NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Elkton, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Elkton, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Audrey in 1957. Since 1950, 110 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 110
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for Elkton
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Elkton; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 3 miles away. The record near Elkton begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Audrey in 1957, a tropical storm 58 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 94% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Elkton. The highest rating among the 110 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 13 times; the most recent, on December 9, 2023, came within 14 miles. Of the 110, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 84 have come since 2000. April and May have had the most tornadoes, 21 each. The most recent tornado was on November 22, 2025. Elkton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 86% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 46 times since 1963, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 60% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Elkton.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Elkton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 3 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 Elkton: 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 Elkton
By decade
- 2020s20(3 EF3+)
- 2010s46(2 EF3+)
- 2000s18(3 EF3+)
- 1990s17(3 EF3+)
- 1980s3
- 1970s2(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 9, 2023 | EF3 | 14 mi | 47.22 mi | 4 / 62 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 19 mi | 18.05 mi | 3 / 24 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 23 mi | 48 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF3 | 9 mi | 28.02 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF3 | 6 mi | 122.62 mi | 0 / 38 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 21 mi | 8.23 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 26, 2011 | EF3 | 21 mi | 2.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF3 | 23 mi | 2.02 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F3 | 3 mi | 29.7 mi | 0 / 28 |
| Jan 22, 1999 | F3 | 22 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 22 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1978 | F3 | 22 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 17 |
The strongest 12 of 110, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Elkton
The Storm Prediction Center has 46 hail reports within 10 miles of Elkton since 1963, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on May 24, 1995. 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 Elkton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Russellville, KY, 17 miles east of Elkton at 570 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 26°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 53.9 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 44 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 91 nights a year. That 53.9 inches is more than at 81 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (87%). Pembroke, 11 miles southwest, has its own station (Hopkinsville, KY): 51.9 inches a year, 2.0 less than here, and the same July average high, 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 26 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Feb | 48 | 29 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Mar | 58 | 36 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Apr | 69 | 45 | 5.3 | 8 |
| May | 77 | 55 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 85 | 64 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Jul | 88 | 68 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Sep | 81 | 58 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Oct | 70 | 46 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Nov | 57 | 36 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Dec | 47 | 30 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Year | 68 | 46 | 53.9 | 83 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Russellville, KY (570 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 Elkton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 109 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Elkton: 66 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 floods, 17 flash floods, 4 heavy rain events and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 115 mph, on December 11, 2021. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 17. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 83 have had fewer than Elkton.
September 28, 2023: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Elkton — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
NWS: “A house was struck by lightning, starting a damaging fire. While firefighters were battling the fire, another lightning strike occurred about 300 feet away.”
July 7, 2016: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Elkton — $600,000 damage.
February 28, 2021: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Elkton — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Major flash flooding occurred in Todd County. Initially, a small creek along Stokes Chapel Road near Elkton was out of its banks and flooding the road.”
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 Elkton's 2 ZIP codes have filed 17 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1997, and were paid $446,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 41% 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, 27 have fewer than Elkton.
Todd County, which includes Elkton, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on May 23, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Todd County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind, 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 $9.8 million a year, the 62nd highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.6 million (36%), 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 Elkton
- Pembroke, KY11 mi
- Trenton, KY12 mi
- Guthrie, KY15 mi
- Hopkinsville, KY16 mi
- Lewisburg, KY16 mi
- Russellville, KY17 mi
- Greenville, KY19 mi
- Crofton, KY20 mi
- Oak Grove, KY20 mi
- Fort Campbell, KY22 mi
- Adams, TN22 mi
- Clarksville, TN25 mi
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