NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Leitchfield, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Leitchfield, Kentucky since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 58 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 58
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
92 deaths in all
What the records show for Leitchfield
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Leitchfield; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 10 miles away. The record near Leitchfield begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 20 miles away. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site, 56% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Leitchfield. The strongest of the 58 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 31 people. The deadliest, an EF4 on December 10, 2021, killed 57 people. Of the 58, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. Of the 281 Kentucky cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Leitchfield. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 56 times since 1978, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Leitchfield has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 281 Kentucky cities.
Compare Leitchfield's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Leitchfield
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 10 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 Leitchfield: 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 Leitchfield
By decade
- 2020s10(1 EF3+)
- 2010s18
- 2000s14(1 EF3+)
- 1990s3(1 EF3+)
- 1980s2
- 1970s7(5 EF3+)
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 21 mi | 32 mi | 31 / 270 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 14 mi | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 2 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jan 21, 1959 | F3 | 11 mi | 6.6 mi | 3 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | F3 | 23 mi | 9 mi | 1 / 14 |
| May 23, 2000 | F3 | 3 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F3 | 7 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F3 | 21 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F3 | 22 mi | 26.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1961 | F3 | 11 mi | 58 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 25, 2023 | EF2 | 21 mi | 1.17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 2016 | EF2 | 23 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 58, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Leitchfield
The Storm Prediction Center has 56 hail reports within 10 miles of Leitchfield since 1978, made on 41 separate days. Of these, 37 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on November 15, 1989. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Leitchfield
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Leitchfield 2 N, KY, 2 miles northeast of Leitchfield at 620 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 21°F. May is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 49.8 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 23 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 110 nights a year. Snowfall averages 9.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 49.8 inches is more than at 38 of the 93 Kentucky stations used on this site (41%). Falls Of Rough, 15 miles northwest, has its own station (Rough Rvr Lake, KY): 51.6 inches a year, 1.8 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 21 | 3.5 | 8 | 4.0 |
| Feb | 47 | 22 | 4.1 | 6 | 2.1 |
| Mar | 56 | 31 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.8 |
| Apr | 67 | 41 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 75 | 51 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 60 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 64 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 61 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 54 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 42 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 56 | 32 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 46 | 24 | 4.7 | 7 | 2.4 |
| Year | 66 | 42 | 49.8 | 80 | 9.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Leitchfield 2 N, KY (620 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 Leitchfield
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 117 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Leitchfield: 88 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods, 3 heavy rain events, 3 lightning strikes and 1 flood. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $677,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on April 28, 2002. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 22. Of the 281 Kentucky cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 126 have had fewer than Leitchfield.
June 26, 2016: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Leitchfield — 2 injured.
NWS: “Two emergency medical services workers were injured by a lightning strike while loading a vehicle accident victim on the Western Kentucky Parkway. The two EMS workers were taken to the local hospital and released within a few hours.”
August 31, 2018: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Leitchfield — $200,000 damage.
May 30, 2004: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Leitchfield — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Two trailers on Caney Creek Church Road were rolled over by thunderstorm winds.”
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
Grayson County, which includes Leitchfield, has been named in 30 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 3 tornadoes, 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 Grayson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.4 million a year, the 54th highest of 120 Kentucky counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.0 million (44%), 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 Leitchfield
- Clarkson, KY9 mi
- Caneyville, KY11 mi
- Falls Of Rough, KY15 mi
- Brownsville, KY18 mi
- Cecilia, KY20 mi
- Upton, KY22 mi
- Hardinsburg, KY23 mi
- Sonora, KY24 mi
- Rineyville, KY25 mi
- Munfordville, KY25 mi
- Morgantown, KY27 mi
- Irvington, KY28 mi
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