NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Central 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Central City, 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, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 71
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
62 deaths in all
What the records show for Central City
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Central City; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 25 miles away. The record near Central City begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 33 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 94% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Central City. The highest rating among the 71 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on December 10, 2021, came within 3 miles. Of the 71, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 53 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 54% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Central City. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 56 times since 1971, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Central City has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Central City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Central 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 Central City
By decade
- 2020s10(2 EF3+)
- 2010s28(1 EF3+)
- 2000s15(5 EF3+)
- 1990s5
- 1980s1
- 1970s5(3 EF3+)
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 3 mi | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| Nov 15, 2005 | F4 | 15 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 2 mi | 18.05 mi | 3 / 24 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 19 mi | 34.14 mi | 1 / 21 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 12 mi | 27.4 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 15 mi | 8.23 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF3 | 21 mi | 2.02 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 11, 2003 | F3 | 10 mi | 1.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 20 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 26 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F3 | 22 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 13 mi | 26.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1961 | F3 | 4 mi | 58 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 71, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Central City
The Storm Prediction Center has 56 hail reports within 10 miles of Central City since 1971, made on 50 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 10, 2016. The most recent report is from May 8, 2024. May has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Central City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rochester Ferry, KY, 14 miles southeast of Central City at 390 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 24°F. April and May are the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 51.1 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 47 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 97 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.4 inches a year, most of it in February. That 51.1 inches is more than at 51 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (55%). Beaver Dam, 15 miles east, has its own station (Beaver Dam, KY): 51.9 inches a year, 0.8 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 24 | 3.4 | 6 | 1.3 |
| Feb | 48 | 26 | 4.0 | 7 | 1.4 |
| Mar | 58 | 34 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 69 | 43 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.2 |
| May | 78 | 53 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 61 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 65 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 63 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 56 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 43 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 34 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 48 | 27 | 4.5 | 7 | 1.0 |
| Year | 68 | 44 | 51.1 | 83 | 4.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rochester Ferry, KY (390 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 Central City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 221 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Central City: 100 floods, 96 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods, 8 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $4.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on February 27, 2009. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 68 have had fewer than Central City.
June 9, 2018: thunderstorm wind in Central City — 2 injured, $30,000 damage.
NWS: “Multiple large trees and power lines were blown down from the Central City area to near Drakesboro. About 4 miles south of Central City, one tree fell on a mobile home, injuring two people.”
February 16, 2025: flood 3 miles from the centre of Central City — $1.2 million damage.
NWS: “Flash flooding from the evening of the 15th transitioned to areal flooding early on the 16th. Highway 1379 remained flooded, as did many other county roads from Central City to Powderly to Greenville.”
February 11, 2025: flood 8 miles from the centre of Central City — $400,000 damage.
NWS: “Following torrential mid-month rainfall amounts of around half a foot, river levels surged to only a couple feet below major flood, resulting in widespread flooding of low-lying bottomlands, affecting farmlands, roads, and woodland areas. 8 feet which is just shy of the major flood level of 400 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Central City's ZIP code 42330 have filed 10 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1997, and were paid $327,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 10% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 143 Kentucky cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 0 have fewer than Central City.
Muhlenberg County, which includes Central City, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). 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 Muhlenberg County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.4 million a year, the 41st highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.8 million (33%), 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).
Central City in the notable storm records: The December 10, 2021 EF4 Tornado in Tennessee, near Mayfield, KY
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Central City
- Greenville, KY10 mi
- Beaver Dam, KY15 mi
- Hartford, KY17 mi
- Nortonville, KY20 mi
- Madisonville, KY21 mi
- Utica, KY21 mi
- Calhoun, KY21 mi
- Hanson, KY22 mi
- Lewisburg, KY22 mi
- Morgantown, KY25 mi
- Crofton, KY26 mi
- Elkton, KY29 mi
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