NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Kuttawa, 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 Kuttawa, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 101 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 101
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
68 deaths in all
What the records show for Kuttawa
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Kuttawa; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 43 miles away. The record near Kuttawa begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 47 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Kuttawa. The highest rating among the 101 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on December 10, 2021, came within 9 miles. Of the 101, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 81 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Kuttawa has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 82% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 39 times since 1985, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Kuttawa.
Compare Kuttawa's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Kuttawa
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Kuttawa: 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 Kuttawa
By decade
- 2020s16(2 EF3+)
- 2010s34(2 EF3+)
- 2000s31(3 EF3+)
- 1990s4
- 1980s1
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5(2 EF3+)
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 9 mi | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| Mar 4, 1964 | F4 | 13 mi | 18.5 mi | 3 / 24 |
| Apr 3, 1968 | F4 | 16 mi | 50.6 mi | 2 / 30 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 4 mi | 42.5 mi | 3 / 34 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 5 mi | 34.14 mi | 1 / 21 |
| Nov 15, 2005 | F3 | 5 mi | 44 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Nov 13, 1951 | F3 | 11 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 11 |
| May 10, 2016 | EF3 | 22 mi | 19.03 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 22 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jan 3, 2000 | F3 | 15 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 3 mi | 25.4 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 13 mi | 11.97 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 101, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Kuttawa
The Storm Prediction Center has 39 hail reports within 10 miles of Kuttawa since 1985, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 15 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently April 23, 2011. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Kuttawa
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Eddyville 5S, KY, 4 miles east of Kuttawa at 523 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 30°F. June is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.7 inches; the year adds up to 53.0 inches over 83 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 58 nights a year. That 53.0 inches is more than at 71 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (76%). Calvert City, 13 miles west, has its own station (Smithland L&D, IL): 49.5 inches a year, 3.5 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 30 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Feb | 52 | 34 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Mar | 62 | 41 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Apr | 72 | 50 | 5.2 | 8 |
| May | 79 | 59 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Jun | 87 | 67 | 5.3 | 7 |
| Jul | 90 | 71 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Aug | 90 | 70 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Sep | 85 | 62 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Oct | 74 | 52 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Nov | 61 | 42 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Dec | 51 | 34 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Year | 71 | 51 | 53.0 | 83 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Eddyville 5S, KY (523 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 Kuttawa
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 114 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Kuttawa: 69 thunderstorm wind reports, 28 floods, 9 flash floods and 8 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $6.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on June 21, 2019. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 15 have had fewer than Kuttawa.
February 12, 2020: flood 10 miles from the centre of Kuttawa — 1 killed.
January 24, 2002: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Kuttawa — 3 injured, $75,000 damage.
March 1, 2017: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Kuttawa — 3 injured, $50,000 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
Lyon County, which includes Kuttawa, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1996, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on May 23, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lyon County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.0 million a year, the 89th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.6 million (23%), 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.