NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hartford, 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 Hartford, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 66 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 66
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
64 deaths in all
What the records show for Hartford
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hartford; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 28 miles away. The record near Hartford begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 29 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 94% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Hartford. The highest rating among the 66 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on December 10, 2021, came within 2 miles. Of the 66, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 43 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on June 7, 2025. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 59% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hartford. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 53 times since 1960, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Hartford has more hail reports within 10 miles than 50% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hartford
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Hartford: 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 Hartford
By decade
- 2020s8(1 EF3+)
- 2010s18
- 2000s17(5 EF3+)
- 1990s3
- 1980s4
- 1970s7(4 EF3+)
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s6(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 2 mi | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| Nov 15, 2005 | F4 | 25 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 19 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF3 | 10 mi | 18.05 mi | 3 / 24 |
| Jan 21, 1959 | F3 | 16 mi | 6.6 mi | 3 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 19 mi | 27.4 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 25 mi | 6.99 mi | 0 / 8 |
| May 11, 2003 | F3 | 18 mi | 1.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jan 3, 2000 | F3 | 23 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F3 | 16 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 13 mi | 26.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1961 | F3 | 7 mi | 58 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 66, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hartford
The Storm Prediction Center has 53 hail reports within 10 miles of Hartford since 1960, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 39 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 26, 2011. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hartford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Beaver Dam, KY, 1 mile south of Hartford at 400 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 51.9 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 38 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 92 nights a year. That 51.9 inches is more than at 62 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (67%). Utica, 13 miles northwest, has its own station (Calhoun Lock 2, KY): 45.7 inches a year, 6.2 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 24 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Feb | 49 | 27 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Mar | 58 | 35 | 5.1 | 8 |
| Apr | 70 | 45 | 5.0 | 8 |
| May | 77 | 56 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 85 | 64 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Jul | 88 | 68 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Aug | 88 | 65 | 3.4 | 4 |
| Sep | 82 | 58 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Oct | 71 | 45 | 4.3 | 5 |
| Nov | 58 | 36 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Dec | 47 | 29 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Year | 68 | 46 | 51.9 | 77 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Beaver Dam, KY (400 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 Hartford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 161 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hartford: 109 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 flash floods, 24 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $706,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on November 9, 2000. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 27. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 163 have had fewer than Hartford.
February 17, 2025: flood 4 miles from the centre of Hartford — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “In the early morning hours, a man was driving to work on Parks Ridge Road when he drove into water over the roadway. Rough River which bends near and under Parks Ridge Road was flooded at the time.”
April 26, 2011: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Hartford — 1 injured.
April 3, 2008: flood 9 miles from the centre of Hartford — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “9 feet around 330 AM EST on April 5. Flood stage at Dundee is 25 feet.”
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
Ohio County, which includes Hartford, has been named in 31 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1971, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 16 severe storms, 4 floods, 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 Ohio County a Relatively 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 $13.9 million a year, the 43rd highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.7 million (41%), 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).
Hartford in the notable storm records: The December 10, 2021 EF4 Tornado in Tennessee, near Mayfield, KY
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Hartford
- Beaver Dam, KY7 mi
- Utica, KY13 mi
- Whitesville, KY14 mi
- Central City, KY17 mi
- Philpot, KY18 mi
- Morgantown, KY21 mi
- Calhoun, KY22 mi
- Falls Of Rough, KY23 mi
- Caneyville, KY23 mi
- Owensboro, KY23 mi
- Greenville, KY26 mi
- Cloverport, KY28 mi
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