NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ledbetter, 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 Ledbetter, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 120 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 120
- 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 Ledbetter
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Ledbetter; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. The record near Ledbetter begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 29 miles away. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Ledbetter. The highest rating among the 120 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on December 10, 2021, came within 18 miles. Of the 120, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 93 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 32. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Ledbetter has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 93% of the 281 Kentucky cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 92 times since 1966, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Ledbetter has more hail reports within 10 miles than 86% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
Compare Ledbetter's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ledbetter
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 54 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 Ledbetter: 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 Ledbetter
By decade
- 2020s18(2 EF3+)
- 2010s44(2 EF3+)
- 2000s31(4 EF3+)
- 1990s8
- 1980s1
- 1970s11(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 18 mi | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| Mar 4, 1964 | F4 | 19 mi | 18.5 mi | 3 / 24 |
| May 6, 2003 | F4 | 22 mi | 33 mi | 2 / 33 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 4 mi | 42.5 mi | 3 / 34 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 23 mi | 34.14 mi | 1 / 21 |
| Nov 15, 2005 | F3 | 16 mi | 44 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Nov 13, 1951 | F3 | 9 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 11 |
| May 10, 2016 | EF3 | 16 mi | 19.03 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Sep 22, 2006 | F3 | 20 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 20 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 24, 1970 | F3 | 9 mi | 25.4 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 5 mi | 11.97 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 120, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ledbetter
The Storm Prediction Center has 92 hail reports within 10 miles of Ledbetter since 1966, made on 68 separate days. Of these, 48 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 4, 2003. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ledbetter
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Smithland L&D, IL, 8 miles north of Ledbetter at 357 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 26°F. April is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 49.5 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 38 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 87 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.8 inches a year, most of it in December. That 49.5 inches is more than at 35 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (38%). Paducah, 8 miles west, has its own station (Brookport Dam 52, IL): 49.2 inches a year, 0.3 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 26 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Feb | 47 | 28 | 4.1 | 6 | 1.2 |
| Mar | 57 | 37 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 68 | 46 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 56 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 65 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 69 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 67 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 60 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 47 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 37 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 46 | 29 | 4.4 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Year | 67 | 47 | 49.5 | 77 | 3.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Smithland L&D, IL (357 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 Ledbetter
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 320 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ledbetter: 154 thunderstorm wind reports, 105 floods, 36 flash floods, 20 heavy rain events and 5 lightning strikes. They killed 3 people and injured 12, and the NWS estimated $19.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on April 5, 2023. July has had the most flash floods, 8 of 36. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 211 have had fewer than Ledbetter.
March 2, 2011: flood 9 miles from the centre of Ledbetter — 1 killed, 4 injured, $50,000 damage.
July 29, 2023: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Ledbetter — 1 killed, $5,000 damage.
February 12, 2020: flood 9 miles from the centre of Ledbetter — 1 killed.
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
Livingston County, which includes Ledbetter, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 16 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on May 23, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Livingston County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate 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 $7.5 million a year, the 85th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.3 million (31%), 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.