NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bedford, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bedford, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 109 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 18 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 109
- EF3 or stronger
- 18
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
35 deaths in all
What the records show for Bedford
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bedford; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 45 miles away. The record near Bedford begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 72 miles away. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 56% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Bedford. The strongest of the 109 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 20 miles, and it killed 6 people. The deadliest, an EF4 on March 2, 2012, killed 11 people. Of the 109, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 54 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Bedford has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 86% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 44 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 64% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bedford.
Compare Bedford's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bedford
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 45 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 Bedford: 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 Bedford
By decade
- 2020s15(1 EF3+)
- 2010s28(3 EF3+)
- 2000s11(1 EF3+)
- 1990s17(6 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s18(6 EF3+)
- 1960s9
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 20 mi | 68 mi | 6 / 86 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF4 | 3 mi | 46.6 mi | 11 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 13 mi | 35.6 mi | 11 / 190 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 18 mi | 18.5 mi | 3 / 225 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F4 | 15 mi | 26.7 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 13 mi | 27.1 mi | 0 / 104 |
| Sep 26, 1976 | F3 | 11 mi | 14.6 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 1, 1974 | F3 | 9 mi | 3.3 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 25 mi | 9.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 4 mi | 3.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF3 | 20 mi | 2.26 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 10 mi | 4.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 109, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bedford
The Storm Prediction Center has 44 hail reports within 10 miles of Bedford since 1956, made on 35 separate days. Of these, 29 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 July 20, 2018. The most recent report is from March 14, 2024. April has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bedford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Madison Sewage Plt, IN, 10 miles north of Bedford at 460 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 24°F. April is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 51.0 inches over 85 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 96 nights a year. Snowfall averages 12.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 51.0 inches is more than at 50 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (54%). Pendleton, 7 miles south, has its own station (Crestwood 4NE, KY): 53.0 inches a year, 2.0 more than here, and the same July average high, 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 24 | 3.5 | 7 | 4.4 |
| Feb | 47 | 25 | 3.2 | 6 | 3.6 |
| Mar | 57 | 33 | 4.5 | 8 | 1.0 |
| Apr | 68 | 43 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.1 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 5.4 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 62 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 66 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 58 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 46 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 57 | 35 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 47 | 29 | 4.2 | 7 | 3.0 |
| Year | 67 | 45 | 51.0 | 85 | 12.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Madison Sewage Plt, IN (460 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 Bedford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 189 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bedford: 139 thunderstorm wind reports, 37 flash floods, 12 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $2.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on May 27, 2004. July has had the most flash floods, 10 of 37. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 215 have had fewer than Bedford.
August 16, 2007: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Bedford — 2 injured, $10,000 damage.
July 1, 2012: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Bedford — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
January 29, 2008: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Bedford — $300,000 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
Trimble County, which includes Bedford, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). 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 Trimble County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $4.0 million a year, the 114th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.1 million (53%), 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.