NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Junction City, 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 Junction City, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 74 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 74
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for Junction City
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Junction City; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 30 miles away. The record near Junction City begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 42 miles away. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Junction City has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 74% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The highest rating among the 74 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1974, killed 7 people. Of the 74, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 38 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on October 19, 2025. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 51% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Junction City. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 50 times since 1975, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 53% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Junction City.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Junction City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Junction City: 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 Junction City
By decade
- 2020s17(1 EF3+)
- 2010s5
- 2000s16(1 EF3+)
- 1990s14
- 1980s5
- 1970s11(3 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 19 mi | 31.9 mi | 7 / 28 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 24 mi | 20.2 mi | 0 / 56 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF3 | 19 mi | 21.12 mi | 2 / 15 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF3 | 22 mi | 14.54 mi | 1 / 31 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | in town | 21.1 mi | 1 / 98 |
| Mar 4, 1955 | F3 | 22 mi | 8.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 30, 2025 | EF2 | 10 mi | 5.51 mi | 1 / 14 |
| May 11, 2003 | F2 | 16 mi | 7 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF2 | 2 mi | 0.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF2 | 15 mi | 0.99 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 2, 2006 | F2 | 12 mi | 8.7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 20, 1996 | F2 | 9 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 7 |
The strongest 12 of 74, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Junction City
The Storm Prediction Center has 50 hail reports within 10 miles of Junction City since 1975, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 37 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 25, 2015. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Junction City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Danville, KY, 5 miles northeast of Junction City at 900 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 23°F. July is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 47.9 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 27 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 103 nights a year. That 47.9 inches is more than at 18 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (19%). Harrodsburg, 13 miles north, has its own station (Dix Dam, KY): 46.1 inches a year, 1.8 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 23 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Feb | 47 | 26 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Mar | 56 | 33 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Apr | 68 | 44 | 4.2 | 7 |
| May | 75 | 54 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Jul | 87 | 65 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Aug | 86 | 64 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Sep | 80 | 57 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Oct | 69 | 45 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Nov | 56 | 34 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Dec | 46 | 28 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Year | 66 | 45 | 47.9 | 79 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Danville, KY (900 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 Junction City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 166 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Junction City: 123 thunderstorm wind reports, 29 flash floods, 10 floods, 2 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $810,000 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, 10 of 29. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 178 have had fewer than Junction City.
May 2, 2010: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Junction City — 1 killed, $30,000 damage.
June 26, 2018: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Junction City — $300,000 damage.
August 28, 2016: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Junction City — $100,000 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
Boyle County, which includes Junction City, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on April 10, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Boyle County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.7 million a year, the 49th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.3 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).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Junction City
- Danville, KY4 mi
- Stanford, KY9 mi
- Hustonville, KY11 mi
- Lancaster, KY13 mi
- Harrodsburg, KY13 mi
- Waynesburg, KY19 mi
- Crab Orchard, KY20 mi
- Wilmore, KY21 mi
- Liberty, KY21 mi
- Paint Lick, KY22 mi
- Salvisa, KY23 mi
- Springfield, KY24 mi
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