NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Benton, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Benton, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 137 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 137
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
68 deaths in all
What the records show for Benton
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Benton; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 38 miles away. The record near Benton begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 40 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Benton. The highest rating among the 137 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on December 10, 2021, came within 2 miles. Of the 137, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 109 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Benton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 98% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 66 times since 1980, with stones up to 2.25 inches. Benton has more hail reports within 10 miles than 69% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Benton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Benton: 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 Benton
By decade
- 2020s29(2 EF3+)
- 2010s48(2 EF3+)
- 2000s32(1 EF3+)
- 1990s6
- 1980s1
- 1970s14(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6(2 EF3+)
- 1950s1(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 2 mi | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| Mar 4, 1964 | F4 | 4 mi | 18.5 mi | 3 / 24 |
| Apr 3, 1968 | F4 | 13 mi | 50.6 mi | 2 / 30 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 18 mi | 42.5 mi | 3 / 34 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 23 mi | 34.14 mi | 1 / 21 |
| Nov 15, 2005 | F3 | in town | 44 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Nov 13, 1951 | F3 | 11 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 11 |
| May 10, 2016 | EF3 | 5 mi | 19.03 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 12 mi | 25.4 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 21 mi | 11.97 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 24 mi | 18.18 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 3, 2023 | EF2 | 17 mi | 1.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 137, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Benton
The Storm Prediction Center has 66 hail reports within 10 miles of Benton since 1980, made on 48 separate days. Of these, 35 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.25 inches, fell on May 7, 2023. The most recent report is from July 21, 2024. April has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Benton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Kenlake Resort, KY, 13 miles southeast of Benton at 484 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 27°F. April is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 55.9 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 51 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 75 nights a year. That 55.9 inches is more than at 89 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (96%). Gilbertsville, 9 miles north, has its own station (Eddyville 5S, KY): 53.0 inches a year, 2.9 less than here, and the same July average high, 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 27 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Feb | 50 | 31 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Mar | 60 | 40 | 5.4 | 9 |
| Apr | 71 | 48 | 5.9 | 9 |
| May | 79 | 57 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 86 | 67 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Jul | 90 | 70 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Aug | 90 | 69 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Sep | 83 | 62 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Oct | 71 | 50 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Nov | 59 | 39 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Dec | 48 | 32 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Year | 69 | 49 | 55.9 | 83 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Kenlake Resort, KY (484 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 Benton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 165 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Benton: 112 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 floods, 17 flash floods, 13 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $5.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on June 21, 2019. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 83 have had fewer than Benton.
January 17, 1999: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Benton — 3 injured, $150,000 damage.
NWS: “A National Weather Service damage survey revealed a microburst with 90 MPH winds demolished numerous barns and moved a mobile home off its foundation. Three persons were injured in the mobile home.”
July 10, 2002: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Benton — 2 injured, $1.0 million damage.
June 11, 2012: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Benton — 2 injured, $15,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Benton's ZIP code 42025 have filed 49 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $622,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 29% 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, 79 have fewer than Benton.
Marshall County, which includes Benton, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on May 23, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Marshall County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.2 million a year, the 25th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.0 million (27%), 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).
Benton in the notable storm records: The December 10, 2021 EF4 Tornado in Tennessee, near Mayfield, KY
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Benton
- Gilbertsville, KY9 mi
- Almo, KY11 mi
- Calvert City, KY11 mi
- Ledbetter, KY16 mi
- Murray, KY17 mi
- Hickory, KY17 mi
- Kuttawa, KY18 mi
- Mayfield, KY19 mi
- Paducah, KY21 mi
- Eddyville, KY21 mi
- Brookport, IL24 mi
- Smithland, KY25 mi
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