NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Henderson, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Henderson, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 129 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 129
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
26 deaths in all
What the records show for Henderson
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Henderson; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. The record near Henderson begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 10 miles away. Of the 4 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 56% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Henderson. The highest rating among the 129 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 11 times; the most recent, on May 16, 2025, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on November 6, 2005, killed 24 people. Of the 129, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 83 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on June 13, 2025. Henderson has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 97% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 68 times since 1963, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Henderson has more hail reports within 10 miles than 72% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Henderson
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 68 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 Henderson: 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 Henderson
By decade
- 2020s36(2 EF3+)
- 2010s29(1 EF3+)
- 2000s18(4 EF3+)
- 1990s11
- 1980s14
- 1970s6
- 1960s8(1 EF3+)
- 1950s7(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 6, 2005 | F3 | 5 mi | 41.3 mi | 24 / 238 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F3 | 4 mi | 22.9 mi | 1 / 2 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF3 | 21 mi | 9.88 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jul 9, 2024 | EF3 | 18 mi | 5.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 9 mi | 14.12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 2009 | EF3 | 7 mi | 12.35 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 22 mi | 6.99 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jan 3, 2000 | F3 | 22 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Jun 28, 1960 | F3 | 10 mi | 14.2 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Nov 15, 1955 | F3 | 10 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Dec 9, 1952 | F3 | 17 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 11, 1979 | F2 | 14 mi | 10 mi | 1 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 129, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Henderson
The Storm Prediction Center has 68 hail reports within 10 miles of Henderson since 1963, made on 51 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on March 22, 1991. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Henderson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Henderson 8 SSW, KY, 7 miles southwest of Henderson at 449 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 26°F. April and May are the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 46.3 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 40 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 86 nights a year. Snowfall averages 12.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.3 inches is more than at 10 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (11%). Evansville, IN, 12 miles north, has its own station (Evansville Museum, IN): 47.9 inches a year, 1.6 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 26 | 3.3 | 6 | 4.3 |
| Feb | 47 | 28 | 3.1 | 6 | 3.2 |
| Mar | 57 | 37 | 4.4 | 7 | 1.7 |
| Apr | 69 | 47 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 57 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 65 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 68 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 66 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 59 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 48 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 56 | 37 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 45 | 30 | 3.8 | 7 | 2.9 |
| Year | 67 | 47 | 46.3 | 75 | 12.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Henderson 8 SSW, KY (449 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 Henderson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 201 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Henderson: 105 thunderstorm wind reports, 54 floods, 25 flash floods, 16 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 3 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $27.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 30, 2004. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 154 have had fewer than Henderson.
March 10, 2015: flood 9 miles from the centre of Henderson — 1 killed, 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
March 22, 2013: flood 5 miles from the centre of Henderson — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
NWS: “Minor flooding occurred along the Ohio River in Henderson County. Some low-lying fields were underwater.”
March 7, 2015: flood 2 miles from the centre of Henderson — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
NWS: “Minor flooding occurred on the Ohio River. Numerous secondary roads in low-lying bottomlands were underwater.”
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 Henderson's ZIP code 42420 have filed 246 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $3.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from March storm in 2008: 30 claims (12% of all) and $341,000, then Flooding in 1997 with 16. The year with the most claims was 2005, with 57. 26% 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, 122 have fewer than Henderson.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| March storm2008 | 30 | $341,000 |
| Flooding1997 | 16 | $167,000 |
Henderson County, which includes Henderson, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1996, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 1 flood). 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 Henderson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $28.6 million a year, the 19th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $14.4 million (50%), 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 Henderson
- Evansville, IN12 mi
- Newburgh, IN14 mi
- Sebree, KY16 mi
- Chandler, IN18 mi
- Mount Vernon, IN20 mi
- Morganfield, KY21 mi
- Wadesville, IN21 mi
- Richland, IN22 mi
- Dixon, KY22 mi
- Calhoun, KY23 mi
- Boonville, IN23 mi
- Owensboro, KY24 mi
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