NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hawesville, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Hawesville, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 73 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 73
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
119 deaths in all
What the records show for Hawesville
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hawesville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 47 miles away. The record near Hawesville begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 8 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Hawesville. The highest rating among the 73 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on December 10, 2021, killed 57 people. Of the 73, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 49 have come since 2000. April and June have had the most tornadoes, 15 each. The most recent tornado was on June 7, 2025. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 53% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hawesville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 53 times since 1972, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Hawesville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 50% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hawesville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 47 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 Hawesville: 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 Hawesville
By decade
- 2020s10(1 EF3+)
- 2010s22
- 2000s17(3 EF3+)
- 1990s9
- 1980s5
- 1970s6(3 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 17 mi | 32 mi | 31 / 270 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 13 mi | 68 mi | 6 / 86 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 23 mi | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| Nov 6, 2005 | F3 | 22 mi | 41.3 mi | 24 / 238 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 17 mi | 6.99 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jan 3, 2000 | F3 | 21 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Nov 19, 1970 | F3 | 5 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 9, 1952 | F3 | 3 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 8 mi | 32.3 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 3 mi | 16.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 2011 | EF2 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF2 | in town | 13.93 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 73, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hawesville
The Storm Prediction Center has 53 hail reports within 10 miles of Hawesville since 1972, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 36 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 19, 1989. The most recent report is from September 4, 2025. April and May have the most reports, 12 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hawesville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cannelton, IN, 3 miles east of Hawesville at 402 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 27°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 48.9 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 25 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 76 nights a year. Snowfall averages 10.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 48.9 inches is more than at 31 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (33%). Tell City, IN, 6 miles north, has its own station (Tell City, IN): 51.2 inches a year, 2.3 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 27 | 3.3 | 7 | 3.5 |
| Feb | 48 | 29 | 3.5 | 6 | 2.8 |
| Mar | 55 | 37 | 4.8 | 8 | 1.0 |
| Apr | 68 | 46 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 57 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 65 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 69 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 68 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 62 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 50 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 38 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 46 | 31 | 4.4 | 8 | 3.4 |
| Year | 66 | 48 | 48.9 | 81 | 10.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cannelton, IN (402 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 Hawesville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 231 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hawesville: 167 thunderstorm wind reports, 44 floods, 19 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $717,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on October 24, 2001. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 96 have had fewer than Hawesville.
May 30, 2004: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Hawesville — $200,000 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
Hancock County, which includes Hawesville, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1996, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 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 Hancock County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.8 million a year, the 83rd highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.2 million (66%), 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 Hawesville
- Cannelton, IN6 mi
- Tell City, IN6 mi
- Lewisport, KY7 mi
- Cloverport, KY8 mi
- Philpot, KY14 mi
- Whitesville, KY16 mi
- Hardinsburg, KY17 mi
- Santa Claus, IN18 mi
- Rockport, IN18 mi
- Owensboro, KY22 mi
- Falls Of Rough, KY23 mi
- Richland, IN24 mi
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