NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Greensburg, 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 Greensburg, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 81 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 81
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
14 deaths in all
What the records show for Greensburg
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Greensburg; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 28 miles away. The record near Greensburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 2 miles away. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Greensburg has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 74% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 81 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 3 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 27, 1971, killed 6 people. Of the 81, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on December 18, 2025. Greensburg has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 59% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 52 times since 1968, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 50% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Greensburg.
Compare Greensburg's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Greensburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 28 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 Greensburg: 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 Greensburg
By decade
- 2020s12(1 EF3+)
- 2010s18
- 2000s10
- 1990s24(5 EF3+)
- 1980s2
- 1970s7(3 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 1971 | F4 | 7 mi | 14.1 mi | 6 / 58 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 3 mi | 20.2 mi | 0 / 56 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 21 mi | 48 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF3 | 13 mi | 14.54 mi | 1 / 31 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | F3 | 20 mi | 9 mi | 1 / 14 |
| Mar 31, 1979 | F3 | 22 mi | 12.7 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 9 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | F3 | 15 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | F3 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 22, 1952 | F3 | 23 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F2 | 18 mi | 8 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | F2 | 11 mi | 10 mi | 1 / 6 |
The strongest 12 of 81, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Greensburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 52 hail reports within 10 miles of Greensburg since 1968, made on 41 separate days. Of these, 38 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently July 4, 2001. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Greensburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Greensburg, KY, 2 miles northeast of Greensburg at 585 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 26°F. May is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 51.7 inches over 85 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 41 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 104 nights a year. That 51.7 inches is more than at 61 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (66%). Columbia, 15 miles southeast, has its own station (Jamestown Wwtp, KY): 57.0 inches a year, 5.3 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 26 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Feb | 49 | 28 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Mar | 59 | 34 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Apr | 70 | 43 | 4.8 | 8 |
| May | 78 | 54 | 5.1 | 8 |
| Jun | 85 | 63 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Jul | 88 | 67 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Aug | 88 | 65 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Sep | 82 | 57 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Oct | 71 | 44 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Nov | 59 | 34 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Dec | 48 | 29 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Year | 69 | 45 | 51.7 | 85 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Greensburg, KY (585 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 Greensburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 148 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Greensburg: 123 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods, 4 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 115 mph, on April 28, 2002. February has had the most flash floods, 6 of 20. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 107 have had fewer than Greensburg.
May 25, 1998: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Greensburg — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
April 28, 2002: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Greensburg — $1.2 million damage.
NWS: “Eight houses were destroyed. Two houses had major damage.”
December 23, 2015: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Greensburg — $400,000 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
Green County, which includes Greensburg, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). 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 Green County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $4.3 million a year, the 113th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.0 million (46%), 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 Greensburg
- Hardyville, KY12 mi
- Campbellsville, KY13 mi
- Columbia, KY15 mi
- Magnolia, KY17 mi
- Edmonton, KY17 mi
- Horse Cave, KY21 mi
- Munfordville, KY22 mi
- Cave City, KY25 mi
- Hodgenville, KY25 mi
- Upton, KY26 mi
- Lebanon, KY27 mi
- Dunnville, KY27 mi
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