NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Augusta, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Augusta, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 72 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 72
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
14 deaths in all
What the records show for Augusta
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Augusta; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 26 miles away. The record near Augusta begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 32 miles away. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 48% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Augusta. The highest rating among the 72 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 2, 2012, came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 23, 1968, killed 6 people. Of the 72, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 36 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on September 22, 2025. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 54% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Augusta. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 39 times since 1968, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Augusta.
Compare Augusta's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Augusta
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Augusta: 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 Augusta
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s16(2 EF3+)
- 2000s8(1 EF3+)
- 1990s8(1 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s12(2 EF3+)
- 1960s7(2 EF3+)
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 1968 | F4 | 3 mi | 78.7 mi | 6 / 364 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF4 | 25 mi | 9.85 mi | 4 / 8 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 9 mi | 20.41 mi | 3 / 13 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 22 mi | 15.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 10, 2003 | F3 | 18 mi | 25 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Jul 2, 1997 | F3 | 6 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 19 mi | 19.3 mi | 0 / 27 |
| May 7, 1967 | F3 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1996 | F2 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F2 | 12 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F2 | 9 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1981 | F2 | 14 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 7 |
The strongest 12 of 72, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Augusta
The Storm Prediction Center has 39 hail reports within 10 miles of Augusta since 1968, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 19 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently July 14, 2000. The most recent report is from April 1, 2024. May has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Augusta
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Chilo Meldahl Locks & Dam, OH, 10 miles west of Augusta at 480 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 23°F. May is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 42.2 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 104 nights a year. That 42.2 inches is more than at 0 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (0%). Georgetown, OH, 9 miles northeast, has its own station (Ripley Exp Farm, OH): 47.9 inches a year, 5.7 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 23 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Feb | 46 | 25 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Mar | 55 | 32 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Apr | 66 | 41 | 4.1 | 7 |
| May | 75 | 52 | 4.6 | 9 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Jul | 87 | 65 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Aug | 86 | 64 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Sep | 81 | 57 | 2.8 | 4 |
| Oct | 69 | 45 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Nov | 56 | 35 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Dec | 45 | 28 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Year | 66 | 44 | 42.2 | 75 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Chilo Meldahl Locks & Dam, OH (480 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 Augusta
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 226 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Augusta: 181 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 flash floods and 18 floods. They killed 5 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $2.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on February 6, 2008. July has had the most flash floods, 13 of 27. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 163 have had fewer than Augusta.
July 8, 2001: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Augusta — 2 killed, 3 injured, $100,000 damage.
June 9, 2010: flood 4 miles from the centre of Augusta — 2 killed, $3,000 damage.
July 22, 2017: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Augusta — 1 killed, $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Five to seven inches of rain produced widespread flash flooding across Bracken County. Two homes were washed away off of Augusta-Minerva Road, killing one man (M82MH).”
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Augusta's ZIP code 41002 have filed 111 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.9 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1997: 73 claims (66% of all) and $1.8 million, then Not a named storm in 1979 with 18. 88% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 143 Kentucky cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 106 have fewer than Augusta.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1997 | 73 | $1.8 million |
| Not a named storm1979 | 18 | $25,000 |
Bracken County, which includes Augusta, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on April 24, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bracken County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.5 million a year, the 107th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.2 million (58%), 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.