NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bardstown, 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 Bardstown, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 74 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 74
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Bardstown
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bardstown; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 3 miles away. The record near Bardstown begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 29 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 Bardstown. The highest rating among the 74 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 28, 1996, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1974, killed 3 people. Of the 74, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 45 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on December 18, 2025. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 51% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bardstown. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 52 times since 1981, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 50% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bardstown.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bardstown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 3 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 Bardstown: 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 Bardstown
By decade
- 2020s18
- 2010s11
- 2000s16
- 1990s11(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 7 mi | 37.9 mi | 3 / 81 |
| May 28, 1996 | F4 | 19 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 10, 1969 | F3 | 13 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Mar 22, 1952 | F3 | 21 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| May 30, 2025 | EF2 | 24 mi | 5.51 mi | 1 / 14 |
| Jun 26, 2013 | EF2 | 16 mi | 6.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 22 mi | 0.89 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 22 mi | 2.46 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 23 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF2 | 23 mi | 0.99 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF2 | 4 mi | 0.76 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF2 | 10 mi | 1.29 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 74, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bardstown
The Storm Prediction Center has 52 hail reports within 10 miles of Bardstown since 1981, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 36 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on July 20, 2018. The most recent report is from April 10, 2025. April has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bardstown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bardstown 5E, KY, 4 miles east of Bardstown at 780 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 26°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 87 nights a year. Snowfall averages 11.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 51.6 inches is more than at 57 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (61%). Lebanon Junction, 15 miles west, has its own station (Elizabethtown Wp Cs, KY): 54.3 inches a year, 2.7 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 26 | 3.7 | 7 | 4.2 |
| Feb | 48 | 29 | 3.9 | 7 | 3.7 |
| Mar | 57 | 37 | 4.9 | 9 | 1.3 |
| Apr | 69 | 46 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 55 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 63 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 66 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 65 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 58 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 47 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 37 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 47 | 30 | 4.5 | 8 | 2.5 |
| Year | 67 | 47 | 51.6 | 88 | 11.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bardstown 5E, KY (780 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 Bardstown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 141 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bardstown: 112 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 flash floods, 3 floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $400,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on July 7, 2015. June has had the most flash floods, 11 of 23. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 138 have had fewer than Bardstown.
November 29, 2011: flood 7 miles from the centre of Bardstown — 1 killed, $15,000 damage.
July 26, 2012: lightning strike in Bardstown — 1 injured.
NWS: “Local emergency management reported that a person in Bardstown was injured by lightning.”
July 7, 2015: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Bardstown — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “A NWS storm survey determined that a small microburst impacted Nelson County with the strongest winds estimated to be 95 mph. This resulted in the roofs of a bourbon warehouse facility to be blown off.”
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 Bardstown's ZIP code 40004 have filed 10 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1989, and were paid $108,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 60% 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, 0 have fewer than Bardstown.
Nelson County, which includes Bardstown, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 ice storms, 3 snowstorms). 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 Nelson 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 hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.0 million a year, the 29th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.7 million (54%), 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 Bardstown
- Coxs Creek, KY8 mi
- Loretto, KY11 mi
- Bloomfield, KY12 mi
- New Haven, KY13 mi
- Lebanon Junction, KY15 mi
- Springfield, KY15 mi
- Mt Washington, KY17 mi
- Taylorsville, KY17 mi
- Shepherdsville, KY18 mi
- Willisburg, KY18 mi
- Lebanon, KY20 mi
- Hodgenville, KY22 mi
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