NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Eminence, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Eminence, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 97 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 97
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
20 deaths in all
What the records show for Eminence
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Eminence; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 27 miles away. The record near Eminence begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 67 miles away. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 56% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Eminence. The highest rating among the 97 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 5 times; the most recent, on March 2, 2012, came within 21 miles. Of the 97, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 48 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on May 3, 2025. Eminence has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 80% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 61 times since 1968, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Eminence has more hail reports within 10 miles than 65% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Eminence
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 27 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 Eminence: 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 Eminence
By decade
- 2020s17(1 EF3+)
- 2010s22(3 EF3+)
- 2000s9(1 EF3+)
- 1990s19(4 EF3+)
- 1980s10
- 1970s13(3 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF4 | 21 mi | 46.6 mi | 11 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 21 mi | 79.4 mi | 4 / 122 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 17 mi | 18.5 mi | 3 / 225 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F4 | 17 mi | 26.7 mi | 1 / 10 |
| May 28, 1996 | F4 | 23 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 1, 1974 | F3 | 10 mi | 3.3 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 16 mi | 9.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 20 mi | 3.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF3 | 2 mi | 2.26 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 19 mi | 4.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 18 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 6 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 5 |
The strongest 12 of 97, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Eminence
The Storm Prediction Center has 61 hail reports within 10 miles of Eminence since 1968, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 44 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 2, 1996. The most recent report is from May 19, 2022. May has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Eminence
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Shelbyville 1 E, KY, 12 miles south of Eminence at 730 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 20°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 34 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 139 nights a year. That 49.9 inches is more than at 40 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (43%). Smithfield, 6 miles west, has its own station (Crestwood 4NE, KY): 53.0 inches a year, 3.1 more than here, and the same July average high, 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 20 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Feb | 47 | 21 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Mar | 57 | 29 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Apr | 68 | 38 | 4.0 | 8 |
| May | 77 | 49 | 5.2 | 8 |
| Jun | 85 | 58 | 5.2 | 9 |
| Jul | 88 | 62 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Aug | 87 | 58 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Sep | 81 | 50 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 69 | 40 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Nov | 57 | 30 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Dec | 46 | 24 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Year | 67 | 40 | 49.9 | 81 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Shelbyville 1 E, KY (730 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 Eminence
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 133 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Eminence: 115 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 6 floods and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $729,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on November 9, 2000. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 18 have had fewer than Eminence.
April 5, 2017: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Eminence — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Local broadcast media reported that severe thunderstorm winds blew off a roof from a modular home. Four to five barns were destroyed.”
February 6, 2008: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Eminence — $150,000 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
Henry County, which includes Eminence, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 17 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 Henry County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.2 million a year, the 99th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.2 million (51%), 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 Eminence
- Pleasureville, KY6 mi
- Smithfield, KY6 mi
- Bagdad, KY10 mi
- Shelbyville, KY11 mi
- Campbellsburg, KY11 mi
- La Grange, KY12 mi
- Pendleton, KY12 mi
- Simpsonville, KY15 mi
- Crestwood, KY16 mi
- Pewee Valley, KY18 mi
- Waddy, KY18 mi
- Bedford, KY18 mi
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