NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Caneyville, 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 Caneyville, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 43 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 43
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
93 deaths in all
What the records show for Caneyville
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Caneyville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 12 miles away. The record near Caneyville begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 30 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 Caneyville. The strongest of the 43 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 22 miles, and it killed 31 people. The deadliest, an EF4 on December 10, 2021, killed 57 people. Of the 43, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 27 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 78% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Caneyville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 38 times since 1982, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 80% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Caneyville.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Caneyville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 12 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 Caneyville: 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 Caneyville
By decade
- 2020s5(1 EF3+)
- 2010s16
- 2000s6(1 EF3+)
- 1990s2
- 1980s1
- 1970s8(6 EF3+)
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 22 mi | 32 mi | 31 / 270 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 12 mi | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 2 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jan 21, 1959 | F3 | 1 mi | 6.6 mi | 3 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 21 mi | 27.4 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 23, 2000 | F3 | 14 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F3 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F3 | 10 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 15 mi | 26.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1961 | F3 | 1 mi | 58 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 22, 1991 | F2 | 21 mi | 39 mi | 1 / 12 |
| May 10, 2016 | EF2 | 15 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 43, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Caneyville
The Storm Prediction Center has 38 hail reports within 10 miles of Caneyville since 1982, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 25 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on November 15, 1989. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Caneyville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Leitchfield 2 N, KY, 13 miles northeast of Caneyville at 620 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 21°F. May is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 49.8 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 23 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 110 nights a year. Snowfall averages 9.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 49.8 inches is more than at 38 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (41%). Falls Of Rough, 13 miles north, has its own station (Rough Rvr Lake, KY): 51.6 inches a year, 1.8 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 21 | 3.5 | 8 | 4.0 |
| Feb | 47 | 22 | 4.1 | 6 | 2.1 |
| Mar | 56 | 31 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.8 |
| Apr | 67 | 41 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 75 | 51 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 60 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 64 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 61 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 54 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 42 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 56 | 32 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 46 | 24 | 4.7 | 7 | 2.4 |
| Year | 66 | 42 | 49.8 | 80 | 9.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Leitchfield 2 N, KY (620 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 Caneyville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 80 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Caneyville: 55 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods and 5 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $535,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on May 30, 2004. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 20. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 107 have had fewer than Caneyville.
February 22, 2018: flood in Caneyville — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “The public reported Caney Creek was out of its bank. In addition there were several reports of road washouts, slippage, erosion, and broken pavement due to flooded roads and high water.”
May 30, 2004: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Caneyville — $100,000 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
Grayson County, which includes Caneyville, has been named in 30 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 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 Grayson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.4 million a year, the 54th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.0 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 Caneyville
- Leitchfield, KY11 mi
- Falls Of Rough, KY13 mi
- Morgantown, KY17 mi
- Brownsville, KY18 mi
- Clarkson, KY18 mi
- Beaver Dam, KY21 mi
- Hartford, KY23 mi
- Hardinsburg, KY25 mi
- Whitesville, KY27 mi
- Cloverport, KY29 mi
- Bowling Green, KY30 mi
- Smiths Grove, KY31 mi
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