NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cave City, 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 Cave City, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 76 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 76
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
25 deaths in all
What the records show for Cave City
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cave City; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 21 miles away. The record near Cave City begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 23 miles away. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Cave City has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 74% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 76 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 7 times; the most recent, on December 11, 2021, came within 11 miles. Of the 76, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 43 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on April 3, 2025. Cave City has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 50% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 38 times since 1960, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 80% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Cave City.
Compare Cave City's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cave City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 21 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 Cave City: 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 Cave City
By decade
- 2020s11(1 EF3+)
- 2010s18
- 2000s14
- 1990s20(4 EF3+)
- 1980s1
- 1970s7(2 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF3 | 11 mi | 29.26 mi | 16 / 63 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 12 mi | 31.1 mi | 3 / 57 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 11 mi | 48 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | F3 | 17 mi | 9 mi | 1 / 14 |
| Mar 31, 1979 | F3 | 5 mi | 12.7 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | F3 | 21 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | F3 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F2 | 16 mi | 8 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F2 | 11 mi | 5.4 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 3, 2025 | EF2 | 3 mi | 4.89 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF2 | 6 mi | 23.82 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF2 | 2 mi | 16.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 76, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cave City
The Storm Prediction Center has 38 hail reports within 10 miles of Cave City since 1960, made on 30 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 14, 1968. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April and May have the most reports, 13 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cave City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Glasgow, KY, 9 miles south of Cave City at 770 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 29°F. May is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 54.9 inches over 86 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 52 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 79 nights a year. Snowfall averages 5.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 54.9 inches is more than at 88 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (95%). Park City, 7 miles southwest, has its own station (Mammoth Cave, KY): 53.5 inches a year, 1.4 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 29 | 4.1 | 7 | 2.2 |
| Feb | 52 | 31 | 4.4 | 7 | 1.7 |
| Mar | 62 | 39 | 5.2 | 9 | 0.9 |
| Apr | 73 | 47 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 56 | 5.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 64 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 68 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 66 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 59 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 48 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 39 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 51 | 32 | 5.4 | 9 | 0.9 |
| Year | 71 | 48 | 54.9 | 86 | 5.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Glasgow, KY (770 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 Cave City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 174 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cave City: 130 thunderstorm wind reports, 24 flash floods, 13 floods, 6 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $4.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on November 10, 2002. May has had the most flash floods, 7 of 24. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 147 have had fewer than Cave City.
January 17, 1999: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Cave City — 1 injured, $110,000 damage.
October 18, 2007: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Cave City — $1.5 million damage.
November 10, 2002: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Cave City — $467,000 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
Barren County, which includes Cave City, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1993, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on May 29, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Barren County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $19.7 million a year, the 31st highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.8 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 Cave City
- Horse Cave, KY5 mi
- Park City, KY7 mi
- Glasgow, KY11 mi
- Munfordville, KY11 mi
- Hardyville, KY13 mi
- Smiths Grove, KY14 mi
- Brownsville, KY20 mi
- Edmonton, KY22 mi
- Summer Shade, KY22 mi
- Upton, KY23 mi
- Magnolia, KY23 mi
- Clarkson, KY24 mi
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