NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Horse Cave, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Horse Cave, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 77 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 77
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
31 deaths in all
What the records show for Horse Cave
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Horse Cave; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 20 miles away. The record near Horse Cave begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 19 miles away. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Horse Cave has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 74% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 77 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on December 11, 2021, killed 16 people. Of the 77, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on April 3, 2025. Horse Cave has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 52% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 56 times since 1969, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Horse Cave has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Horse Cave
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 20 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 Horse Cave: 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 Horse Cave
By decade
- 2020s10(1 EF3+)
- 2010s17
- 2000s13
- 1990s22(4 EF3+)
- 1980s1
- 1970s8(4 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 1971 | F4 | 24 mi | 14.1 mi | 6 / 58 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 23 mi | 20.2 mi | 0 / 56 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF3 | 15 mi | 29.26 mi | 16 / 63 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 17 mi | 31.1 mi | 3 / 57 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F3 | 14 mi | 48 mi | 2 / 9 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | F3 | 14 mi | 9 mi | 1 / 14 |
| Mar 31, 1979 | F3 | 7 mi | 12.7 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | F3 | 22 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | F3 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 16, 1998 | F2 | 16 mi | 8 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F2 | 8 mi | 5.4 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 3, 2025 | EF2 | 3 mi | 4.89 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 77, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Horse Cave
The Storm Prediction Center has 56 hail reports within 10 miles of Horse Cave since 1969, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 35 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 2, 2012. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Horse Cave
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Glasgow, KY, 12 miles south of Horse Cave at 770 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 29°F. May is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 54.9 inches over 86 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 52 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 79 nights a year. Snowfall averages 5.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 54.9 inches is more than at 88 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (95%). Munfordville, 8 miles north, has its own station (Mammoth Cave, KY): 53.5 inches a year, 1.4 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 29 | 4.1 | 7 | 2.2 |
| Feb | 52 | 31 | 4.4 | 7 | 1.7 |
| Mar | 62 | 39 | 5.2 | 9 | 0.9 |
| Apr | 73 | 47 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 56 | 5.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 64 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 68 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 66 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 59 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 48 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 39 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 51 | 32 | 5.4 | 9 | 0.9 |
| Year | 71 | 48 | 54.9 | 86 | 5.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Glasgow, KY (770 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 Horse Cave
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 169 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Horse Cave: 136 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 floods, 15 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $3.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on January 29, 2008. May has had the most flash floods, 5 of 15. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 59 have had fewer than Horse Cave.
November 7, 1996: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Horse Cave — 2 injured, $50,000 damage.
January 17, 1999: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Horse Cave — 1 injured, $110,000 damage.
NWS: “5 mobile homes destroyed, 20 barns destroyed, 31 homes damaged, roofs blown off warehouses, trees and power lines down”
October 18, 2007: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Horse Cave — $1.5 million damage.
NWS: “S Highway 31W. Several tobacco barns and warehouses, and other industrial buildings suffered structural damage on east Main Street.”
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
Hart County, which includes Horse Cave, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1989, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). 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 Hart 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 $9.7 million a year, the 64th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.0 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 Horse Cave
- Cave City, KY5 mi
- Munfordville, KY8 mi
- Hardyville, KY8 mi
- Park City, KY12 mi
- Glasgow, KY14 mi
- Smiths Grove, KY18 mi
- Magnolia, KY19 mi
- Upton, KY19 mi
- Greensburg, KY21 mi
- Edmonton, KY21 mi
- Brownsville, KY23 mi
- Clarkson, KY23 mi
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