NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bowling Green, 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 Bowling Green, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 79 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 79
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
28 deaths in all
What the records show for Bowling Green
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bowling Green; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 14 miles away. The record near Bowling Green begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 50 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 Bowling Green. The highest rating among the 79 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 8 times; the most recent, on December 9, 2023, came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on December 11, 2021, killed 16 people. Of the 79, 14 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 41 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Bowling Green has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 54% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 105 times since 1965, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Bowling Green has more hail reports within 10 miles than 88% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bowling Green
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bowling Green: 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 Bowling Green
By decade
- 2020s11(3 EF3+)
- 2010s20
- 2000s10
- 1990s14(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s10(4 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF3 | in town | 29.26 mi | 16 / 63 |
| Dec 9, 2023 | EF3 | 16 mi | 47.22 mi | 4 / 62 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 11 mi | 31.1 mi | 3 / 57 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 3 mi | 48 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Mar 31, 1979 | F3 | 20 mi | 12.7 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 9 mi | 27.4 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF3 | 8 mi | 28.02 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 14 mi | 26.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 22, 1991 | F2 | 7 mi | 39 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF2 | 21 mi | 16.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF2 | 2 mi | 6.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 3, 2020 | EF2 | 11 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 79, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bowling Green
The Storm Prediction Center has 105 hail reports within 10 miles of Bowling Green since 1965, made on 63 separate days. Of these, 64 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 18, 1969. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 36.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bowling Green
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bowling Green Warren Co Airport, KY, 1 mile southeast of Bowling Green at 523 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 28°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 47 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 81 nights a year. Snowfall averages 8.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 50.0 inches is more than at 42 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (45%). Smiths Grove, 16 miles east, has its own station (Mammoth Cave, KY): 53.5 inches a year, 3.5 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 28 | 3.6 | 7 | 3.2 |
| Feb | 51 | 31 | 4.1 | 7 | 2.9 |
| Mar | 60 | 38 | 4.5 | 7 | 1.4 |
| Apr | 71 | 47 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 79 | 57 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 66 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 70 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 68 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 60 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 48 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 38 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 49 | 32 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.8 |
| Year | 70 | 49 | 50.0 | 82 | 8.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bowling Green Warren Co Airport, KY (523 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 Bowling Green
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 289 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bowling Green: 213 thunderstorm wind reports, 37 floods, 34 flash floods, 4 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $2.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on July 11, 2000. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 198 have had fewer than Bowling Green.
April 11, 2008: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Bowling Green — 3 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “One mobile home shifted 15 to 20 feet off foundation. Other mobile homes flipped over or were destroyed in the Petros and Browning community where three injuries occurred.”
November 9, 2000: thunderstorm wind in Bowling Green — 1 injured, $75,000 damage.
NWS: “A female was injured when the vehicle she was in was blown around by thunderstorm winds.”
April 11, 2007: lightning strike in Bowling Green — 1 injured.
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 Bowling Green's 3 ZIP codes have filed 114 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $2.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2010, with 23. 21% 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, 107 have fewer than Bowling Green.
Warren County, which includes Bowling Green, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 4 tornadoes, 3 floods, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on May 23, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Warren County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for hail; Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $79.9 million a year, the 4th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $32.3 million (40%), 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 Bowling Green
- Alvaton, KY9 mi
- Rockfield, KY11 mi
- Smiths Grove, KY16 mi
- Auburn, KY17 mi
- Brownsville, KY18 mi
- Franklin, KY19 mi
- Scottsville, KY20 mi
- Morgantown, KY21 mi
- Park City, KY22 mi
- Adolphus, KY24 mi
- Russellville, KY26 mi
- Lewisburg, KY28 mi
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