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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bloomfield, 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 Bloomfield, 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, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
5

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
89

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
5

9 deaths in all

What the records show for Bloomfield

None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bloomfield; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 4 miles away. The record near Bloomfield begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 41 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 Bloomfield. The highest rating among the 89 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 28, 1996, came within 9 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1974, killed 4 people. Of the 89, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 50 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on May 30, 2025. Bloomfield has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 71% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1974, with stones up to 1.76 inches. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bloomfield.

Compare Bloomfield's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bloomfield

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Bloomfield, Kentucky, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2024HeleneSep 2741 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 4
1995OpalOct 565 miTropical storm (43 mph)Category 4
1957AudreyJun 2855 miTropical storm (41 mph)Category 3
1892Unnamed 1892 stormSep 1320 miTropical storm (48 mph)Tropical storm
1888Unnamed 1888 stormAug 214 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 3

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bloomfield: 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 Bloomfield

By decade

  • 2020s22(1 EF3+)
  • 2010s11
  • 2000s17
  • 1990s16(1 EF3+)
  • 1980s9
  • 1970s10(2 EF3+)
  • 1960s3(1 EF3+)
  • 1950s1
Strongest tornadoes near Bloomfield, Kentucky
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Apr 3, 1974F415 mi79.4 mi4 / 122
Apr 3, 1974F45 mi37.9 mi3 / 81
May 28, 1996F49 mi30 mi0 / 10
Apr 2, 2025EF324 mi9.68 mi0 / 0
May 10, 1969F319 mi4.3 mi0 / 14
May 30, 2025EF222 mi5.51 mi1 / 14
May 11, 2003F223 mi7 mi1 / 8
Jun 22, 2011EF224 mi1.6 mi0 / 0
Feb 6, 2008EF220 mi0.99 mi0 / 0
Feb 5, 2008EF29 mi0.76 mi0 / 2
Feb 5, 2008EF224 mi6.99 mi0 / 0
Feb 5, 2008EF222 mi1.29 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 89, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Bloomfield

The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Bloomfield since 1974, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 23 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.76 inches, fell on May 29, 1982. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 20.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Bloomfield

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bardstown 5E, KY, 9 miles southwest of Bloomfield 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%). Taylorsville, 10 miles northwest, has its own station (Shelbyville 1 E, KY): 49.9 inches a year, 1.7 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 87°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Bardstown 5E, KY
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan43263.774.2
Feb48293.973.7
Mar57374.991.3
Apr69464.780.0
May77555.590.0
Jun84634.980.0
Jul87664.570.0
Aug86653.760.0
Sep81583.950.0
Oct70473.760.0
Nov57373.770.2
Dec47304.582.5
Year674751.68811.9

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.

Kentucky weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Bloomfield

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 119 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bloomfield: 88 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods, 10 floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $382,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on June 22, 1998. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 107 have had fewer than Bloomfield.

  • July 13, 2004: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Bloomfield — $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

Nelson County, which includes Bloomfield, 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 Bloomfield