NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Columbia, KY
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Columbia, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 72 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 72
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Columbia
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Columbia: 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 Columbia
By decade
- 2020s8(1 EF3+)
- 2010s20
- 2000s8
- 1990s15(2 EF3+)
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s8(4 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 1971 | F4 | in town | 14.1 mi | 6 / 58 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F4 | 12 mi | 13 mi | 2 / 72 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 12 mi | 20.2 mi | 0 / 56 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF3 | 21 mi | 14.54 mi | 1 / 31 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 3 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | F3 | 12 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 20, 1986 | F3 | 18 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 23 mi | 28.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F2 | 19 mi | 8 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | F2 | 4 mi | 10 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F2 | 21 mi | 5.4 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF2 | 20 mi | 23.82 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 72, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
How to read this page
A storm is listed when the centre of its track passed within 75 miles of Columbia while it was at least a tropical storm, which is the reach of damaging wind and rain for a typical hurricane. Being on the list does not mean the city took a direct hit; the "closest" column says how near the centre came. Tornadoes are counted when any part of the path came within 25 miles.
Tornado records before the 1990s are thinner, because weak tornadoes in open country often went unreported before Doppler radar and mobile phones. A rise in the decade counts is mostly better reporting, not a change in the weather.
Tracks come from the National Hurricane Center's HURDAT2 database, tornadoes from the Storm Prediction Center's database. Both are the official federal records and both are revised as old storms are re-analysed.