NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fort Knox, 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 Fort Knox, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 88 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 88
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
38 deaths in all
What the records show for Fort Knox
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Fort Knox; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 24 miles away. The record near Fort Knox begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 14 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 Fort Knox. The strongest of the 88 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 13 miles, and it killed 31 people. Of the 88, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 57 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Fort Knox has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 70% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 39 times since 1955, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Fort Knox.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fort Knox
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Fort Knox: 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 Fort Knox
By decade
- 2020s19
- 2010s22
- 2000s16
- 1990s12(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s9(3 EF3+)
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 13 mi | 32 mi | 31 / 270 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 12 mi | 37.9 mi | 3 / 81 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 24 mi | 18.5 mi | 3 / 225 |
| May 28, 1996 | F4 | 21 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 10, 1969 | F3 | 15 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 9 mi | 32.3 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Jun 25, 2023 | EF2 | 15 mi | 1.17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 2013 | EF2 | 21 mi | 6.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 18 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2011 | EF2 | 23 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF2 | 22 mi | 1.29 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF2 | 17 mi | 1.02 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 88, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fort Knox
The Storm Prediction Center has 39 hail reports within 10 miles of Fort Knox since 1955, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on April 3, 1974. The most recent report is from February 28, 2024. March has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fort Knox
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Brandenburg, KY, 9 miles northwest of Fort Knox at 615 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 23°F. May is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 53.3 inches over 84 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 26 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 109 nights a year. That 53.3 inches is more than at 76 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (82%). Radcliff, 5 miles south, has its own station (Elizabethtown Wp Cs, KY): 54.3 inches a year, 1.0 more than here, and the same July average high, 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 23 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Feb | 47 | 25 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 57 | 33 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Apr | 69 | 42 | 5.4 | 9 |
| May | 76 | 53 | 6.0 | 8 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Aug | 86 | 63 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Sep | 80 | 56 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Oct | 69 | 44 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Nov | 56 | 34 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Dec | 46 | 27 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Year | 67 | 44 | 53.3 | 84 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Brandenburg, KY (615 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 Fort Knox
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 135 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fort Knox: 116 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 4 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $2.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on April 5, 2023. April has had the most flash floods, 3 of 13. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 42 have had fewer than Fort Knox.
July 27, 2010: lightning strike in Fort Knox — 1 killed, 2 injured.
NWS: “Two soldiers at Fort Knox were struck by lightning while doing training outside. They were airlifted to the hospital where an 18 year old female eventually died from the injuries she sustained.”
October 18, 2007: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Fort Knox — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
February 22, 2018: flood 7 miles from the centre of Fort Knox — $1.3 million damage.
NWS: “Many areas in and around West Point experienced significant river and areal flooding due to excessive rainfall. Multiple roads were washed out, eroded or severely flooded.”
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
Hardin County, which includes Fort Knox, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on September 1, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hardin County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $36.1 million a year, the 14th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.9 million (44%), 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 Fort Knox
- Radcliff, KY5 mi
- Vine Grove, KY5 mi
- Rineyville, KY10 mi
- Ekron, KY10 mi
- Brandenburg, KY10 mi
- Guston, KY13 mi
- Lebanon Junction, KY13 mi
- Elizabethtown, KY14 mi
- Elizabeth, IN16 mi
- Cecilia, KY16 mi
- Shepherdsville, KY16 mi
- Brooks, KY17 mi
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