NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Clarkson, 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 Clarkson, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 68 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 68
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
80 deaths in all
What the records show for Clarkson
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Clarkson; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 3 miles away. The record near Clarkson begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 17 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 Clarkson. The highest rating among the 68 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on December 10, 2021, came within 22 miles. Of the 68, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 47 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on February 6, 2025. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 57% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Clarkson. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 57 times since 1978, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Clarkson has more hail reports within 10 miles than 58% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Clarkson
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 3 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 Clarkson: 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 Clarkson
By decade
- 2020s11(2 EF3+)
- 2010s21
- 2000s15(1 EF3+)
- 1990s6(2 EF3+)
- 1980s3
- 1970s6(4 EF3+)
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 22 mi | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 25 mi | 37.9 mi | 3 / 81 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 10 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF3 | 22 mi | 29.26 mi | 16 / 63 |
| Jan 21, 1959 | F3 | 18 mi | 6.6 mi | 3 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | F3 | 14 mi | 9 mi | 1 / 14 |
| May 23, 2000 | F3 | 5 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | F3 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F3 | 5 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 23 mi | 26.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1961 | F3 | 17 mi | 58 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 25, 2023 | EF2 | 19 mi | 1.17 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 68, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Clarkson
The Storm Prediction Center has 57 hail reports within 10 miles of Clarkson since 1978, made on 41 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on April 3, 2007. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Clarkson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Leitchfield 2 N, KY, 9 miles northwest of Clarkson 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%). Upton, 15 miles east, has its own station (Elizabethtown Wp Cs, KY): 54.3 inches a year, 4.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 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 Clarkson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 109 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Clarkson: 86 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods, 3 heavy rain events, 2 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $350,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on June 25, 2023. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 68 have had fewer than Clarkson.
June 26, 2016: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Clarkson — 2 injured.
February 5, 2008: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Clarkson — $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 Clarkson, 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 Clarkson
- Leitchfield, KY9 mi
- Upton, KY15 mi
- Brownsville, KY16 mi
- Sonora, KY17 mi
- Munfordville, KY17 mi
- Cecilia, KY18 mi
- Caneyville, KY18 mi
- Falls Of Rough, KY23 mi
- Horse Cave, KY23 mi
- Cave City, KY24 mi
- Park City, KY24 mi
- Rineyville, KY24 mi
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