NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hickory, 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 Hickory, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 145 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 145
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
67 deaths in all
What the records show for Hickory
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hickory; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 49 miles away. The record near Hickory begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 24 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Hickory. The highest rating among the 145 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on December 10, 2021, came within 10 miles. Of the 145, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 113 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 43. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Hickory has more tornadoes within 25 miles than any other of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1986, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 56% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hickory.
Compare Hickory's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hickory
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Hickory: 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 Hickory
By decade
- 2020s29(1 EF3+)
- 2010s57(2 EF3+)
- 2000s27(1 EF3+)
- 1990s7
- 1980s1
- 1970s12(1 EF3+)
- 1960s10(3 EF3+)
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 10 mi | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| Mar 4, 1964 | F4 | 15 mi | 18.5 mi | 3 / 24 |
| Apr 3, 1968 | F4 | 24 mi | 50.6 mi | 2 / 30 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 17 mi | 42.5 mi | 3 / 34 |
| Nov 15, 2005 | F3 | 10 mi | 44 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Nov 13, 1951 | F3 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 11 |
| May 10, 2016 | EF3 | 5 mi | 19.03 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 21 mi | 25.4 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Mar 4, 1964 | F3 | 12 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 20 mi | 11.97 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 16 mi | 18.18 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 19 mi | 9.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 145, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hickory
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Hickory since 1986, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on January 3, 2000. The most recent report is from June 18, 2025. April has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hickory
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Paducah, KY, 17 miles northwest of Hickory at 392 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 27°F. April is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 50.4 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 50 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 83 nights a year. Snowfall averages 8.9 inches a year, most of it in February. That 50.4 inches is more than at 44 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (47%). Mayfield, 8 miles south, has its own station (Murray, KY): 58.0 inches a year, 7.6 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 27 | 3.9 | 6 | 2.7 |
| Feb | 50 | 31 | 3.9 | 6 | 3.0 |
| Mar | 60 | 38 | 4.6 | 8 | 1.1 |
| Apr | 70 | 48 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 58 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 66 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 67 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 59 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 48 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 59 | 38 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 48 | 31 | 4.3 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Year | 69 | 48 | 50.4 | 76 | 8.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Paducah, KY (392 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 Hickory
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 168 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hickory: 115 thunderstorm wind reports, 24 flash floods, 22 floods, 6 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 3 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $4.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on March 1, 2017. February has had the most flash floods, 6 of 24. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 147 have had fewer than Hickory.
June 15, 2016: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Hickory — 1 killed, $45,000 damage.
NWS: “A 56-year-old man was killed when a tree fell onto the cab of his truck. The truck struck a fallen tree along Highway 534, and then continued along the road until another tree fell on the truck cab and crushed it.”
July 29, 2023: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Hickory — 1 killed, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “A tree fell on a house in Symsonia, trapping a 75-year-old male. He later succumbed to his injuries.”
February 16, 2025: flood in Hickory — 1 killed.
NWS: “Flash flooding from the 15th and early 16th transitioned to areal flooding along Mayfield Creek and the West Fork of the Clarks River near Viola and Symsonia. A man lost his life after his vehicle was washed away in flood waters on Highway 348 where it crosses the West Fork of the Clarks River northwest of Symsonia.”
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
Graves County, which includes Hickory, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 4 floods, 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 Graves County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $39.1 million a year, the 12th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.2 million (16%), 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 Hickory
- Mayfield, KY8 mi
- Paducah, KY14 mi
- Ledbetter, KY16 mi
- Wingo, KY17 mi
- Benton, KY17 mi
- West Paducah, KY18 mi
- Calvert City, KY18 mi
- Bardwell, KY19 mi
- Brookport, IL20 mi
- Gilbertsville, KY21 mi
- Kevil, KY21 mi
- Almo, KY22 mi
All Kentucky cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Hickory with another place →