NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit East Bernstadt, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of East Bernstadt, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 46 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 46
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
31 deaths in all
What the records show for East Bernstadt
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed East Bernstadt; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. The record near East Bernstadt begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 52 miles away. Of the 8 systems, one has come since 2000. East Bernstadt is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The strongest of the 46 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on May 16, 2025; its path came within 11 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 46, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 17 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 12. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 75% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than East Bernstadt. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 69 times since 1974, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). East Bernstadt has more hail reports within 10 miles than 73% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near East Bernstadt
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 68 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 East Bernstadt: 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 East Bernstadt
By decade
- 2020s4(1 EF3+)
- 2010s3
- 2000s10
- 1990s14
- 1980s5
- 1970s7(3 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2025 | EF4 | 11 mi | 60.08 mi | 18 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 5 mi | 22.3 mi | 7 / 40 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 17 mi | 28.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 1973 | F3 | 8 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | in town | 7.15 mi | 6 / 40 |
| Jun 2, 2001 | F2 | 8 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 18, 1995 | F2 | 3 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1984 | F2 | 7 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Oct 1, 1977 | F2 | 24 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 10 mi | 19.8 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Jun 1, 1954 | F2 | 3 mi | 16.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 6, 2025 | EF1 | 21 mi | 1.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 46, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in East Bernstadt
The Storm Prediction Center has 69 hail reports within 10 miles of East Bernstadt since 1974, made on 50 separate days. Of these, 35 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on May 1, 2002. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. March has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in East Bernstadt
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is London Corbin Airport, KY, 10 miles south of East Bernstadt at 1,188 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 27°F. July is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 51.4 inches over 90 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 20 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 89 nights a year. That 51.4 inches is more than at 54 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (58%). Mount Vernon, 15 miles northwest, has its own station (Mt Vernon, KY): 51.4 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 84°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 27 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Feb | 50 | 30 | 4.0 | 8 |
| Mar | 58 | 36 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Apr | 69 | 45 | 4.7 | 8 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Jun | 84 | 62 | 5.1 | 9 |
| Jul | 86 | 66 | 5.2 | 9 |
| Aug | 86 | 65 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Sep | 80 | 58 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Oct | 70 | 45 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Nov | 58 | 36 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Dec | 49 | 30 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Year | 68 | 46 | 51.4 | 90 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at London Corbin Airport, KY (1,188 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 East Bernstadt
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 281 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of East Bernstadt: 237 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods, 17 floods, 3 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on March 1, 2016. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 126 have had fewer than East Bernstadt.
March 1, 2016: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of East Bernstadt — 3 injured.
July 5, 2012: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of East Bernstadt — 1 injured.
NWS: “A tree fell on a man on Hawk Creek Rd.”
May 26, 2024: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of East Bernstadt — $200,000 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
Laurel County, which includes East Bernstadt, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on May 29, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Laurel County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $23.9 million a year, the 24th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.4 million (35%), 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 East Bernstadt
- London, KY9 mi
- Annville, KY10 mi
- Mount Vernon, KY15 mi
- Lily, KY15 mi
- Mc Kee, KY16 mi
- Tyner, KY18 mi
- Brodhead, KY19 mi
- Corbin, KY20 mi
- Manchester, KY21 mi
- Gray, KY22 mi
- Crab Orchard, KY25 mi
- Berea, KY25 mi
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