NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Falls Of Rough, 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 Falls Of Rough, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 57 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 57
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
92 deaths in all
What the records show for Falls Of Rough
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Falls Of Rough; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 24 miles away. The record near Falls Of Rough begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 22 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 94% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Falls Of Rough. The strongest of the 57 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 9 miles, and it killed 31 people. The deadliest, an EF4 on December 10, 2021, killed 57 people. Of the 57, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 37 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 67% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Falls Of Rough. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 19 times since 1982, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 97% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Falls Of Rough.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Falls Of Rough
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Falls Of Rough: 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 Falls Of Rough
By decade
- 2020s7(1 EF3+)
- 2010s16
- 2000s14(1 EF3+)
- 1990s4
- 1980s3
- 1970s8(4 EF3+)
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 9 mi | 32 mi | 31 / 270 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | in town | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 11 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jan 21, 1959 | F3 | 12 mi | 6.6 mi | 3 / 0 |
| May 23, 2000 | F3 | 13 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F3 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F3 | 20 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1961 | F3 | 14 mi | 58 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 18 mi | 32.3 mi | 1 / 19 |
| May 10, 2016 | EF2 | 12 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 17 mi | 16.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 22 mi | 2.05 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 57, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Falls Of Rough
The Storm Prediction Center has 19 hail reports within 10 miles of Falls Of Rough since 1982, made on 14 separate days. Of these, 15 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on June 15, 2011. The most recent report is from February 28, 2024. April has the most reports, 5.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Falls Of Rough
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rough Rvr Lake, KY, 2 miles northeast of Falls Of Rough at 560 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 51.6 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 54 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 117 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 51.6 inches is more than at 57 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (61%). Caneyville, 13 miles south, has its own station (Leitchfield 2 N, KY): 49.8 inches a year, 1.8 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 24 | 3.6 | 7 | 2.1 |
| Feb | 49 | 26 | 3.9 | 6 | 1.4 |
| Mar | 58 | 34 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 70 | 43 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.2 |
| May | 79 | 53 | 6.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 62 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 65 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 63 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 56 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 44 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 34 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 48 | 28 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Year | 69 | 44 | 51.6 | 82 | 4.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rough Rvr Lake, KY (560 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 Falls Of Rough
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 50 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Falls Of Rough: 42 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods, 3 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $376,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on May 13, 2000.
August 31, 2018: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Falls Of Rough — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “A house along Calvert Church Road was struck by lightning and caught fire.”
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
Breckinridge County, which includes Falls Of Rough, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 5 tornadoes, 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 Breckinridge County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.7 million a year, the 51st highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.1 million (52%), 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).
Falls Of Rough in the notable storm records: The December 10, 2021 EF4 Tornado in Tennessee, near Mayfield, KY
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Falls Of Rough
- Hardinsburg, KY12 mi
- Caneyville, KY13 mi
- Leitchfield, KY15 mi
- Cloverport, KY16 mi
- Whitesville, KY19 mi
- Hartford, KY23 mi
- Irvington, KY23 mi
- Clarkson, KY23 mi
- Hawesville, KY23 mi
- Philpot, KY24 mi
- Cannelton, IN24 mi
- Beaver Dam, KY25 mi
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