118 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods and 4 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $788,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on May 17, 2002. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 27 have had fewer than Albany.
May 28, 1996: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Albany — 1 injured, $100,000 damage.
April 11, 2008: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Albany — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Homes were damaged and barns were destroyed by thunderstorm wind gusts.”
May 2, 2010: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Albany — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous roads across the county were closed due to flash flooding. A total of seven to ten inches of rain fell across Clinton county from May 1-2.”
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
Clinton County, which includes Albany, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 winter storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on September 1, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Clinton County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.7 million a year, the 106th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.4 million (60%), 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 Albany
- Byrdstown, TN10 mi
- Burkesville, KY15 mi
- Jamestown, KY16 mi
- Monroe, TN17 mi
- Monticello, KY18 mi
- Celina, TN23 mi
- Russell Springs, KY23 mi
- Jamestown, TN24 mi
- Livingston, TN26 mi
- Nancy, KY28 mi
- Columbia, KY29 mi
- Tompkinsville, KY30 mi
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