NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Garrison, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Garrison, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 39 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 39
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
14 deaths in all
What the records show for Garrison
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Garrison; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 5 miles away. The record near Garrison begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 15 miles away. None of the 7 systems has come since 2000. Garrison has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 74% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The strongest of the 39 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 23, 1968; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 7 people. Of the 39, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 13 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 11. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2024. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 79% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Garrison. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 27 times since 1995, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 92% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Garrison.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Garrison
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 5 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 Garrison: 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 Garrison
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s4
- 2000s5(1 EF3+)
- 1990s12
- 1980s5
- 1970s3
- 1960s6(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 1968 | F5 | 21 mi | 34 mi | 7 / 93 |
| Apr 23, 1968 | F4 | 19 mi | 78.7 mi | 6 / 364 |
| May 10, 2003 | F3 | 3 mi | 25 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Apr 23, 1968 | F3 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 8, 1965 | F3 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 21 mi | 11.07 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Jun 16, 1982 | F2 | 8 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jul 12, 1980 | F2 | 9 mi | 29.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1968 | F2 | 23 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 25 mi | 1.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 16 mi | 7.88 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 26, 2022 | EF1 | 8 mi | 0.82 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 39, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Garrison
The Storm Prediction Center has 27 hail reports within 10 miles of Garrison since 1995, made on 23 separate days. Of these, 12 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently August 4, 2009. The most recent report is from April 14, 2025. May and June have the most reports, 9 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Garrison
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Warnock 2, KY, 9 miles southeast of Garrison at 910 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 24°F. July is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 48.2 inches over 92 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 21 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 119 nights a year. Snowfall averages 20.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 48.2 inches is more than at 20 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (22%). South Shore, 12 miles northeast, has its own station (Portsmouth-Sciotoville, OH): 43.2 inches a year, 5.0 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 24 | 3.4 | 7 | 5.5 |
| Feb | 46 | 26 | 3.4 | 8 | 6.7 |
| Mar | 56 | 32 | 5.0 | 9 | 4.0 |
| Apr | 69 | 41 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.6 |
| May | 76 | 50 | 5.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 59 | 4.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 63 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 62 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 55 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 42 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 33 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 47 | 28 | 4.1 | 8 | 3.3 |
| Year | 66 | 43 | 48.2 | 92 | 20.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Warnock 2, KY (910 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 Garrison
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 113 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Garrison: 74 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 floods, 16 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $3.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on October 13, 1999. June has had the most flash floods, 6 of 16. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 68 have had fewer than Garrison.
June 23, 2017: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Garrison — $2.3 million damage.
NWS: “Significant flash flooding occurred in multiple spots across the county. 5 inches of rain in just over an hour.”
July 14, 2015: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Garrison — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Several streams quickly came out of their banks. Roads were flooded and closed.”
March 4, 2015: flood 8 miles from the centre of Garrison — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Small streams overflowed and blocked roads by the afternoon of the 4th. For example, Three Prong Branch flooded State Route 784.”
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 Garrison's ZIP code 41141 have filed 27 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $448,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 19% 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, 54 have fewer than Garrison.
Lewis County, which includes Garrison, has been named in 34 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 27 of them major disasters (by incident: 19 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 ice storms, 3 snowstorms). 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 Lewis County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.5 million a year, the 67th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.8 million (82%), 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 Garrison
- South Shore, KY12 mi
- West Portsmouth, OH13 mi
- Vanceburg, KY13 mi
- Greenup, KY15 mi
- Portsmouth, OH17 mi
- Franklin Furnace, OH18 mi
- Mc Dermott, OH19 mi
- Argillite, KY19 mi
- Olive Hill, KY19 mi
- Grayson, KY20 mi
- Wheelersburg, OH22 mi
- Tollesboro, KY23 mi
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