NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Brooks, 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 Brooks, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 120 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 120
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
39 deaths in all
What the records show for Brooks
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Brooks; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 26 miles away. The record near Brooks begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 31 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Brooks. The strongest of the 120 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 20 miles, and it killed 31 people. Of the 120, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 77 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Brooks has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 93% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 89 times since 1961, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Brooks has more hail reports within 10 miles than 85% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Brooks
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 26 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 Brooks: 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 Brooks
By decade
- 2020s29(1 EF3+)
- 2010s27
- 2000s21
- 1990s15(2 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s15(3 EF3+)
- 1960s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 20 mi | 32 mi | 31 / 270 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 16 mi | 37.9 mi | 3 / 81 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 10 mi | 18.5 mi | 3 / 225 |
| May 28, 1996 | F4 | 6 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 12 mi | 9.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 23 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 10, 1969 | F3 | 8 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 25 mi | 32.3 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 20 mi | 11.15 mi | 0 / 32 |
| Jun 22, 2011 | EF2 | 13 mi | 1.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2011 | EF2 | 10 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF2 | 24 mi | 1.29 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 120, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Brooks
The Storm Prediction Center has 89 hail reports within 10 miles of Brooks since 1961, made on 55 separate days. Of these, 63 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on July 2, 1980. The most recent report is from March 19, 2025. March has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Brooks
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Louisville WFO, KY, 6 miles northeast of Brooks at 632 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 26°F. May is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 53.1 inches over 85 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 30 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 85 nights a year. Snowfall averages 15.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 53.1 inches is more than at 72 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (77%). Fairdale, 3 miles north, has its own station (Louisville International Airport, KY): 48.4 inches a year, 4.7 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 26 | 3.8 | 7 | 4.6 |
| Feb | 47 | 29 | 3.7 | 7 | 4.7 |
| Mar | 57 | 37 | 5.1 | 8 | 2.6 |
| Apr | 68 | 46 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.1 |
| May | 77 | 56 | 5.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 64 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 68 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 67 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 59 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 48 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 38 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 46 | 30 | 4.6 | 8 | 2.7 |
| Year | 67 | 47 | 53.1 | 85 | 15.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Louisville WFO, KY (632 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 Brooks
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 381 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Brooks: 293 thunderstorm wind reports, 65 flash floods, 16 floods, 4 lightning strikes and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 3 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on October 24, 2001. June has had the most flash floods, 14 of 65. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 263 have had fewer than Brooks.
July 19, 2012: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Brooks — 2 killed, $90,000 damage.
June 28, 2026: flood 10 miles from the centre of Brooks — 1 killed.
May 30, 2004: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Brooks — 1 injured, $150,000 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
Bullitt County, which includes Brooks, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 7 floods, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). 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 Bullitt County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for hail and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $45.5 million a year, the 10th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $23.3 million (51%), 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 Brooks
- Fairdale, KY3 mi
- Shepherdsville, KY5 mi
- Louisville, KY10 mi
- Mt Washington, KY10 mi
- Elizabeth, IN14 mi
- Lebanon Junction, KY15 mi
- Coxs Creek, KY16 mi
- Clarksville, IN17 mi
- Fort Knox, KY17 mi
- Jeffersonville, IN17 mi
- New Albany, IN17 mi
- Lanesville, IN18 mi
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