NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Brandenburg, 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 Brandenburg, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 93 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 93
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
43 deaths in all
What the records show for Brandenburg
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Brandenburg; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 33 miles away. The record near Brandenburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 12 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Brandenburg. The highest rating among the 93 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an F5 on April 3, 1974, killed 31 people. Of the 93, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 59 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Brandenburg has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 76% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 58 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Brandenburg has more hail reports within 10 miles than 60% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Brandenburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 33 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 Brandenburg: 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 Brandenburg
By decade
- 2020s21
- 2010s20
- 2000s18
- 1990s15(1 EF3+)
- 1980s5
- 1970s11(3 EF3+)
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 3 mi | 32 mi | 31 / 270 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 25 mi | 68 mi | 6 / 86 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 21 mi | 37.9 mi | 3 / 81 |
| May 28, 1996 | F4 | 24 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 10, 1969 | F3 | 23 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 7 mi | 32.3 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Jun 25, 2023 | EF2 | 21 mi | 1.17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 21 mi | 16.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2011 | EF2 | 24 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 2011 | EF2 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF2 | 22 mi | 7.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF2 | 13 mi | 3.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 93, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Brandenburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 58 hail reports within 10 miles of Brandenburg since 1955, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 44 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently March 2, 2012. The most recent report is from March 15, 2025. April has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Brandenburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Brandenburg, KY, 1 mile south of Brandenburg at 615 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 23°F. May is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 53.3 inches over 84 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 26 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 109 nights a year. That 53.3 inches is more than at 76 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (82%). Irvington, 12 miles southwest, has its own station (Corners, KY): 51.7 inches a year, 1.6 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 23 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Feb | 47 | 25 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 57 | 33 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Apr | 69 | 42 | 5.4 | 9 |
| May | 76 | 53 | 6.0 | 8 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Aug | 86 | 63 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Sep | 80 | 56 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Oct | 69 | 44 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Nov | 56 | 34 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Dec | 46 | 27 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Year | 67 | 44 | 53.3 | 84 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Brandenburg, KY (615 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 Brandenburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 141 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Brandenburg: 126 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods and 5 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $1.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 115 mph, on September 20, 2000. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 18 have had fewer than Brandenburg.
February 27, 1999: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Brandenburg — 3 injured, $30,000 damage.
February 22, 2018: flood 9 miles from the centre of Brandenburg — $1.3 million damage.
March 19, 2008: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Brandenburg — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous roads in the county were flooded, including portions of Indiana Highway 11. Big Indian Creek near Corydon was flooding, with trailers and vehicles under water.”
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
Meade County, which includes Brandenburg, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 4 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on September 1, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Meade County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for 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 $12.9 million a year, the 48th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.7 million (45%), 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 Brandenburg
- Ekron, KY4 mi
- Guston, KY7 mi
- Fort Knox, KY10 mi
- Vine Grove, KY12 mi
- Irvington, KY12 mi
- Elizabeth, IN13 mi
- Radcliff, KY14 mi
- Corydon, IN16 mi
- Rineyville, KY16 mi
- Lanesville, IN20 mi
- Cecilia, KY22 mi
- Brooks, KY22 mi
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