NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Georgetown, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Georgetown, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 62 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 62
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Georgetown
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Georgetown; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 4 miles away. The record near Georgetown begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 41 miles away. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 48% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Georgetown. The strongest of the 62 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 8 miles, and it killed 4 people. Of the 62, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 27 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on October 19, 2025. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 62% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Georgetown. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Georgetown.
Compare Georgetown's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Georgetown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 4 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 Georgetown: 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 Georgetown
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s12
- 2000s5(1 EF3+)
- 1990s8
- 1980s9
- 1970s9(3 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 8 mi | 79.4 mi | 4 / 122 |
| May 27, 2004 | F3 | 10 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 10 mi | 19.3 mi | 0 / 27 |
| Apr 23, 1970 | F3 | 3 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF2 | 14 mi | 3.49 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 28, 1996 | F2 | 16 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 12, 1986 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F2 | 13 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Jun 16, 1982 | F2 | 24 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 20, 1982 | F2 | 16 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 1979 | F2 | 8 mi | 33.8 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 3 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 20 |
The strongest 12 of 62, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Georgetown
The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Georgetown since 1962, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on October 7, 2014. The most recent report is from April 29, 2025. August has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Georgetown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lexington Bluegrass Airport, KY, 13 miles south of Georgetown at 980 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 25°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 25 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 90 nights a year. Snowfall averages 14.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 49.8 inches is more than at 39 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (42%). Stamping Ground, 9 miles northwest, has its own station (Frankfort Capital City Airport, KY): 47.5 inches a year, 2.3 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 25 | 3.4 | 7 | 4.7 |
| Feb | 47 | 28 | 3.6 | 7 | 4.5 |
| Mar | 56 | 36 | 4.5 | 8 | 2.8 |
| Apr | 67 | 45 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.2 |
| May | 76 | 55 | 5.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 63 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 67 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 65 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 58 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 47 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 56 | 36 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 46 | 30 | 4.2 | 8 | 1.9 |
| Year | 66 | 46 | 49.8 | 84 | 14.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lexington Bluegrass Airport, KY (980 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 Georgetown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 248 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Georgetown: 189 thunderstorm wind reports, 33 flash floods, 15 floods, 8 lightning strikes and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $9.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on November 9, 2000. September has had the most flash floods, 12 of 33. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 194 have had fewer than Georgetown.
July 19, 2010: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Georgetown — 3 injured.
March 1, 2017: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Georgetown — $4.5 million damage.
NWS: “A NWS Storm Survey team in conjunction with the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Food and Environment determined that 70 to 80 mph straight line winds across the Spindletop area of northern Fayette County.”
December 18, 2016: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Georgetown — $2.5 million damage.
NWS: “A lightning strike caused a fire of a horse barn at the Mercury Equine Center. Twenty-three racing horses perished and the barn was a total loss.”
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 Georgetown's ZIP code 40324 have filed 69 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1991, and were paid $1.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1997: 13 claims (19% of all) and $292,000. The year with the most claims was 2015, with 25. 30% 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, 93 have fewer than Georgetown.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1997 | 13 | $292,000 |
Scott County, which includes Georgetown, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 28, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Scott County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.6 million a year, the 27th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.3 million (45%), 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.