NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lancaster, 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 Lancaster, 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, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 77
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
What the records show for Lancaster
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lancaster; 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 Lancaster begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 55 miles away. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Lancaster has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 74% of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site. The strongest of the 77 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 6 miles, and it killed 7 people. Of the 77, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on October 19, 2025. Lancaster has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 52% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 35 times since 1986, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 85% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Lancaster.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lancaster
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 21 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 Lancaster: 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 Lancaster
By decade
- 2020s17
- 2010s7
- 2000s8(1 EF3+)
- 1990s21
- 1980s6
- 1970s11(2 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 6 mi | 31.9 mi | 7 / 28 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF3 | 7 mi | 21.12 mi | 2 / 15 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 7 mi | 21.1 mi | 1 / 98 |
| Mar 4, 1955 | F3 | 9 mi | 8.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 30, 2025 | EF2 | 20 mi | 5.51 mi | 1 / 14 |
| May 11, 2003 | F2 | 15 mi | 7 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF2 | 11 mi | 0.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF2 | 25 mi | 0.99 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 2, 2006 | F2 | 14 mi | 8.7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 28, 1996 | F2 | 25 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 20, 1996 | F2 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 20, 1996 | F2 | 10 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 7 |
The strongest 12 of 77, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lancaster
The Storm Prediction Center has 35 hail reports within 10 miles of Lancaster since 1986, made on 24 separate days. Of these, 27 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 April 29, 2017. April has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lancaster
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Danville, KY, 10 miles west of Lancaster 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%). Paint Lick, 11 miles southeast, has its own station (Crab Orchard 6 N, KY): 50.4 inches a year, 2.5 more 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 Lancaster
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 156 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lancaster: 126 thunderstorm wind reports, 18 flash floods, 9 floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 2 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $690,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on May 26, 2024. June has had the most flash floods, 6 of 18. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 92 have had fewer than Lancaster.
August 21, 2013: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Lancaster — 2 killed, 3 injured.
NWS: “Lightning struck a tobacco barn near Buckeye, killing two men and injuring 3 others. The men were hanging tobacco at the time.”
July 28, 1999: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Lancaster — 3 injured, $80,000 damage.
NWS: “A tied down house trailer was rolled about 100 feet into the middle of a road and was destroyed. The adult female and 2 children that were in the home at the time were treated for minor injuries.”
November 10, 2002: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Lancaster — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Ten boats were overturned on Herrington Lake. Docks were overturned.”
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 Lancaster's ZIP code 40444 have filed 19 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1994, and were paid $907,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 37% 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, 37 have fewer than Lancaster.
Garrard County, which includes Lancaster, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1993, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 3 ice storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). 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 Garrard County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, 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 $6.8 million a year, the 92nd highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.5 million (51%), 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 Lancaster
- Danville, KY11 mi
- Stanford, KY11 mi
- Paint Lick, KY11 mi
- Junction City, KY13 mi
- Wilmore, KY14 mi
- Nicholasville, KY15 mi
- Crab Orchard, KY16 mi
- Harrodsburg, KY16 mi
- Richmond, KY18 mi
- Berea, KY18 mi
- Hustonville, KY20 mi
- Waynesburg, KY22 mi
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