NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bagdad, 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 Bagdad, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 89 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 89
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
What the records show for Bagdad
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bagdad; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 18 miles away. The record near Bagdad begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 68 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 48% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Bagdad. The highest rating among the 89 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 5 times; the most recent, on May 28, 1996, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1974, killed 4 people. Of the 89, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on May 3, 2025. Bagdad has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 71% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 46 times since 1968, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 60% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bagdad.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bagdad
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 18 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 Bagdad: 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 Bagdad
By decade
- 2020s17(1 EF3+)
- 2010s17(1 EF3+)
- 2000s8
- 1990s18(3 EF3+)
- 1980s9
- 1970s13(5 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 11 mi | 79.4 mi | 4 / 122 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 24 mi | 37.9 mi | 3 / 81 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 25 mi | 18.5 mi | 3 / 225 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F4 | 22 mi | 26.7 mi | 1 / 10 |
| May 28, 1996 | F4 | 19 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 1, 1974 | F3 | 19 mi | 3.3 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 21 mi | 9.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF3 | 8 mi | 2.26 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 15 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 23, 1970 | F3 | 24 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 10, 1959 | F3 | 24 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 21 mi | 5.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 89, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bagdad
The Storm Prediction Center has 46 hail reports within 10 miles of Bagdad since 1968, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 33 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently March 31, 1993. The most recent report is from June 25, 2023. May has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bagdad
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Frankfort Capital City Airport, KY, 10 miles southeast of Bagdad at 804 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 25°F. May is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 47.5 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 28 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 98 nights a year. That 47.5 inches is more than at 15 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (16%). Pleasureville, 8 miles north, has its own station (Shelbyville 1 E, KY): 49.9 inches a year, 2.4 more than here, and the same July average high, 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 25 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Feb | 48 | 28 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Mar | 57 | 35 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Apr | 69 | 45 | 4.6 | 8 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 5.1 | 9 |
| Jun | 85 | 63 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Jul | 88 | 67 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Sep | 81 | 57 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Oct | 70 | 46 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Nov | 57 | 36 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Dec | 47 | 29 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Year | 67 | 46 | 47.5 | 83 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Frankfort Capital City Airport, KY (804 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 Bagdad
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 106 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bagdad: 79 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 flash floods, 6 floods and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $626,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on July 17, 2010. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 83 have had fewer than Bagdad.
December 11, 2021: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Bagdad — 1 killed.
April 5, 2017: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Bagdad — $200,000 damage.
May 27, 2004: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Bagdad — $100,000 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
Shelby County, which includes Bagdad, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1996, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on April 10, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Shelby County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $21.5 million a year, the 26th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.1 million (42%), 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 Bagdad
- Pleasureville, KY8 mi
- Eminence, KY10 mi
- Frankfort, KY10 mi
- Shelbyville, KY11 mi
- Waddy, KY11 mi
- Smithfield, KY16 mi
- Owenton, KY18 mi
- Simpsonville, KY18 mi
- Stamping Ground, KY18 mi
- Campbellsburg, KY19 mi
- Lawrenceburg, KY19 mi
- Midway, KY20 mi
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