NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cynthiana, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Cynthiana, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 52 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 52
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Cynthiana
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cynthiana; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 9 miles away. The record near Cynthiana begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 34 miles away. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 48% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Cynthiana. The highest rating among the 52 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 23, 1968, killed 6 people. Of the 52, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 27 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on September 22, 2025. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 71% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Cynthiana. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 22 times since 1973, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 94% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Cynthiana.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cynthiana
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Cynthiana: 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 Cynthiana
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s15
- 2000s3(1 EF3+)
- 1990s3
- 1980s6
- 1970s8(3 EF3+)
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 1968 | F4 | 19 mi | 78.7 mi | 6 / 364 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 13 mi | 79.4 mi | 4 / 122 |
| May 27, 2004 | F3 | 25 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 1 mi | 19.3 mi | 0 / 27 |
| Apr 23, 1970 | F3 | 21 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF2 | 2 mi | 3.49 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 12, 1986 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 1979 | F2 | in town | 33.8 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 12 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Jun 15, 1964 | F2 | 4 mi | 49.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 19, 1956 | F2 | 21 mi | 21.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF1 | 10 mi | 10.81 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 52, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cynthiana
The Storm Prediction Center has 22 hail reports within 10 miles of Cynthiana since 1973, made on 15 separate days. Of these, 15 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 19, 2022. The most recent report is from April 30, 2025. April and May have the most reports, 7 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cynthiana
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cynthiana, KY, 2 miles south of Cynthiana at 700 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 23°F. May is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 47.7 inches over 85 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 28 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 109 nights a year. That 47.7 inches is more than at 17 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (18%). Berry, 11 miles northwest, has its own station (Williamstown, KY): 45.9 inches a year, 1.8 less than here, and the same July average high, 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 23 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Feb | 46 | 25 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 55 | 32 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Apr | 67 | 41 | 4.6 | 8 |
| May | 76 | 52 | 5.0 | 9 |
| Jun | 84 | 61 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Jul | 87 | 65 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Aug | 86 | 63 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Sep | 80 | 55 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 69 | 43 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Nov | 56 | 33 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Dec | 46 | 27 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Year | 66 | 43 | 47.7 | 85 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cynthiana, KY (700 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 Cynthiana
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 145 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cynthiana: 111 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods, 10 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $1.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on July 20, 2020. May has had the most flash floods, 10 of 22. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 126 have had fewer than Cynthiana.
July 27, 2023: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Cynthiana — 1 killed.
March 1, 2017: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Cynthiana — 2 injured, $300,000 damage.
NWS: “The Harrison County emergency manager reported a mobile home was destroyed due to severe thunderstorm winds. This resulted in 2 minor injuries.”
March 1, 2017: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Cynthiana — 1 injured, $250,000 damage.
NWS: “The NWS in conjunction with Harrison County Emergency Management determined the area northeast of Cynthiana along Salem Pike had 70 to 80 mph wind damage. Besides trees being split and uprooted, a double-wide trailer was picked up off blocks and thrown 75 yards.”
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 Cynthiana's ZIP code 41031 have filed 139 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $3.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1997: 97 claims (70% of all) and $2.8 million. 73% 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, 112 have fewer than Cynthiana.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1997 | 97 | $2.8 million |
Harrison County, which includes Cynthiana, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 snowstorms, 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 Harrison County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.5 million a year, the 66th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.6 million (59%), 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 Cynthiana
- Berry, KY11 mi
- Sadieville, KY13 mi
- Paris, KY13 mi
- Mount Olivet, KY15 mi
- Carlisle, KY16 mi
- Falmouth, KY18 mi
- Corinth, KY18 mi
- Georgetown, KY19 mi
- Williamstown, KY22 mi
- Brooksville, KY22 mi
- Stamping Ground, KY23 mi
- Ewing, KY23 mi
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