NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Clay, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Clay, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 93 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 93
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
26 deaths in all
What the records show for Clay
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Clay; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 57 miles away. The record near Clay begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 55 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Clay. The strongest of the 93 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on November 15, 2005; its path came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on November 6, 2005, killed 24 people. Of the 93, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 65 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Clay has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 76% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 55 times since 1974, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Clay has more hail reports within 10 miles than 53% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
Compare Clay's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Clay
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Clay: 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 Clay
By decade
- 2020s15(2 EF3+)
- 2010s23(1 EF3+)
- 2000s27(6 EF3+)
- 1990s4
- 1980s5
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6(2 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 15, 2005 | F4 | 23 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Nov 6, 2005 | F3 | 24 mi | 41.3 mi | 24 / 238 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 21 mi | 34.14 mi | 1 / 21 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F3 | 10 mi | 22.9 mi | 1 / 2 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF3 | 12 mi | 9.88 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 16 mi | 14.12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 2009 | EF3 | 11 mi | 12.35 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 6, 2005 | F3 | 2 mi | 11.2 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 7 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 26 |
| Jan 3, 2000 | F3 | 4 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 20 mi | 25.4 mi | 0 / 13 |
| May 7, 1961 | F3 | 20 mi | 58 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 93, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Clay
The Storm Prediction Center has 55 hail reports within 10 miles of Clay since 1974, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 28, 2009. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Clay
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Providence, KY, 7 miles southeast of Clay at 409 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 25°F. April is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 48.5 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 56 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 93 nights a year. That 48.5 inches is more than at 29 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (31%). Sturgis, 10 miles northwest, has its own station (Jt Myers Locks & Dam, IN): 48.4 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 88°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 25 | 2.7 | 6 |
| Feb | 48 | 28 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Mar | 58 | 36 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Apr | 69 | 45 | 5.1 | 8 |
| May | 78 | 56 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Jun | 86 | 65 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Aug | 89 | 67 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Sep | 83 | 58 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Oct | 71 | 46 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Nov | 58 | 36 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Dec | 47 | 29 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Year | 68 | 47 | 48.5 | 81 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Providence, KY (409 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 Clay
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 106 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Clay: 59 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 floods, 16 flash floods, 8 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $3.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on June 4, 2014. February has had the most flash floods, 6 of 16. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 68 have had fewer than Clay.
May 1, 2011: flood 7 miles from the centre of Clay — $1.5 million damage.
November 18, 2017: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Clay — $450,000 damage.
February 16, 2025: flood 9 miles from the centre of Clay — $270,000 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
Webster County, which includes Clay, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). 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 Webster County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.2 million a year, the 72nd highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.6 million (39%), 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.