NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Brownsville, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Brownsville, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 75 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 75
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
28 deaths in all
What the records show for Brownsville
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Brownsville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 5 miles away. The record near Brownsville begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 32 miles away. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 56% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Brownsville. The strongest of the 75 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on December 11, 2021, killed 16 people. Of the 75, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 44 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on April 3, 2025. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 49% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Brownsville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 38 times since 1973, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 80% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Brownsville.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Brownsville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Brownsville: 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 Brownsville
By decade
- 2020s13(2 EF3+)
- 2010s19
- 2000s12(1 EF3+)
- 1990s11(2 EF3+)
- 1980s3
- 1970s11(7 EF3+)
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 19 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF3 | 10 mi | 29.26 mi | 16 / 63 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 18 mi | 31.1 mi | 3 / 57 |
| Jan 21, 1959 | F3 | 19 mi | 6.6 mi | 3 / 0 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 18 mi | 48 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | F3 | 23 mi | 9 mi | 1 / 14 |
| Mar 31, 1979 | F3 | 18 mi | 12.7 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 13 mi | 27.4 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF3 | 20 mi | 28.02 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 23, 2000 | F3 | 19 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F3 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F3 | 20 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 75, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Brownsville
The Storm Prediction Center has 38 hail reports within 10 miles of Brownsville since 1973, made on 33 separate days. Of these, 23 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 23, 2000. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April and May have the most reports, 15 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Brownsville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bowling Green 21 NNE, KY, 4 miles northeast of Brownsville at 790 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 27°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 53.2 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 20 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 75 nights a year. That 53.2 inches is more than at 75 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (81%). Smiths Grove, 13 miles southeast, has its own station (Mammoth Cave, KY): 53.5 inches a year, 0.3 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 27 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Feb | 49 | 31 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Mar | 58 | 38 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Apr | 69 | 48 | 5.2 | 8 |
| May | 76 | 57 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 82 | 64 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Jul | 86 | 67 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Aug | 85 | 66 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Sep | 80 | 60 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Oct | 70 | 49 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Nov | 57 | 39 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Dec | 47 | 32 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Year | 67 | 48 | 53.2 | 87 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bowling Green 21 NNE, KY (790 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 Brownsville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 158 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Brownsville: 111 thunderstorm wind reports, 30 floods and 17 flash floods. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $813,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on January 24, 2002. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 83 have had fewer than Brownsville.
December 2, 2019: flood 5 miles from the centre of Brownsville — 1 killed, 2 injured, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “On December 2, a 28 year old woman with her two children - a 7-year old and a 20-month old - drove around a Road Closed barrier blocking a flooded low water crossing on Oak Hill Road in Edmonson County, Kentucky. She accelerated, trying to ford the water.”
May 30, 2004: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Brownsville — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Two barns were blown down.”
May 2, 2010: flood 7 miles from the centre of Brownsville — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “5 feet around 645 AM EST on May 5. Flood stage at Brownsville is 18 feet.”
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
Edmonson County, which includes Brownsville, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1989, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). 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 Edmonson County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for tornadoes and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.5 million a year, the 108th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.4 million (44%), 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 Brownsville
- Smiths Grove, KY13 mi
- Park City, KY15 mi
- Clarkson, KY16 mi
- Caneyville, KY18 mi
- Leitchfield, KY18 mi
- Bowling Green, KY18 mi
- Cave City, KY20 mi
- Morgantown, KY21 mi
- Munfordville, KY22 mi
- Horse Cave, KY23 mi
- Alvaton, KY25 mi
- Glasgow, KY27 mi
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