NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hardinsburg, 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 Hardinsburg, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 62 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 62
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
98 deaths in all
What the records show for Hardinsburg
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hardinsburg; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 33 miles away. The record near Hardinsburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 12 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 94% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Hardinsburg. The highest rating among the 62 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on December 10, 2021, killed 57 people. Of the 62, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. April and May have had the most tornadoes, 12 each. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 62% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hardinsburg. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1987, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 56% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hardinsburg.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hardinsburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 33 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 Hardinsburg: 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 Hardinsburg
By decade
- 2020s9(1 EF3+)
- 2010s18
- 2000s15(1 EF3+)
- 1990s5
- 1980s5
- 1970s7(4 EF3+)
- 1960s1
- 1950s2(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | in town | 32 mi | 31 / 270 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 25 mi | 68 mi | 6 / 86 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 12 mi | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 21 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jan 21, 1959 | F3 | 24 mi | 6.6 mi | 3 / 0 |
| May 23, 2000 | F3 | 20 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Nov 19, 1970 | F3 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 9, 1952 | F3 | 18 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 5 mi | 32.3 mi | 1 / 19 |
| May 10, 2016 | EF2 | 22 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 5 mi | 16.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 2011 | EF2 | 4 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 62, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hardinsburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Hardinsburg since 1987, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 34 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 23, 2000. The most recent report is from February 28, 2024. May has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hardinsburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rough Rvr Lake, KY, 11 miles south of Hardinsburg 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%). Cloverport, 9 miles west, has its own station (Cannelton, IN): 48.9 inches a year, 2.7 less than here, and a July average high of 87°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 Hardinsburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 126 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hardinsburg: 114 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods and 6 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $628,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on March 9, 2006. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 8 have had fewer than Hardinsburg.
March 31, 2016: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Hardinsburg — 2 injured, $30,000 damage.
NWS: “An amateur radio operator reported trailers flipped over at Nancy Butler Trailer Park.”
March 9, 2006: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Hardinsburg — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Roofs were blown off two buildings in Hardinsburg. A barn was blown into a road just outside of Hardinsburg.”
May 28, 1996: thunderstorm wind in Hardinsburg — $100,000 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
Breckinridge County, which includes Hardinsburg, 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).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Hardinsburg
- Cloverport, KY9 mi
- Irvington, KY12 mi
- Falls Of Rough, KY12 mi
- Cannelton, IN15 mi
- Hawesville, KY17 mi
- Guston, KY17 mi
- Tell City, IN19 mi
- Ekron, KY21 mi
- Whitesville, KY22 mi
- Leitchfield, KY23 mi
- Brandenburg, KY24 mi
- Lewisport, KY24 mi
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