NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Burkesville, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Burkesville, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 71 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 71
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
44 deaths in all
What the records show for Burkesville
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Burkesville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 59 miles away. The record near Burkesville begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 21 miles away. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Burkesville has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 74% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 71 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 8 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on February 5, 2008, killed 22 people. Of the 71, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on July 9, 2024. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 54% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Burkesville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 24 times since 1968, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 92% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Burkesville.
Compare Burkesville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Burkesville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | overhead | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 59 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 Burkesville: 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 Burkesville
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s15
- 2000s11(1 EF3+)
- 1990s15(4 EF3+)
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s9(4 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 8 mi | 38.4 mi | 10 / 113 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 25 mi | 11 mi | 5 / 6 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 9 mi | 50.32 mi | 22 / 63 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 25 mi | 9.4 mi | 3 / 120 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 23 mi | 48 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 20 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 25 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | F3 | 17 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 20, 1986 | F3 | 5 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 24 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F2 | 18 mi | 8 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Oct 9, 2009 | EF2 | 12 mi | 15.82 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 71, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Burkesville
The Storm Prediction Center has 24 hail reports within 10 miles of Burkesville since 1968, made on 19 separate days. Of these, 14 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 13, 2015. The most recent report is from March 13, 2025. July has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Burkesville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Summer Shade, KY, 19 miles northwest of Burkesville at 864 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 24°F. March is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and October and November the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 49.7 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 34 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 101 nights a year. Snowfall averages 7.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 49.7 inches is more than at 37 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (40%). Albany, 15 miles east, has its own station (Byrdstown, TN): 54.6 inches a year, 4.9 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 24 | 3.9 | 7 | 3.2 |
| Feb | 53 | 27 | 4.2 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Mar | 61 | 34 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.8 |
| Apr | 72 | 43 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 52 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 59 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 63 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 61 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 55 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 44 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 33 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 51 | 27 | 4.6 | 8 | 1.4 |
| Year | 70 | 43 | 49.7 | 81 | 7.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Summer Shade, KY (864 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 Burkesville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 93 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Burkesville: 75 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 4 heavy rain events, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $300,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on April 5, 2017. May has had the most flash floods, 5 of 11. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 27 have had fewer than Burkesville.
May 2, 2010: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Burkesville — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous roads across the county were closed due to flash flooding. A total of five to eight inches of rain fell across Cumberland county from May 1-2.”
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
Cumberland County, which includes Burkesville, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 snowstorms, 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 Cumberland County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.8 million a year, the 103rd highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.4 million (75%), 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 Burkesville
- Albany, KY15 mi
- Tompkinsville, KY16 mi
- Celina, TN16 mi
- Edmonton, KY18 mi
- Summer Shade, KY19 mi
- Byrdstown, TN19 mi
- Jamestown, KY21 mi
- Monroe, TN22 mi
- Columbia, KY26 mi
- Livingston, TN27 mi
- Russell Springs, KY27 mi
- Red Boiling Springs, TN28 mi
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